Cannabix Technologies Makes Significant Breakthrough in FAIMS Technology Development

UF startup Cannabix Technologies Inc., developer of marijuana breathalyzer devices for law enforcement and the workplace, reports that significant technological development has been achieved with its FAIMS- (field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry) marijuana breathalyzer prototype. Cannabix scientists have been characterizing the device for several months to increase resolving power and sensitivity.

The company is pleased to report that the Beta 3.1 FAIMS device has achieved ion-resolving levels that enable the isolation of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”) in human breath and suppress background compounds effectively. With human subject breath testing performed up to 90 minutes after smoking marijuana and nicotine cigarettes, the Cannabix FAIMS device was able to selectively isolate THC or nicotine and suppress unwanted background volatile organic compounds. In addition, metabolites for both cannabis and nicotine were detected. Subject testing up to 90 minutes after smoking was accomplished using only a few breath samples from the test subject. The characterization work and recent developments were conducted using a bench version of the Beta 3.1 FAIMS device coupled to a mass spectrometer for validation. A number of factors including FAIMS cell geometry, flow optimization, and ion-focusing techniques have contributed to this latest development.

“I’m impressed with the progress that has been made by the Cannabix team in the development of this newest version; the sensitivity and selectivity are impressive. I look forward to continued collaborations between the University of Florida and Cannabix to advance FAIMS detection,” says Dr. Richard Yost, Cannabix scientific advisor.

Learn more about Cannabix Technologies Makes Significant Breakthrough in FAIMS Technology Development.