Development of a Nitric Oxide Monitor for Early Detection of Pathogenic Exposure

摘要

This project focused on three main topics: (i) determination of whether the nitric oxide (NO) level in exhaled human breath is a reliable diagnostic of respiratory distress, and in particular whether or not NO measurements can be used as a triage tool to identify human exposure to bio- warfare agents, (ii) research and engineering development of a small compact prototype NO breath monitor based on semi conducting metal oxide (SMO) thin film technology, and (iii) analysis of other breath components to identify additional potential biomarkers of disease using high resolution mass spectrometry. The work was performed by the Environmental Sensor Research Group (ESRG) which involves researchers from the University of Maine (UM), engineering staff from Sensor Research & Development (SRD) Corporation, and medical staff at Maine Medical Center (MMC).