Pneuvo

What it does

Pneuvo is a reusable breath-based daily testing device that enables early detection of infectious respiratory diseases. This empowers users to self-isolate before they are infectious to reduce transmissions without generating single-use testing waste.

Your inspiration

Scientists say the next respiratory pandemic is inevitable. Thankfully, emerging research during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that daily testing and self-isolation could prevent 77% of transmissions, alleviating the need for lockdowns and reducing the hit on the economy and the well-being of populations. However, at the peak of the pandemic, already half a billion single-use testing kits were used annually in the UK. With 97% of these being incinerated after use, the impact on the environment if they were used daily would be disastrous. This inspired us to design a reusable daily testing solution that prevents transmissions sustainably.

How it works

Pneuvo uses gas chromatography (GC) to detect respiratory infections through exhaled breath. The process works in the following key steps. First, the user exhales into their reusable breath pod, where each user has their own pod to prevent cross-contamination. Next, the pod is attached to the main analysis chamber to collect their breath sample. This sample is then pushed through a GC column that separates the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the sample. Our custom VOC sensor detects and quantifies each compound, creating a unique VOC profile of the user’s breath. Finally, as respiratory diseases, such as COVID-19 and Influenza, cause unique changes in the type and concentration of VOCs present in an infected person’s breath, Pneuvo compares the user’s VOC profile against these known changes to determine if they are infected. The device can also receive software updates for new diseases, allowing it to scale for future outbreaks.

Design process

Our process began by identifying a critical gap: the lack of reusable, at-home respiratory illness testing. Existing lab-confined solutions required specialist operation and were too large for consumer use. We initiated technical development with off-the-shelf VOC sensors, which could only detect, not identify, VOCs. This led us to implement a miniaturised GC column to separate and identify different VOCs before sensing, as well as a custom VOC sensor with better sensitivity. We iteratively experimented with GC column parameters, optimising length (1-4m), exploring materials (silicon, copper), and testing filling materials (polymer coated/uncoated silica) until we verified the technology's feasibility. Simultaneously, we prioritised user experience, focusing on ease of use, trust, safety, and habit formation. For shared household use, we designed a modular system with personal breath pods to prevent cross-contamination. We rapidly iterated product designs using CAD and 3D printing for user testing. 18 user interviews and 60 survey responses prompted the addition of UV cleaning for key contact points. Throughout the project, we collaborated closely with immunologists, biomedical device engineers, and infectious disease specialists to align our design with clinical and user needs.

How it is different

By using a breath-based technology, Pneuvo is more accessible, easier to use, and more sustainable than traditional swab-based testing methods. And whilst breath-based diagnostics for infectious disease detection already exist in research labs, where their accuracy in disease detection before symptoms appear has been proven, this technology has not yet been adapted for at-home testing. Pneuvo is therefore a first-of-its-kind product that translates emerging research in infectious disease detection into a low-barrier product designed for consumer use. Additionally, Pneuvo also allows for adaptable and scalable disease detection via software updates, allowing it to work for any future pandemic. Overall, Pneuvo aims to be a self-contained system for scalable, proactive and sustainable pandemic prevention that equips the public as well as health organisations with critical quantitative information to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases.

Future plans

Going forward, we hope to further refine our technology to establish benchmarks for our custom gas chromatography column and VOC sensor. Beyond technical refinements, we hope to work with labs and hospitals to validate Pneuvo’s accuracy with clinical datasets and conduct pilot tests with a wide demographic of users. Our goal is to build an open, adaptable and robust platform that can leverage the use of exhaled breath for diagnostic testing, dynamically respond to new outbreaks, improve access to testing and set a new standard for sustainable healthcare.

Awards

Pneuvo has won the Red Dot Award in the Design Concept category.