The eNose Company, founded in 2013

Long lasting exposure to aggressive volatile chemicals in paint can affect the nervous system (Organo Pysycho Syndrome or painters disease). This was an issue for car paint shops and in this way the question was raised. Although our company focused on IT-services in those days, we started developing an electronic nose to detect volatile chemicals. The market demand for these sensors vanished when the government allowed water-based paints only. However, this development was the basis for founding The eNose Company.

Both from industry and government on a regular basis there was a demand for measuring gases for specific applications using an electronic nose. Next to turnover, these projects enabled us gaining experience with electronic noses and improving its technology (miniaturization, pattern recognition, robustness). In this way, several we executed several projects.

At a conference we attended a presentation on sniffing TB-patient sputum using an electronic nose and from that moment on we started focusing on medical applications. We developed a dedicated electronic nose for sniffing bacteria in blood headspace, and analyzed exhaled breath collected in bags using a lab version of the electronic nose. Using this lab version, we conducted a TB-study in Bangladesh. The results were published in a scientific journal and the experience gained in the study was used for developing the aeoNose™, a portable electronic nose that was developed specifically for exhaled-breath analysis.

The team working on the aeoNose™ was extended and in 2013 The eNose Company moved on as a independent entity. The IT activities were continued by Auxzenze B.V.). Over the course of years, several milestones were accomplished:

• We have shown in pilot studies for a large number of indications (many cancer types, but also neurological -, and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis) that the aeoNose™ can distinguish between sick people and healthy controls.
• On a regular basis, results have been published in scientific journals and/or presented at conferences.
• We have executed a full aeoNose™ redesign to comply with medical regulations (CE).
• Next to this our company is ISO 13485 certified.
• We put a lot of work in data analysis.
• We have developed a proprietary software package for breath pattern analysis and classification.
• We have started major validation studies. The lung cancer one is finished, and this enables us entering the market in a hospital setting. Colorectal cancer is the next major indication and we’re currently working on it.

Developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been booming in recent years and we notice that AI is more and more becoming accepted in the medical profession. We have enforced our AI-team considerably to keep up to speed with the newest developments and implement them quickly when appropriate.

We are now further professionalizing the product in such a way that both hardware and software will comply with the most stringent market demands.

In the next phase we will scale-up for achieving our final goal: worldwide application of exhaled-breath analysis for medial diagnostics.