Using a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GCMS), scientists at The Ness Foundation are able to collect and analyse chemicals in breath. The team has found that some disorders of the brain are associated with abnormal amounts of these gases.
Collecting a breath sample takes seconds and is completely non-invasive.  We have developed a unique breath sampler bag, called the PanBag (see below), which has been specially designed to collect and store alveolar breath (the breath at the bottom of the lungs).  This is an easy to use bubble-shaped bag which makes it especially good for use with children and is much easier than obtaining blood and urine samples.  It also means that breath samples can be easily transported to and from the laboratory for analysis.

An actual human breath 'fingerprint' (below left) produced by the GCMS and a chromatograph based on these results (below right).  Each spot on this figure represents part of a chemical in human breath.  Each person has a unique profile of compounds in their breath which may help diagnose a variety of health issues.  We are working on developing new tools which will allow 'breathametric' analysis. The large peak in this figure is due to the presence of ethane.  Using mass spectrometry we can identify how much ethane is in human breath. Early results indicate that the amount of ethane expelled in the breath is higher in patients with Schizophrenia, which may indicate increased oxidative breakdown.