Volatile organic compound sensing in healthcare using optical interrogation of metal-organic frameworks

实时检测人体样本中某些与新陈代谢过程和药物化学成分有关的化合物，如呼吸、血液、尿液、汗液和唾液，可以提供有关患者生理状况的宝贵信息。人体内的挥发性有机化合物(VOCs)具有识别和监测各种疾病的潜力，如肺癌、糖尿病和体内药物的存在。精确传感的关键是能够在低浓度(高灵敏度)下检测到生物标志物，而不受其他化合物(高特异性)的影响。金属有机骨架(MOF)是一种用于气体存储等应用的材料电流，但在传感方面还没有得到广泛的开发。这项提议旨在开发一个基于测量MOF光学变化的颠覆性传感平台，并将其应用于医疗保健领域的挑战。为了达到最佳性能，并提供扩大和广泛使用的潜力，拥有强大的制造工艺是必不可少的。在这项应用中，我们将开发一种新的传感器制造工艺，其基础是：(I)筛选、设计和合成MOF结构，以提供针对目标的最高灵敏度和选择性；(Ii)使用微波处理涂覆光纤，以确保最佳表面覆盖和最大灵敏度；(Iii)在配置为易于使用和高灵敏度的光纤上实施。作为端到端工艺样本，我们将实施一个具有高灵敏度和选择性的传感平台，以快速监测呼吸中存在的麻醉剂异丙酚的临床相关浓度。这是提高重症监护患者存活率的重要关键，监测患者的血流动力学、温度、呼吸频率、换气、营养和代谢等重要生理参数，以及准确和连续地监测血液中药物和生物标志物的浓度。关键是，该方法可以扩展到其他VOCs，如酮、醛和醇，可用作不同疾病的生物标志物，如肺癌和糖尿病，或药物代谢的指示物。

Real time detection of certain chemical compounds, referred to as biomarkers, excreted from human body which are related to metabolic processes and chemical composition of drugs in human samples such as breath, blood, urine, sweat and saliva can provide a valuable information about patients' physiological conditions. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the human body have the potential to identify and monitor various diseases such as lung cancer, diabetes and the presence of drugs in the body. The key to precise sensing is to be able to detect a biomarker at low concentrations (high sensitivity) but not be affected by other compounds (high specificity). A metal-organic framework (MOF) is a material current used in applications such as gas storage but has not been extensively exploited in sensing. This proposal aims to develop a disruptive sensing platform based on measuring optical changes in MOFs and to apply this to challenges in healthcare. To achieve the optimum performance and provide the potential for scale-up and widespread use, it is essential to have a robust manufacturing process. In this application we will develop a new sensor fabrication process based on (i) screening, designing and synthesising the MOF structures to provide the highest sensitivity and selectivity towards the target; (ii) coating an optical fibre using microwave processing to ensure optimum surface coverage and maximum sensitivity; (iii) implementing on a optical fibre configured to provide easy use with high sensitivity.As an end to end process exemplar, we will implement a sensing platform with high sensitivity and selectivity to rapidly monitor clinically relevant concentrations of the anaesthetic propofol present in the breath. This is important key to improving survival in intensive care is monitoring of the vital physiological parameters such as patient's hemodynamics, temperature, respiratory rate, ventilation, nutrition, and metabolism, as well as the accurate and continuous monitoring of concentration of drugs and biomarkers in blood.Crucially, the proposed methodology can be extended to other VOCs such as ketones, aldehydes and alcohols that can be used as biomarkers for different diseases, such as lung cancer and diabetes, or indicators of the metabolism of drugs.