A Smart Mask for Breath Condensate Harvesting and Molecular Detection

Recent respiratory outbreaks have underscored the critical need for advanced breath monitoring techniques. While conventional methods primarily focus on physical breath parameters, exhaled breath condensate (EBC) contains a wealth of molecular information that could provide comprehensive insights into an individual's health status. This rich array of biomarkers in EBC has the potential to revolutionize early diagnosis, monitoring, and management of various respiratory and metabolic conditions, including lung cancer, respiratory infections, and diabetes. However, the widespread application of EBC analysis has been constrained by significant challenges in sample collection and the lack of reliable on-site analytical tools. To address these limitations, we present EBCare, an innovative mask-based device designed for real-time, in situ monitoring of EBC biomarkers. EBCare integrates several functional material-based technologies, including a tandem hydrogel and meta-polymer radiative cooling for breath condensation, microengineered microfluidics with capillary gradients for automated EBC sample transport, and highly selective nanoengineered electrochemical biosensors for accurate EBC biomarker detection. Utilizing this smart mask, we rigorously assessed EBCare's efficacy in evaluating metabolic conditions and respiratory airway inflammation across diverse cohorts, focusing on protein-related urea metabolism, alcohol metabolism, and airway inflammation evaluation. Our research encompassed a diverse range of subjects, including healthy participants, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma, and individuals recovering from COVID-19 infection. The study was conducted across various settings, including clinical environments, indoor and outdoor spaces, and different postures such as upright and supine. Consequently, this mask enables continuous, multimodal monitoring of EBC analytes across various real-life scenarios. The comprehensive series of studies demonstrated that EBCare is a non-invasive, user-friendly breath monitoring platform with significant potential for personalized healthcare applications.