Montreal AI start-up builds medtech breathalyzer

Montreal-based AI start-up Noze, (formerly Stratuscent), has developed leading technology to digitize the sense of smell. Powered by its platform, the breathalyzer detects breath biomarkers (VOCs). This enables rapid screening and diagnostics of infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis, that impact millions of people, particularly in developing countries.

Healthcare screenings and diagnostics are often time consuming, invasive, costly and not readily accessible to all population groups. To remedy this situation, Noze and the foundation have turned to a ground-breaking, yet largely overlooked source of health information: smell. Exhaled breath offers an incredibly revealing picture of a person’s current health due to the efficient exchange that takes place between the blood and the air in the lungs, according to Karim Aly, CEO at Noze.

Reduce the spread of diseases

“Many different diseases are represented in the breath through their unique metabolic biomarkers, which will now be targeted via Noze’s platform enabling instant, low-cost and ubiquitous diagnostics,” Aly says.

Source: Noze Twitter

The long-term goal of the initiative is to enable global access to a reliable detection device that can help reduce the spread of diseases, identify the need for treatment as early as possible, and improve patient outcomes in developing countries.

AI-powered digital odour perception platform

Underpinned by its exclusive license to NASA patents, Noze continues to innovate and evolve its AI-powered digital odour perception platform with a specialized focus on medical and health conditions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Noze’s technology was the first in the world to have capabilities to track the airborne markers released by persons infected with the Coronavirus and Influenza. This advancement opened the door to solving other healthcare challenges by leveraging the digital sense of smell.

“Breath-based diagnostics will be a game-changer for healthcare accessibility, and our ability to launch a portable device and deliver it on a massive, worldwide scale can be a powerful new tool to fight the spread of Malaria and Tuberculosis, in addition to many other diseases,” Aly continues.

Noze was the recent recipient of a grant for $1 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.