IWK Health joins Breathe BioMedical breast cancer breath-test study
Published in Tools.
October 7, 2026 — IWK Health in Halifax has joined a study investigating whether breath analysis could support earlier detection of breast cancer. The hospital is the second Canadian research site working with New Brunswick-based Breathe BioMedical.
Researchers will compare breath samples from participants with and without breast cancer to look for disease-associated patterns. The Halifax study is co-led by Gregory Knapp and Zina Kellow. IWK says eligible participants include selected women aged 40–74, without previous breast cancer, who are undergoing a standard-care biopsy or MRI.
The potential application is a complementary test alongside mammography, particularly for women with dense breasts. This announcement concerns research participation and data collection; it does not establish diagnostic accuracy or improved patient outcomes. IWK explicitly states that the technology’s effectiveness remains unknown and that mammography remains the screening standard in Nova Scotia.