Claims
- 1.) A device for quantifying an analyte in a gaseous sample, comprising:
a sample chamber, for holding the gaseous sample; a sensing element within said sample chamber, said sensing element capable of change in an optically-quantifiable characteristic in the presence of the analyte; a light source for exposing said sensing element to light; a detector, for measurement of the response of the sensing element to said light; and a signal processor for determining concentration of the analyte from a signal produced by said detector.
- 2.) The device according to claim 1, wherein said gaseous sample is exhaled breath, and additionally comprising an outlet unit for capturing said exhaled breath from a subject.
- 3.) The device according to claim 2, wherein said sensing element is a bioactive molecule incorporated into a sol-gel matrix.
- 4.) The device according to claim 3, wherein said bioactive molecule is cytochrome-c.
- 5.) The device according to claim 4, wherein said analyte is NO.
- 6.) The device according to claim 5, wherein said sol-gel matrix is arranged into a thin film.
- 7.) The device according to claim 6, wherein said detector is a photodetector.
- 8.) The device according to claim 7, wherein said photodetector is blue-enhanced.
- 9.) The device according to claim 8, wherein said light source is a UV superbright LED.
- 10.) The device according to claim 9, additionally comprising a display unit for displaying said concentration of the analyte.
- 11.) The device according to claim 10, additionally comprising a storage unit for storing said concentration of the analyte.
- 12.) The device according to claim 11, additionally comprising an inlet unit for providing controlled air to said subject.
- 13.) The device according to claim 12, wherein said inlet unit is a first channel in a dual purpose tube, and said outlet unit is a second channel in said dual purpose tube.
- 14.) The device according to claim 13, wherein said second channel contains a humidity filter.
- 15.) The device according to claim 14, wherein said first channel contains a filter to exclude the analyte.
- 16.) The device according to claim 15, wherein said first channel includes a first one-way valve.
- 17.) The device according to claim 16, wherein said channel includes a second one-way valve.
- 18.) The device according to claim 3, wherein said bioactive molecule is selected from the group consisting of hemoglobin, myoglobin, heme-binding protein, porphyrin group-containing protein, heme group-containing protein, dye-labeled porphyrin group-containing protein and dye-labeled heme group-containing protein.
- 19.) The device according to 3, wherein said light source is selected from the group consisting of lasers, fluorescent lights, incandescent lights, laser diodes, radioactive scintillators, chemiluminescent agents and phosphorescent agents.
- 20.) The device according to claim 3, wherein said detector is selected from the group consisting of photodetectors, PMTs, photodiodes, microchannel plates, phototubes, diode arrays, and two dimensional array detectors.
- 21.) The device according to claim 1, wherein said change in an optically-quantifiable characteristic is a change in spectral properties.
- 22.) The device according to claim 1, wherein said change in an optically-quantifiable characteristic is a change in luminescence.
- 23.) The device according to claim 1, wherein said change in an optically-quantifiable characteristic is a change in fluorescence.
- 24.) The device according to claim 1, additionally comprising a means for generating a baseline reference value of the optically-based characteristic that is being measured.
- 25.) A system for determining the concentration of an analyte in a sample of exhaled breath, comprising:
a sample chamber, for holding the sample of exhaled breath; a sensing element within said sample chamber, said sensing element capable of change in an optically-quantifiable characteristic in the presence of the analyte; a light source for exposing said sensing element to light; a detector, for measurement of optically-based change of the sensing element to said light; and a signal processor for determining concentration of the analyte from a signal produced by said detector.
- 26.) A system for quantifying NO in exhaled breath, comprising: an outlet unit for capturing exhaled breath from a subject; a sample chamber connected to said outlet unit, for holding the exhaled breath;
a sensing element within said sample chamber, said sensing element comprising a sol gel matrix containing cytochrome-c; a LED for exposing said sol gel matrix to light; a blue-enhanced photodetector for measurement of the response of the sensing element to light from said LED; and a signal processor for determining concentration of NO in exhaled breath from a signal produced by said photodetector; and a display in communication with said signal processor for displaying NO concentration.
- 27.) A method of determining the concentration of an analyte in a gaseous sample, comprising:
providing a sensing element, said sensing element capable of change in an optically-quantifiable characteristic change in the presence of the analyte; exposing said sensing element to exhaled breath; determining the degree of optically-based change in the sensing element as a result of its exposure to the exhaled breath; and correlating the degree of optically-based change to concentration of the analyte.
- 28.) The method according to claim 27, additionally comprising the step of capturing said breath from a subject using an outlet unit.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from the provisional application of the same title filed on Jul. 23, 2002. (Ser. No. 60/398,216)
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60398216 |
Jul 2002 |
US |