Exhalon Greater Paris, France
www.exhalon.io/

In this project, Exhalon will evaluate whether exhaled breath can be used as a non-invasive sample type to aid in the rapid and accurate diagnosis of lower-respiratory tract infections (LRTIs).

Diagnosing LRTIs by traditional microbiological approaches can be complicated due to the difficulty of acquiring lower respiratory specimens, such as sputum or samples collected by more invasive methods, as well as the complexity and often poor quality of samples collected for diagnostic testing.

The CARB-X award will support Exhalon’s evaluation of the diagnostic capability of a non-invasive test evaluating volatile organic compounds (VOC) in exhaled breath. A multicenter clinical study will enroll all ages of patients, including intubated patients, with suspected LRTIs. The study will identify VOC signatures in the breath that originate from the patient’s response to infection and the infecting microbes. The clinical study aims to establish the feasibility of using unique VOC signatures to indicate infection status, distinguish bacterial versus viral infections, and identify the causative pathogens.

The study findings are intended to provide the foundation for the development of a robust, rapid (one-minute or less), and non-invasive diagnostic test that could accelerate LRTI diagnosis in various clinical settings and improve patient management and outcomes, including antibiotic decision-making.

Current Development Stage: Seed

CARB-X Investment: US$1 million

Initial CARB-X Investment Date: December 9, 2025