New doctoral thesis strengthens PExA’s opportunities in lung cancer and other lung diseases
A new doctoral thesis from Lund University, entirely based on PExA’s technology for analysing exhaled particles from the lungs, strengthens the view of PExA as a platform for non-invasive biomarker analysis. The thesis shows how PExA-based breath samples can provide biologically relevant information across four different areas of lung disease: infection/COVID-19, lung transplantation, acute lung injury and lung cancer.
The thesis, Exhaled Breath Proteomics as a Diagnostic Window into Lung Disease: From COVID-19 to Transplantation and Cancer, was authored by Gabriel Hirdman, MD, at Lund University, and supervised by Professor Sandra Lindstedt.
The work is based on the analysis of microscopic particles in exhaled breath, so-called PEx samples, using advanced proteomics, mass spectrometry and bioinformatics. By analysing a large number of proteins simultaneously, the thesis demonstrates how PEx samples can be used to study biological processes in the small airways across several different disease areas. In addition to the proteomic analyses, the thesis also shows promising results for particle data as a biomarker in acute lung disease and lung injury.
For PExA, the lung cancer part of the thesis is particularly significant. The study includes more than 200 participants with and without lung cancer and shows that PEx samples may contain biomarker signals linked to non-small cell lung cancer. The results also form the basis for a patent application relating to biomarkers for lung cancer in PExA-based breath samples.
“This is strong validation of the potential of the PExA platform. The fact that an entire doctoral thesis is based on our technology demonstrates both the breadth of the method and its relevance across several different disease areas. For PExA, this already strengthens our business today, as the thesis provides an important scientific reference in our dialogues with existing and potential customers, research partners and industrial stakeholders. At the same time, the lung cancer results are particularly significant and strengthen our position in an area with a major medical need, where we see considerable opportunities for PExA in continued research, future diagnostic applications and potential partnerships,” says Tomas Gustafsson, CEO of PExA.
“What makes this thesis particularly significant is that it shows how PEx samples can be used to study the biology of the small airways at an entirely new level. By analysing a large number of proteins simultaneously and combining the results with advanced bioinformatics, researchers can identify biological patterns and mechanisms that have previously been very difficult to study without invasive methods. For us, this represents an important breakthrough, showing that PExA can be used not only for biomarker research, but also as a tool to create new understanding of disease processes in the lung and thereby support the development of future diagnostic applications,” says Jörgen Östling, CSO of PExA.
Professor Sandra Lindstedt’s research group has previously used PExA’s technology in research focused on lung cancer. In 2025, the group received a grant of SEK 27 million from the Swedish Cancer Society for continued validation of the method in lung cancer diagnostics.
Click here or on the image to read the doctoral thesis
For further information, please contact:
Tomas Gustafsson, CEO, info@pexa.se
About PExA AB:
PExA AB PExA AB (556956-9246) has developed the PExA 2.1, a patented research instrument that helps researchers intelligently collect biological samples from the smallest airways through a simple exhalation maneuver. PExA’s technology is currently used by prominent research groups in several different countries and research with the instrument has resulted in approximately 60 scientific publications, which serve as reference material for PExA’s method. The company’s long-term goal is to market and sell diagnostic instruments for popular diseases (e.g. lung cancer and COPD) to be used globally for diagnosis or general screening at facilities where care is offered. The company intends at the time it is relevant to sell to clinics to have developed more patient-friendly, flexible and commercial products, which means that PExA addresses a significantly wider market, which today includes several million patients globally.
PExA’s B share is listed on the Spotlight Stock Market.