BREATH-AMMONIA METHOD FOR H. PYLORI DETECTION

该项目将开发一种简单的无创检测方法，通过测量患者呼吸中的氨来诊断胃中幽门螺杆菌感染的活动性。一种新型的高灵敏度光学技术将用于测量呼吸氨，这将导致一种廉价的诊断程序，可以在任何全科医生的办公室进行。一种改进的检测胃幽门螺杆菌的方法具有临床意义，因为这种生物引起的最显著的是肽溃疡以及包括癌症在内的其他胃肠道疾病。新的呼吸氨传感方法将有助于感染患者的诊断，以及治疗后感染状况的随访测定。该研究将通过使用当前研究仪器的有限临床试验，在I期证明氨基技术的可行性。这一努力将包括研究表征和改进传感方法，并确定临床方案。随后的第二阶段研究将完善传感系统，建立临床水平的原型仪器。将进行扩大的患者试验，以确认该方案和改进的诊断系统的临床疗效。建议的商业应用：该传感技术主要用于临床诊断胃幽门螺杆菌和相关疾病的应用。它也适用于与氨升高相关的疾病状态的氨检测，例如终末期肾衰竭。该技术作为一种高灵敏度的氨检测系统，在工业和食品工业中具有重要的应用价值。

This project will develop a simple test for noninvasive diagnosis of active Helicobacter pylori infection in the stomach based on measuring ammonia in patients' breath. A novel highly sensitive optical technique will be used to measure breath ammonia, leading to an inexpensive diagnostic procedure that can be conducted in any general practitioner's office. An improved method of detecting gastric H. pylori is of clinical significance because the organism causes most notably peptide ulcers as well as other gastrointestinal diseases including cancers. The new breath ammonia sensing method will be useful for diagnosis of infected patients, as well as follow-up determinations of infectious status after therapy. The research will demonstrate the feasibility of the ammonia-based technique in Phase I through a limited clinical trial using current research instrumentation. This effort will include investigations characterizing and improving the sensing method and qualifying the clinical protocol. Subsequent Phase II research will refine the sensing system building clinical level prototype instruments. Expanded patient trials will be conducted to confirm the clinical efficacy of the protocol and improved diagnostic system. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The sensing technique is primarily designed for clinical diagnosis of gastric H. pylori and related disease applications. It is also applicable towards ammonia detection in context of their disease states associated with elevated ammonia, e.g. end-stage renal failure. As a high-sensitivity ammonia detection system, the technology is valuable for sensing ammonia in industrial and food industry applications.