# Noninvasive Diagnostic Markers of Lower Respiratory Tract Infection in Mechanically Ventilated Patients

> **NIH NIH R44** · ZETEO TECH, INC. · 2024 · $944,850

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is the most common infectious cause of death. LRTI affects patients
more often in ICUs, especially patients with mechanical ventilators. Early initiation of short-course antibiotic
therapy is the cornerstone in managing mechanically ventilated patients with LRTI. However, using the current
clinical criteria, a diagnosis of LRTI is typically not made until an infection in the lower respiratory tract is well
established. To address the current limitations, molecular diagnostic technologies such as polymerase chain
reaction (PCR)-based multiplex assays have been developed. However, they cannot distinguish between
colonization and infection. Therefore, a more sophisticated diagnostic methodology is needed for LRTI
diagnosis and management. Human exhaled air has great potential to address the current limitations in
diagnosing LRTI. However, the lack of a suitable collection system for clinical use put a major barrier to
exploring the medical potential of using human exhaled air. To address these limitations, Zeteo Tech
renovated the capture mechanism and developed a novel collection system, BreathBiomicsTM, for
biomolecules for human breath analysis. Specifically, we demonstrated that BreathBiomicsTM could be
configured into mechanical ventilators for collecting biomolecules in the exhaled air from intubated patients in
intensive care units. Most importantly, by characterizing these biomolecules using mass spectrometry, we
identified truncated proteoforms, which are the products of activated proteases, and demonstrated that
truncated proteoforms had the diagnostic potential for LRTI in a pilot study. Considering this evidence, we
propose to determine whether truncated proteoforms in human exhaled air can be used as a noninvasive
method for LRTI diagnosis and early prediction of LRTI in mechanically ventilated patients. Our work would
largely assist decision-making for clinicians regarding antibiotic treatment and dramatically improve patients'
clinical outcomes by limiting antibiotic requirements and minimizing harmful exposure to unnecessary antibiotic
treatment.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10834252
- **Project number:** 5R44AI177245-02
- **Recipient organization:** ZETEO TECH, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Dapeng Chen
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $944,850
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-05-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10834252

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10834252, Noninvasive Diagnostic Markers of Lower Respiratory Tract Infection in Mechanically Ventilated Patients (5R44AI177245-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10834252. Licensed CC0.

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