Hyperspectral Analysis of Sweat Metabolite Biometrics for Real-Time Detection of COVID-19

Background

The Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID19) pandemic has challenged healthcare systems worldwide. Massive testing, contact tracing and social distancing proved to be the most effective tools to fight the pandemic prior to the development of vaccines.

Despite the effort to develop rapid diagnostic testing, we still don t have an available large population screening modality. Analysis of sweat metabolites from hyperspectral images of fingertips has the potential to be a valid clinic strategy to detect Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)infected individuals.

COVID19 has shown higher levels of inflammatory proteins like IL6, LDH, CRP, and d-dimer which have been implicated with severe COVID-19 induced pneumonitis and coagulopathy. These molecules can be detected as sweat metabolites and used as a biomarker for viral infection detection.

Objective

Identify a pattern classifier to distinguish between SARS-CoV-2 positive and SARS-CoV-2 negative human subjects by analysis of sweat metabolites from hyperspectral images of fingertips.

Eligibility

Individuals must all be \>=18 years old

Must have standard of care molecular testing (either antigen or PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 within 7 days from study enrollment. Those individuals who tested positive will be enrolled in cohort 1 and those who tested negative will be enrolled in cohort 2

Study Design

This is an exploratory multisite study to evaluate the use of biometric analysis of sweat metabolites from hyperspectral images of fingertips to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection. Center for Cancer research (CCR), NCI will be the coordinating center.

All adult subjects that have available testing for SARS-CoV-2 completed within 7 days from the study enrollment are eligible for this study. The study will have two cohorts, cohort 1 (SARS-CoV-2 positive), and cohort 2 (SARS-CoV-2 negative). Fifty participants will be enrolled in each cohort to have hyperspectral imaging of the fingertips.

Every participant will have the right and left index fingers imaged by the camera with a touchless system. The imaging will be repeated three times. This imaging will take about 10 minutes.

The data obtained by the digital analysis will be compared to the result of the standard SARS-CoV-2 tests in use at the enrolling sites.