Covid-19 breath test startup Breathonix raising US$5m capital
Singapore
BREATHONIX, a Singapore-based startup which has gotten provisional authorisation locally for its Covid-19 breath test, is raising US$5 million in Series A funding to fuel its growth.
"At this stage now, we are growing very fast. We're expanding our team for commercialisation, so we're actively raising more funds," co-founder and chief operating officer Du Fang said during a Monday virtual press conference.
T Devadas, chief commercial officer of Breathonix, told BT that the startup plans to channel its Series A funding towards building up its research and development pipeline for other diseases, such as lung cancer and tuberculosis, as well as hiring talent including sales staff and research engineers.
The capital raising comes as Breathonix announced on Monday that it has received provisional authorisation from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for its 60-second Covid-19 breath test. The startup's BreFence Go Covid-19 Breath Test System is the first breath analysis system to secure provisional authorisation in Singapore. Unlike a traditional swab test, it is less invasive and provides results in under a minute.
The system achieved an accuracy rate of over 90 per cent, based on data it submitted to HSA, Mr Du said. Breathonix will be using AI in its algorithm to further enhance accuracy, as it gathers more data.
Breathonix is now working with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to run a deployment trial at Tuas Checkpoint. Incoming travellers will undergo screening with the BreFence Go Covid-19 Breath Test System, alongside the current compulsory antigen rapid test (ART).
"It will be in parallel with the (ART) test results, so that the ministry can monitor the performance, and we can facilitate larger-scale deployment in future," Mr Du explained.
Officially set up in 2019, Breathonix is a spin-off company from the National University of Singapore (NUS). It was founded by three NUS graduates: Jia Zhunan, Mr Du and Wayne Wee. It has so far raised funding from the NUS Graduate Research Innovation Programme, as well as angel investors.
Its breath test detects volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in a person's exhaled breath that are produced by various biochemical reactions in human cells. Changes in VOCs can be measured as markers for diseases like Covid-19.
The individual being tested blows into a disposable one-way valve mouthpiece connected to a high-precision breath sampler.
The exhaled breath is collected and fed into a mass spectrometer for measurement.
Chief executive Dr Jia said: "Cross-contamination is unlikely as the disposable mouthpiece has a one-way valve and a saliva trap to prevent inhalation or saliva from entering the machine."
Breathonix's proprietary software algorithm then analyses the VOC biomarkers, and generates results in under a minute. Any individual screened as positive will need to undergo a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction swab test.
Breathonix's system underwent clinical trials at three locations conducted from June 2020 to April 2021. In Singapore, trials were carried out at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and Changi Airport. A third trial was carried out in Dubai, in collaboration with the Dubai Health Authority and the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Breathonix's price per test will range from S$5 to S$20, depending on the number of tests conducted each time, Mr Devadas said. With a higher quantity, the price will generally be lower.
The startup is now in discussion with several local and overseas organisations to use the system.
Freddy Boey, deputy president (innovation and enterprise) at NUS, said that the provisional authorisation is a major milestone, and "adds to the university's ongoing efforts to help Singapore fight the Covid-19 pandemic on multiple fronts".
