The East Midlands Breathomics Pathology Node (EMBER) is a Medical Research Council (MRC) & Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded Molecular Pathology Node hosted at the University of Leicester partnering with University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Loughborough University and Industry.
What is breathomics?
The air we breathe out contains a cocktail of volatile organic compounds that give a snapshot of the biological processes taking place in the lung and beyond. The Leicester node will help develop breath analysis tests that use the same technology as that used to detect explosives in war zones. It’s hoped these could give an instant diagnosis and help doctors pick the best treatments for a range of conditions, including cancers, respiratory infections and diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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To Understand
We will ensure the development of novel breath analysis tests to help undetstand disease processes and clinical decision making.
To focus
The range of clinical conditions for which breath tests could be useful is very large. EMBER will intially focus upon respiratory infections, lung cancer, chronic respiratory disease such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disorders such as heart failure.
To diagnose
EMBER will create a pipe-line for new, non-invasive, diagnostic tools, and providing training in next generation pathology.
Our collaborators
We focus on combining strengths from both academic institutes and the industry,
in clinical
research, analytical chemistry, data management and mathematical analysis of complex
data.
We
aim to create a nationally-leading centre in breath analysis with the critical mass to
establish
world-class delivery of new technology to the clinic, and provide education and training
for
today's and the future scientists and health care professionals.
