Cannabix Technologies Files Patent for Detection of Molecules in Breath using High-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cannabix Technologies Inc. (CSE: BLO) (OTC PINK: BLOZF) (the “Company or Cannabix”) developer of the Cannabix Marijuana Breathalyzer for law enforcement and the workplace, is pleased to report that it has filed a provisional patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) entitled, “Apparatus and Methods for Detection of Molecules”. This provisional patent covers multiple new inventions and intellectual property (“IP”) related the development to the Company’s FAIMS (field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry) based marijuana breathalyzer technology. This new patent application is the culmination of research and development work conducted by Cannabix scientists and engineers in the areas of ion mobility spectrometry, fluid dynamics, and non-volatile molecule sampling, during which several significant technical challenges have been overcome. This patent application seeks protection for, among others, novel methods in asymmetric waveform generation and application and ion optics design. It is anticipated that additional IP will be included in the subsequent non-provisional patent filing and that these techniques can lead to utility in other areas related to detection of molecules in breath.
Cannabix is using its FAIMS system to isolate and detect 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”), a non-volatile compound, in breath. The Cannabix device has been designed and built in a series of modules that together allow for sample intake, ionization, ion focusing and direction, filtering and detection – all done under atmospheric pressure. This modular design provides the flexibility for the potential detection of other molecules of interest in breath. In addition, the device has the ability to couple directly to a mass spectrometer in order to validate its detector responses.
The Company reported results of field testing earlier this year such that its FAIMS device is capable of selectively isolating and detecting THC from human breath up to 90 min after subjects consumed both marijuana and nicotine. Further improvements have been made since then and engineers are well into the next iteration of design.
“Cannabix has developed a unique system with several non-obvious features that have been discovered through our commitment to research and development and innovation. The breath is composed of both volatile and non-volatile components --volatile components like alcohol are relatively easy to detect. The detection of non-volatile compounds like THC under atmospheric pressure (without vacuum) in a humid environment is not an easy endeavour and we believe our work will lead to new types of devices that the analytical and diagnostic fields have been seeking for breath analysis, and possibly other applications. Furthermore, this provisional patent should open the door to several additional patent opportunities,” stated Dr. Raj Attariwala, Chief Scientific Officer.
About Cannabix Technologies Inc.