Have you considered analyzing captured breath to uncover the secrets of microbial metabolism?
In this interview, we speak to Dr Liz Crone, Head of Business Development, Research Products & Services for Europe and Asia at breath-based biotechnology company Owlstone Medical, Gold Sponsors of the Microbiome Times Partnering Forum, taking place 18-19 March in Brussels.
Welcome Liz, could you tell me why breath is a useful medium for microbiome research?
So, one of the key reasons why breath is ideal for gaining an understanding of the gut microbiome is that you can see what volatile metabolites the various microbes are producing such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Rather than simply seeing what types of species are colonizing the gut, breath analysis allows you to get a deeper understanding of how they’re functionally interacting with environmental factors like diet, pharmaceuticals, or other interventions such as being in a fed or fasted state. In fact, breath as a sampling medium has many advantages specifically for studying the microbiome. This includes that it can be collected in a completely non-invasive manner so it’s convenient for subjects and non-disruptive of a patient’s gut. Unlike fecal analysis, breath is available in almost unlimited supply and can be collected serially at frequent intervals allowing for analysis of a time course after drug or dietary intervention.
So how do you measure these metabolites accurately?
Firstly, our Breath Biopsy® Collection Station allows you to collect a clean breath sample. This consists of our award-winning ReCIVA device, CASPER® portable air supply, and laptop which controls the device through the Collect software. To collect a breath sample, participants simply breathe normally into the ReCIVA device, and the sensors inside will selectively capture the portion of breath with the most biologically relevant volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The CASPER provides a clean air supply that can minimize background contaminants to the ReCIVA® device. The ReCIVA collects and stores breath VOCs onto custom-made adsorbent tubes for analysis. We have the most advanced solution for the analysis of volatile metabolites in breath – and this service is available for researchers to easily integrate breath analysis into their studies.
The Breath Biopsy Collection Station ®
Hydrogen and methane are also key, clinically validated biomarkers of gut microbiome activity that we can measure using our handheld OMED Health Breath Analyzer device. We have benchmarked the accuracy of the device to currently used clinical hydrogen and methane devices, and the portability, lower cost, and opportunity for repeated longitudinal monitoring of the breath support some really exciting study designs for investigating the microbiome.
What kinds of applications can breath testing be used for in terms of the gut microbiome?
Breath can detect many of the same microbial-originating VOCs that are studied in fecal matter, with the bonus that a large volume of breath can be taken regularly, allowing for detailed longitudinal monitoring of a wide range of metabolic processes. Microbial VOCs could be used for testing the impact of food ingredients such as fibers, pro- and pre-biotics, and fermented foods on digestive health, as well as the response to different therapeutics. The OMED device also makes it possible to build a detailed understanding of how hydrogen and methane change over time, in response to different challenges (i.e. dietary fiber), medications, or in disease states. Repeated sampling is possible (without extra analysis cost), and can help average out sources of biological variability (e.g. diet, circadian rhythm, or exercise) to allow you to better understand the true impact of a tested intervention/challenge.
Is there anything particularly exciting you are developing at the moment?
Right now, we are working on the largest reference database of VOCs that can be found in the breath. This Breath Biopsy VOC Atlas® is both a search interface and analytics tool that presents high-confidence VOCs alongside their clinical, chemical, and biological context. What’s exciting about this is that we’ve decided to make it open access to foster collaboration on its development with an early access waitlist for those interested in using it to help validate their results or otherwise gain access in the next months. Our Atlas contains many microbe-associated VOCs, including the short-chain fatty acids acetic, propionic, and butyric acid that you can read about on our recent poster. Due to the highly connected nature of the microbiome and the broad range of physiological processes in the body, there is a large potential for VOC analysis to aid the advancement of medical research. The dynamic nature of the ever-expanding VOC Atlas makes it a useful tool to facilitate further VOC biomarker discovery as well as serve as a foundation for the comparison of healthy and diseased individuals using our comprehensive suite of reference ranges. Alongside other tools such as metagenomics and inflammation profiling, the Atlas could provide a more holistic view of the role of the gastrointestinal microbiome in disease development.
One last thing I’d like to mention is our annual Breath Biopsy Conference which is taking place on the 5th and 6th of November! We have three microbiome-specific talks being presented on the first day and a variety of posters on microbiome-related topics within breath research. You can register anytime.