Non-invasive Detection of Chemical Exposure using GC-IMS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Non-invasive Detection of Exposure to Alcohols and Radiation using Gas Chromatography-Ion Mobility Spectrometry (GC-IMS)
IRAS ID
199614
Contact name
Michael Eddleston
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
16/SS/0059, SESREC1
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Worldwide, thousands of people are exposed to toxic alcohols (such as methanol or ethylene glycol). Diagnosis of the poisoning is often difficult, hindering good treatment. Blood samples are usually required for diagnosis and the samples must be sent to distant laboratories, resulting in delays that harm patients. A bedside test that would allow diagnosis of these poisonings would be very important.
The effect of these poisons on the body produces break-down products called volatile organic compounds (VOC) that can be detected in breath, saliva, and sweat using a measurement technique called ‘ion mobility spectrometry’ (IMS). We aim to study these VOCs to find ‘signatures’ of exposure that could be used to accurately diagnose patients at the bedside, without the need for a laboratory.
In addition, a recent study suggests that the damage caused by radiotherapy to the cancer and its surrounding tissues also produces VOCs. Their detection in the breath might allow accurate measurement of the amount of injury produced during radiotherapy for each patient. This would allow rapid revision of radio-therapy protocols according to an individual’s response to radiotherapy.
This clinical study is observational and non-interventional, and involves collecting breath, saliva, sweat and blood samples from at least 200 patients presenting with alcohol poisoning or for radiotherapy to the emergency medicine departments and medical wards of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and radiotherapy department of Edinburgh Cancer Centre.
It aims 1) to establish sampling protocols to obtain high quality non-invasive breath, sweat, and saliva biological samples from patients that will allow detection of biomarkers of exposure and 2) to identify the breath, saliva, and sweat metabolome of patients exposed to alcohols and radiation, compared to the gold standard of the blood metabolome.
REC name
South East Scotland REC 01
REC reference
16/SS/0059
Date of REC Opinion
15 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion