EBCatch: A Label-Free Electrochemical Biosensor for At-Home Viral Detection via Breath

What happened

Researchers presented EBCatch, an integrated system that detects respiratory viruses from exhaled breath condensate without labels. It collects samples in 1 minute, uses carbon nanotube-based biosensors functionalized with ACE2 receptors, and delivers results within 8 minutes via a smartphone app. Clinical validation with 155 samples showed 95.06% sensitivity, 97.30% specificity, and 96.13% overall accuracy, with a detection limit of 1.6 fg/mL for pseudovirus.

Why it matters

EBCatch enables non-invasive, rapid, at-home monitoring of respiratory infections, including detection in pre-symptomatic and antigen-negative stages. Its response reflects viral activity, offering insight into infectivity and transmission risk, which could support timely intervention during emerging outbreaks.