Vitalité Health Network becomes the first Canadian site in Breathe BioMedical’s study on the early detection of breast cancer

Moncton, Tuesday, July 21, 2026 – Vitalité Health Network is participating in a clinical research study aimed at advancing the development of a breath test for the early detection of breast cancer in women with dense breast tissue.

This research project is being conducted in collaboration with Breathe BioMedical Inc., a Moncton, NB based company specializing in the early detection of diseases through breath analysis. The study is being led locally in Moncton by Dr. Jocelyne Hébert.

Approximately 50% of women eligible for breast cancer screening have dense breast tissue. In these women, mammography may be less effective because both tumours and dense tissue appear white on images.

Breathe BioMedical’s technology is designed as a complementary tool to mammography. The device collects a breath sample, which is then analyzed using Breath BioMedical’s proprietary analysis methods.  A data set is created which is interpreted by Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence to identify patterns of volatile organic compounds which are associated with biological profiles specific to cancer.

The company’s most recent preliminary study, conducted in St. John, NB, identified differences in the breath signatures of women with early-stage breast cancer with 88.2% accuracy, regardless of breast density.

A crucial issue for women’s health

Women with dense breast tissue are four to five times more likely to develop breast cancer. Early detection therefore remains essential, since the survival rate exceeds 98% when the disease is detected at an initial stage, compared with less than 30% at an advanced stage. By contributing to the development of a complementary risk stratification tool, this study could help improve the early detection of breast cancer in women for whom mammography has certain limitations.

“This partnership illustrates our commitment to research and innovation to better serve our population,” says Dr. Jocelyne Hébert. “This technology offers a new perspective in breast cancer detection by strengthening our ability to detect the disease earlier and more accurately. We are proud to contribute to this scientific advancement here in New Brunswick.”

Vitalité Health Network becomes the first Canadian site to participate in this multicentre study, which also includes recognized institutions in the United States, including Mayo Clinic and Duke University. The Network’s participation will also help diversify the study population, thereby strengthening the robustness of the machine-learning algorithms developed by Breathe BioMedical.

“As we expand our clinical study with new partners, we are accelerating the collection of reliable data to advance our technology,” says Bill Dawes, President and CEO of Breathe BioMedical. “We look forward to working with Dr. Hébert and her team to help develop better early detection options for women.”