Who likes to be pricked by a needle? According to our project target an alternative solution will be: Please breathe!
FEM_PERS encourages pupils to detect volatile organic compounds as disease markers supported by our scientists and develops new medical breath tests. The infrastructure of the Institute consists of a sleep laboratory, a medical laboratory, an ergometer training centre and features a biomedical database. Beside the natural science tasks, we focus on developing medical devices. FEM_BREATH supports the interest of pupils for technical studies, and connects the schools involved with university research more closely.
FEM_BREATH validates a breath test for measurement of the activity of the enzyme CYP2C19 which is important for patients undergoing cardiovascular therapy with the drug clopidogrel. Furthermore, the analysis of human breath for cancer diagnosis is investigated. Linus Pauling, a double Nobel Prize Laureate, was the breath research pioneer. He discovered that human breath contains around 200 volatile organic compounds. The most prominent breath test allows detection of infection with helicobacter pylori bacteria in the gut – similarly it could be possible to develop breath tests for early cancer diagnosis, diabetes, liver and renal diseases by breath analysis. FEM_BREATH attaches value on equity of both sexes in research.
FEM_BREATH is an outstanding science center in the Austrian provinces of Vorarlberg and Tyrol to support pupils in natural science and technical studies. It facilitates for pupils to get in touch with our fascinating research field. Partners in the project are University of Innsbruck, five high schools, the Slovak National Academy of Sciences, Innsbruck Medical University, the University of Applied Sciences in Dornbirn and an international scientific society (http://iabr.voc-research.at).
Principal Investigator and Director
Professor Anton Amann
Innsbruck Medical University and Breath Research Institute of the University of Innsbruck, Dornbirn, Austria
Project coordinator
MMMag. Marco Freek
Scientific partners
Tyrolean Hospital Association, Innsbruck, Austria
Innsbruck Medical University
University of Innsbruck
University of Applied Sciences, Dornbirn, Austria
Participating schools
Bundesgymnasium Dornbirn, Dornbirn, Austria
Akademisches Gymnasium Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Gymnasium Adolf-Pichler-Platz, Innsbruck, Austria
Gymnasium in der Au, Innsbruck, Austria
Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace, Torun, Poland
Project duration
October 1, 2014 until September 30, 2016