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SARS-CoV InfectionNCT04475562

Can the Electronic Nose Smell COVID-19?

A study testing Aeonose in people with SARS-CoV Infection and Covid19, run by Maastricht University Medical Center at 1 site in Netherlands.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Infection with SARS-CoV-2 causes Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19). The most standard diagnostic method is reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on a nasopharyngeal and/or an oropharyngeal swab. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
SARS-CoV Infection, Covid19
What is being tested?
Aeonose
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
219 participants
Where
1 siteNetherlands
Study dates
6 Apr 2020to 1 Jul 2020
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Participants of whom an oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal swab was collected to perform RT-PCR on.

Who cannot join

  • Participants who were experiencing dyspnea or needed supplemental oxygen.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Netherlands1 site
  • Maastricht University Medical Center

    Maastricht, 6229 HX

Other trials in Netherlands

About this study

Official title: Can the Electronic Nose Smell COVID-19? A Proof-of-principle Study

Infection with SARS-CoV-2 causes Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19). The most standard diagnostic method is reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on a nasopharyngeal and/or an oropharyngeal swab. The high occurrence of false-negative results due to the non-presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the oropharyngeal environment renders this sampling method not ideal. Therefore, a new sampling device is desirable. This proof-of-principle study investigates the possibility to train machine-learning classifiers with an electronic nose (Aeonose) to differentiate between COVID-19 positive- and negative persons based on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) analysis.

Methods: between April and June 2020, participants were invited for breath analysis when a swab for RT-PCR was collected. If the RT-PCR resulted negative, presence of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies was checked to confirm the negative result. All participants breathed through the Aeonose for five minutes. This device contains metal-oxide sensors that change in conductivity upon reaction with VOCs in exhaled breath. These conductivity changes are input data for machine-learning and used for pattern recognition. The result is a value between -1 and +1, indicating the infection probability.

Being tested
Aeonose
Keywords
Electronic nose, Volatile organic compounds, Diagnosis
Medical subject headings
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, COVID-19, Disease

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • AeonoseDevice

    All participants breathed through the Aeonose for five minutes. This device contains metal-oxide sensors that change in conductivity upon reaction with VOCs in exhaled breath. These conductivity changes are input data for machine-learning and used for pattern recognition. A nose clip was placed on the nose of each participant to avoid entry of non-filtered air in the device. Before measuring, the Aeonose was flushed with room air, guided through a carbon filter as well. During each measurement, a video was displayed to distract the participant and to reduce the chance of hyperventilation. Failed breath tests were excluded from analysis; the reason for failure was documented. Four similar Aeonose devices were used for breath analysis. A full-measurement procedure required sixteen minutes.

Study groups in NCT04475562
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
COVID-19 suspectedOtherParticipants were recruited at the outpatient clinic for MUMC+ employees with COVID-19 symptoms or at the nursing unit where a SARS-CoV-2 patient was admitted.
Receives: Device: Aeonose

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. COVID 19 positive vs negative

    Ability of the eNose to distinguish COVID-19 positive from COVID-19 negative persons based on VOC patterns.

    Measured: 3 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted17 Jul 2020
  2. Study start6 Apr 2020
  3. Primary completion6 May 2020
  4. Study completion1 Jul 2020

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Diagnosis
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
219 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04475562
Sponsor's protocol ID
eNoseCOVID
Status last verified
Jul 2020
First submitted
15 Jul 2020
Last updated
17 Jul 2020
Results posted
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes

Publications

  • Wu Z, McGoogan JM. Characteristics of and Important Lessons From the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak in China: Summary of a Report of 72 314 Cases From the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA. 2020 Apr 7;323(13):1239-1242. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.2648. No abstract available.

    PubMed 32091533
  • de Lacy Costello B, Amann A, Al-Kateb H, Flynn C, Filipiak W, Khalid T, Osborne D, Ratcliffe NM. A review of the volatiles from the healthy human body. J Breath Res. 2014 Mar;8(1):014001. doi: 10.1088/1752-7155/8/1/014001. Epub 2014 Jan 13.

    PubMed 24421258
  • Schuermans VNE, Li Z, Jongen ACHM, Wu Z, Shi J, Ji J, Bouvy ND. Pilot Study: Detection of Gastric Cancer From Exhaled Air Analyzed With an Electronic Nose in Chinese Patients. Surg Innov. 2018 Oct;25(5):429-434. doi: 10.1177/1553350618781267. Epub 2018 Jun 18.

    PubMed 29909757
  • Bikov A, Lazar Z, Horvath I. Established methodological issues in electronic nose research: how far are we from using these instruments in clinical settings of breath analysis? J Breath Res. 2015 Jun 9;9(3):034001. doi: 10.1088/1752-7155/9/3/034001.

    PubMed 26056127
  • Bijland LR, Bomers MK, Smulders YM. Smelling the diagnosis: a review on the use of scent in diagnosing disease. Neth J Med. 2013 Jul-Aug;71(6):300-7.

    PubMed 23956311
  • van Geffen WH, Bruins M, Kerstjens HA. Diagnosing viral and bacterial respiratory infections in acute COPD exacerbations by an electronic nose: a pilot study. J Breath Res. 2016 Jun 16;10(3):036001. doi: 10.1088/1752-7155/10/3/036001.

    PubMed 27310311

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Aeonose in people with SARS-CoV Infection and Covid19, run by Maastricht University Medical Center at 1 site in Netherlands.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Jul 2020. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Netherlands. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

COVID 19 positive vs negative (time frame: 3 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04475562, which also lists 6 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Jul 2020.

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