Effective, Reagent-Free Detection of the Odor Signature of COVID-19 Infection Using a Nano-Enabled Sensor Array

Background: The overall objective of the study was to determine if an electronic nose system was successful at detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) indicative of COVID-19 infection from nasal, saliva, and urine samples from symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. Materials/Methods: The study sampled participants at COVID-19 testing sites and at Penn hospitals in which superficial nasal swabs, saliva, and urine samples were collected. The samples were then tested by the electronic nose system. A bedside version of the electronic nose system was also used directly on participants. Results were then compared to the standard of care tests. Outcome/Impact: The primary outcome determined that the result from the electronic nose system result matched the standard of care result from Penn medicine affiliated COVID-19 testing sites and hospitals. This study maximized societal impact by creating a validated prototype that could be used in a community or workplace setting by minimally trained personnel for low-cost, on-the-spot diagnosis within minutes.