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Embedded between the fabric layers of this FFP2-style face mask is a specialized gas sensor that could help diagnose chronic kidney disease from a person’s breath.
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Credit: Adapted from ACS Sensors 2025, DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.4c03227
Surgical face masks help prevent the spread of airborne pathogens and therefore were ubiquitous during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, a modified mask could also protect a wearer by detecting health conditions, including chronic kidney disease. Researchers reporting in ACS Sensors incorporated a specialized breath sensor within the fabric of a face mask to detect metabolites associated with the disease. In initial tests, the sensor correctly identified people with the condition most of the time.
Kidneys remove waste products made by the body’s metabolic processes. But in the case of chronic kidney disease (CKD), these organs have become damaged and lose function over time, which can have wide-ranging implications on a person’s health. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 35 million Americans have CKD, and many more could have the disease without knowing it, possibly at an early stage. Currently, medical professionals diagnose the condition by measuring metabolites in blood or urine, but low-cost, low-tech systems, like the ones made from specialized candies, could make the process easier.
Chemical breath sensors are another diagnostic tool currently being explored because people with CKD exhale elevated levels of ammonia — a chemical associated with the condition. However, ammonia is also associated with other health conditions. Corrado Di Natale and colleagues wanted to create a specific sensor that simultaneously detects ammonia and other CKD-related metabolites.
For ease of use, they incorporated the sensor into a familiar form: a surgical face mask. To create the breath sensor, the team first coated silver electrodes with a conductive polymer that is commonly used in chemical sensors. The polymer was modified with porphyrins — molecules sensitive to volatile compounds — to boost the sensitivity. The coated electrodes were placed between the layers of a disposable medical face mask, and wires connected the device to an electronic readout. When select gases interacted with this specialized polymer, it caused a measurable change of electrical resistance. These initial experiments in air confirmed the high sensitivity of the sensor for CKD-related metabolites, including ammonia, ethanol, propanol and acetone.
Then the specialized face masks were tested on 100 individuals. About half of the participants had a CKD diagnosis, and the other half (the control group) did not. The sensors detected several compounds in the participants’ breath, and statistical analysis of the data revealed a clear pattern distinguishing the participants with CKD from the control group. The team’s sensor correctly identified when a patient had CKD 84% of the time (true positive) and that a patient did not have CKD 88% of the time (true negative). In addition, the results suggest that the sensor data can be used to estimate the stage of CKD, which could be highly valuable in the diagnostic process.
The researchers say that these findings present the potential for straightforward, non-invasive and cost-effective monitoring of CKD patients.
“The implementation of this technology is expected to enhance the management of CKD patients by facilitating the timely identification of changes in disease progression,” say Sergio Bernardini and Annalisa Noce, coauthors of the study.
The authors acknowledge funding from the European Union’s NextGenerationEU project.
The paper’s abstract will be available on May 7 at 8 a.m. Eastern time here:
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Journal
ACS Sensors
DOI
10.1021/acssensors.4c03227
Article Title
Disposable Sensor Array Embedded in Facemasks for the Identification of Chronic Kidney Disease
Article Publication Date
7-May-2025
Media Contacts
Emily Abbott
American Chemical Society
ACS Newsroom
American Chemical Society
Journal
ACS Sensors
DOI
10.1021/acssensors.4c03227
Journal
ACS Sensors
DOI
10.1021/acssensors.4c03227
Article Title
Disposable Sensor Array Embedded in Facemasks for the Identification of Chronic Kidney Disease
Article Publication Date
7-May-2025
Keywords
/Physical sciences/Chemistry
/Health and medicine
/Life sciences/Organismal biology/Anatomy/Kidney
/Health and medicine/Diseases and disorders/Nephropathies
/Health and medicine/Clinical medicine/Medical diagnosis
/Applied sciences and engineering/Technology/Sensors
bu içeriği en az 2000 kelime olacak şekilde ve alt başlıklar ve madde içermiyecek şekilde ünlü bir science magazine için İngilizce olarak yeniden yaz. Teknik açıklamalar içersin ve viral olacak şekilde İngilizce yaz. Haber dışında başka bir şey içermesin. Haber içerisinde en az 12 paragraf ve her bir paragrafta da en az 50 kelime olsun. Cevapta sadece haber olsun. Ayrıca haberi yazdıktan sonra içerikten yararlanarak aşağıdaki başlıkların bilgisi var ise haberin altında doldur. Eğer yoksa bilgisi ilgili kısmı yazma.:
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Keywords
Tags: ACS Sensors research findingsbreath analysis for health diagnosischronic kidney disease detection technologyCOVID-19 pandemic innovationsFFP2-style masks with sensorsgas sensor embedded in masksinnovative health monitoring solutionsmedical applications of face masksnon-invasive kidney disease screeningrespiratory biomarkers for disease detectionspecialized face mask for kidney diseasewearable health technology advancements
