CF Foundation invests in breath test to detect Pseudomonas
Owlstone Medical to get up to $2.3M to develop test
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will invest up to $2.3 million for a company to develop a breath test designed to detect Pseudomonas aeruginosa and to monitor chronic infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF).
P. aeruginosa bacteria are a major cause of lung disease in people with CF. Although it doesn’t typically cause illness in healthy people, the dense, sticky mucus in CF lungs creates an ideal environment for this bacteria to thrive and trigger serious infections.
Owlstone Medical will develop a tool that aims to replace traditional tests based on sputum (phlegm) cultures, which may be difficult for many patients, especially children and patients taking CFTR modulators that clear away mucus.
“Developing high-performing diagnostic tests of lung infections that do not rely on sputum collection or invasive procedures is a high priority,” David Nichols, MD, senior director of clinical research development at the CF Foundation, said in a foundation press release. “Once Pseudomonas is established in the lungs, it is difficult to eliminate, so early detection and treatment is crucial in eradicating these infections.”
Owlstone’s goal is to develop a breath-based test with a diagnostic accuracy at least comparable to sputum culture assessments. The company will use its expertise in volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis to distinguish P. aeruginosa from Staphylococcus aureus and other disease-driving bacteria that are common in the lungs of people with CF. VOCs are derived from respiratory cell metabolism and the degradation of compounds related to digestion, aging, or inflammatory reactions.
Data to support trials, more test development
Owlstone will begin by conducting a preclinical study to assess whether breath-based biomarkers can reliably identify chronic P. aeruginosa infections and enable long-term monitoring. If successful, the research may expand to include detection of new infections. This could lead to earlier CF diagnosis and, according to the foundation, reduce antibiotic use that can lead to drug resistance.
“Owlstone’s experience in the breath-based detection of infectious disease through projects with the U.S. Department of Defense, the Gates Foundation, and other partners, underpinned by our proprietary Breath Biopsy platform, places Owlstone in an excellent position to help improve outcomes for CF patients infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa,” Billy Boyle, co-founder and CEO at Owlstone, said in a company press release. “Data from the study will also be entered into Owlstone’s Breath VOC Atlas, where it will continue to be used in clinical studies and analyses to support further biomarker and test development across a wide range of disease areas.”
Data from the foundation’s patient registry in 2023 revealed that 25% of people with CF, excluding lung transplant recipients, tested positive for Pseudomonas, with nearly 13% of those infections being resistant to multiple antibiotics.
The foundation is also funding research using blood and urine samples from CF patients as a way to detect lung infections.
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