# A microreactor chip platform for quantitative analysis of unsaturated aldehydes in exhaled breath

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE · 2020 · $187,542

## Abstract

Project Title:
A microreactor chip platform for quantitative analysis of unsaturated aldehydes in exhaled breath
7. Project Summary/Abstract
 Lung cancer has the highest mortality of all types of cancer. Early lung cancer detection is a key factor for
increasing survival rates of lung cancer patients. The analysis of exhaled breath samples has great potential to
become a powerful non-invasive screening and diagnostic tool for early lung cancer detection. A number of
recent publications have indicated that certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath may be
lung cancer metabolic output. However, there are some critical challenges for the analysis of breath VOCs that
hinder the use of breath analysis technology for clinical applications. These challenges include trace levels of
VOCs in breath much lower than the detection limits of most current analytical instruments; the complexity of
sorting a large number of VOCs; and matrix interferences imparted by abundant and/or structurally similar
VOCs unrelated to cancers. These challenges make it very difficult to identify true metabolic markers of lung
cancers.
 We have developed a microreactor approach that uses a quaternary aminooxy coating for chemoselective
capture of carbonyl compounds in exhaled breath. Four carbonyl compounds have been identified to have
significantly higher concentrations in the breath of lung cancer patients than in the breath of healthy control
subjects. However, the slow reaction kinetics of the quaternary aminooxy coating with unsaturated aldehydes
and unstable nature of these compounds make the microreactor technology inadequate for quantification of
key unsaturated aldehydes in exhaled breath. Many unsaturated aldehydes in exhaled breath are related to
lung cancer dysfunction-induced oxidative stress. Unfortunately, there is no current technology that can be
used to adequately measure unsaturated aldehydes in exhaled breath.
 The goal of this project is to develop a microreactor chip platform technology for quantitative analysis of
unsaturated aldehydes in exhaled breath for differentiation of early lung cancer from benign pulmonary
nodules. The technology will overcome all critical challenges of current breath analysis technologies and
enable quantitative analysis of unsaturated aldehydes. The goal will be fulfilled by the following two specific
aims: Specific Aim 1. Develop a novel microreactor platform for accurate measurement of unsaturated
aldehydes in exhaled breath; Specific Aim 2. Establish novel algorithms for diagnosis of lung cancer by breath
analysis.
 The proposed microreactor chip platform for quantitative analysis of unsaturated aldehydes will be
transformative because it will enable measurement and identification of lung cancer metabolic aldehydes and
establish a non-invasive tool for differentiation of lung cancer from benign pulmonary nodules. The
microreactor chip enabled quantitative analysis of unsaturated aldehydes in breath can also be...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9981690
- **Project number:** 5R21CA229057-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE
- **Principal Investigator:** Xiao-An Fu
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $187,542
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-22 → 2021-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9981690

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9981690, A microreactor chip platform for quantitative analysis of unsaturated aldehydes in exhaled breath (5R21CA229057-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9981690. Licensed CC0.

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