The company said the BreathTest-1000 is under development to screen for volatile organic compound metabolites found in a person's breath that could indicate they may have an infection, including Covid-19 or the resulting disease, pneumonia.
The Astrotech mass spectrometry technology was designed to be fast and easy to use for air quality monitoring and trace detection of chemical warfare agents, explosives, and narcotics. The company said it believes that the technology can be designed as a field-deployed instrument used at drive-up testing facilities to test for the VOCs found in the breath of Covid-19 and pneumonia infected patients.
The company said it will be launching a new subsidiary company, BreathTech Corp.
Write to Michael Dabaie at michael.dabaie@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 25, 2020 08:47 ET (12:47 GMT)