‘Smart mask’ could detect asthma, COPD and other medical conditions, researchers say

Your breath could hold clues to your health, researchers say — and they have developed a "smart mask" to tap into them.

Wei Gao, professor of medical engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, led the team that created the EBCare, a mask that analyzes the chemicals in someone’s breath to detect any existing health issues.

The mask is designed to screen for medical conditions like respiratory infections, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma and post-COVID infections, according to a press release from Caltech.

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EBCare works by cooling the breath to convert it into a liquid, then transports it to sensors to be analyzed for specific biomarkers.

Researchers have developed a "smart mask" (pictured at left) to detect signs of medical conditions. (Caltech/Wei Gao and Wenzheng Heng; iStock)

In an email to Fox News Digital, lead researcher Gao noted the mask’s ability to enable "continuous, real-time monitoring of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in a non-invasive and wearable format."

"This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we monitor respiratory health by providing valuable insights into conditions like asthma, COPD and other metabolic disorders," Gao said, noting that it could be a path to more personalized health care.

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"It can also be applied to pandemic management by monitoring respiratory infections on a wide scale," he added.

The ultimate goal is for the EBCare technology to go beyond respiratory diseases, Gao noted. 

"As research progresses, we envision that the smart mask can be adapted to detect a wider range of biomarkers, including those related to metabolic, cardiovascular and infectious diseases," he said.

This schematic shows the process by which the smart mask can detect chemicals in the breath, such as nitrite, which is an indicator of airway inflammation. (Caltech/Wei Gao and Wenzheng Heng)

A study of the mask’s capabilities included 31 healthy adults who wore the EBCare in real-life settings over a 14-hour span, according to Caltech. They only removed the mask for three-minute intervals to eat.

Ten of the participants were smokers, 10 had asthma, nine had COPD and 12 had recently recovered from COVID-19.

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The masks accurately detected the biomarker for asthma and COPD in participating patients. They also successfully detected signs of kidney disease.

EBCare also produced accurate readings of blood alcohol levels.

"Monitoring alcohol levels in real time offers a non-invasive and continuous alternative to breathalyzers or blood tests," Gao said.

"We would need to see at least a few clinical studies demonstrating that the masks can diagnose better — or more rapidly or with more sensitivity — than the standard of care."

The research — which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Tobacco Related Disease Research Program, and the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity — was published in the journal Science on Aug. 29.

The idea is not for the smart mask to replace traditional medical diagnosis, but to provide "early warning" through continuous health monitoring during daily activities and to "bridge the gap" between doctor’s visits, Gao said.

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"The goal is to identify subtle physiological changes before they develop into more severe conditions, giving individuals the opportunity to take proactive steps in managing their health," he said.

This is especially important for those who need regular monitoring, such as patients with chronic conditions or those recovering from respiratory infections like COVID-19, according to Gao.

The mask (not pictured) is designed to screen for medical conditions like respiratory infections, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma and post-COVID infections. (iStock)

"I recommend that health care providers consider integrating real-time EBC analysis technology into their diagnostic and monitoring practices, especially for chronic conditions like asthma and COPD," he said. 

"For individuals, the ability to monitor one's health non-invasively through a wearable device offers the opportunity to be more proactive in managing personal health, which can lead to early intervention and better health outcomes."

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MarkAlain Déry, DO, MPH, infectious disease doctor and chief innovation officer at Access Health Louisiana, who was not involved with the development of the smart mask, agreed that it is an "exciting concept."

"Could it work? Sure," he told Fox News Digital. 

Wei Gao, professor of medical engineering at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, led the team that created the EBCare mask. (Caltech)

"However, we would need to see at least a few clinical studies demonstrating that the masks can diagnose better — or more rapidly or with more sensitivity — than the standard of care," he went on. 

"Then, we would need studies that demonstrate clinical improvement."

Potential limitations

Some external doctors not involved in the mask’s development questioned whether this mode of data collection is beneficial.

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"While the mask introduces an innovative method to monitor exhaled breath condensate (EBC), we need to ask an important question: Do these continuous, real-time measurements genuinely make a difference in everyday life?" said Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurosurgeon, in a conversation with Fox News Digital. 

"For the average person, the biomarkers it detects — ammonium, pH, nitrite and alcohol — do not need constant monitoring, especially when routine blood tests can provide this information more accurately and with greater relevance."

"For the average person, the biomarkers it detects … do not need constant monitoring, especially when routine blood tests can provide this information more accurately and with greater relevance," a doctor said. (iStock)

Osborn believes that the concept of the EBCare mask is better suited for "specific, high-stakes environments," such as real-time monitoring of toxic gases in military or industrial settings. 

"However, for the average person, especially in a post-pandemic world, the idea of wearing a mask like this is counterproductive," he said. 

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Richard Reithinger, PhD, an infectious disease epidemiologist at RTI International in North Carolina, noted that smart masks are still "very experimental."

"Ultimately, whether ‘smart masks’ work comes down to how good they will be at differentially diagnosing different diseases, in both patients with varying degrees of symptomatology or patients that have multiple co-morbidities," Reithinger, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.

"Until they test these smart masks on several groups of patients with these characteristics in multiple sites, they will just remain a device with a promise."

"For the average person, especially in a post-pandemic world, the idea of wearing a mask like this is counterproductive."

The lead researcher, Gao, responded to some of these comments.

"While routine blood tests are indeed reliable, they are typically periodic and require a clinical setting, which limits their ability to capture dynamic, day-to-day physiological changes," he told Fox News Digital. 

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"The real innovation of the EBCare mask lies in its ability to continuously monitor health in real time, offering insights that might not be detectable with intermittent tests."

For individuals managing chronic conditions like asthma, COPD or metabolic disorders, fluctuations in certain biomarkers can provide early warning signs, according to the researchers. (iStock)

For individuals managing chronic conditions like asthma, COPD or metabolic disorders, fluctuations in certain biomarkers can provide early warning signs before symptoms worsen, allowing for timely intervention, according to the researcher. 

Gao, however, did acknowledge some limitations with the EBCare device.

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"One limitation was the relatively small sample size in some of the clinical trials, particularly for conditions like COPD and asthma," he told Fox News Digital. 

"Future studies with larger and more diverse populations will help to further validate the device’s performance across a broader range of conditions and environments."