Retainair: A New Line of Defense Against the Asthma Epidemic

Asthma is a severe respiratory disease impacting almost 25 million Americans. Characterized by airway inflammation, asthma manifests in symptoms such as wheezing, chest tightness, and coughs. External triggers such as allergens initiate asthma attacks, which can be life-threatening. Thus, early detection of attacks is crucial and necessitates constant tracking of airway inflammation biomarkers. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a reliable inflammatory biomarker, positively correlated with poor asthma control, increased asthma risk, and reduced lung function. Currently, no devices provide comprehensive asthma risk assessments, and all current FeNO measurement methods lack portability and continuous monitoring. To address this gap, we propose RetainAIR: a personalized smart retainer that offers portable, comfortable, non-invasive, and continuous monitoring; enables point-of-care risk assessments; and permits timely intervention. RetainAIR detects FeNO fluctuations through electrochemical changes in an ionogel sensor, which are then sent to a machine learning algorithm that calculates FeNO fluctuations from baseline. The model demonstrates promising sensitivity and specificity values of 0.75 and 0.99, respectively. All values are then sent to a user-friendly app where patients can access their data. By continuously tracking and analyzing respiratory NO levels, RetainAIR provides asthma patients with a personalized device, timely warnings of imminent asthma attacks, and an overall analysis of asthma status to increase quality of life, lower economic burdens, and save lives.