Exhaled Breath Condensate (EBC) Polarimeter
Current Research & Challenges
Universities, medical institutes, and biotech companies worldwide are studying non-invasive blood glucose monitoring by analyzing glucose in Exhaled Breath Condensate (EBC). However, measuring these extremely low glucose concentrations has remained a major hurdle.
Our Technology Solution
Focusing on glucose’s optical rotation, we developed an ultra-high-precision polarimeter utilizing the advanced phase-difference detection technology of Fiber Optic Gyroscopes (FOG). This system detects minute optical rotation angles from trace amounts of glucose in EBC, enabling extremely high-precision measurement.
Next Steps & Strategic Partnership
With the core principle fully validated, we are now working to establish a precise correlation between EBC glucose levels and blood glucose values for commercialization. We are actively looking for strategic partners to co-develop and bring this technology to market, aiming to revolutionize diabetes care through fiber optic innovation.
In-patient Care & Potential Cost Savings Hospitalized patients require frequent blood sampling—up to 90 times a month—to determine pre-meal insulin doses, with consumables costing approximately ¥500 per test.
Solving Nursing Shortages Through AI Integration & Automated Measurement
Integrating AI for data evaluation and management could significantly reduce the hands-on workload for nurses, directly addressing one of the most critical challenges facing medical institutions today: the chronic nursing shortage.
Note:
For EBC collection, either a commercially available (imported) R-Tube or a 1 cm² Peltier element with breath blown onto it via a straw may be used.
Both methods yielded a collection rate of 0.15 mL/min. A cell size of 0.5 mm × 0.5 mm × 40 mm corresponds to an EBC volume of 10 μL. Since approximately 10 μL can be collected in a single exhalation, the required cell volume can be obtained with just one breath.
A correlation trend is observed between the optical rotation (glucose concentration) of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and actual blood glucose levels.
We are currently in the stage of collecting baseline data; moving forward, we intend to increase the number of test subjects to further accumulate data and conduct validation.
If you have any inquiries regarding our research or products, please do not hesitate to contact us.
