New technique to diagnose malaria

Scientists from the University of Exeter and Coventry University have developed the first new malaria diagnostic technique that can challenge the rapid diagnostic test RDT currently used in this area.

Now, the initial results published in the Journal of Biology suggest that this technique can be as effective as RDT but is much faster and cheaper, making it a potential alternative.

The team is currently working on a non-invasive version of the device, with the help of the team from the Royal Tropical Institute Institute, the Biomedical Research Department in Amsterdam, and the team plans to experiment at Kenya this year.

2 years of manufacturing and funded by the European Association, this technique uses magneto-optical technology (magneto-optic technology) to detect haemozoin, a waste product of malaria parasites, in the blood. Haemozoin crystals have weak adjectives and have a distinct rectangular shape.

They also contain optical chromatic orientation, meaning they absorb stronger light along the length compared to the width. When aligned with a magnetic field, they act like Polaroid plates © as used in sunglasses.

New technology takes advantage of these properties to accurately read the presence of haemozoin in small blood samples. The team has created a device that can tell if the result is infected with malaria in less than a minute.

The new device has a completely different approach to RDT , the method of using chemicals to detect antigens related to malaria parasites. One of the problems with RDT is that they need to be kept in a given temperature range, a difficult problem in hot climates. This disposable kit is between 1.50 ^o and 4.50 ^o and takes about 15 minutes to produce results.

Using high power microscopes is still the best method for malaria diagnosis and has been used for more than a century. Unfortunately, it is time-consuming and requires expensive equipment and medical expertise, difficult problems in rural areas in countries with local malaria.

In the last decade, RDT methods have been developed, enabling faster diagnostics in this area, but also expensive for developing countries. Moreover, RDT is often unstable to produce a fairly high temperature and sometimes still gives a positive result even after successful treatment. In many communities where malaria is seriously affecting health, there is no malaria screening method and children with yellow fever will be given antimalarial drugs.

This contributes to malaria parasites becoming increasingly resistant to conventional antimalarial drugs. Malaria is a disease that no vaccine is yet available.

Professor Dave Newman of the University of Exeter, said: 'This is an urgent need for new diagnostic techniques for malaria, especially while the earth is heating up, threatening to spread this disease to New regions of the world, including Southern Europe. The initial results from our device are very promising and very interesting. We hope to produce a sensitive device that is affordable and easy to use, making it suitable for developed countries with great demand. '