A team led by University of Queensland has created rapid, needle-free malaria diagnostic technology that has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives each year. The research is published in PNAS Nexus.
However, researchers have developed a device that emits a beam of safe infrared light onto a person’s finger or ear for five to 10 seconds. This technology collects an infrared signature which is then analyzed by a computer algorithm. Dr Maggy Lord, international team leader from UQ’s School of Biological Sciences, predicted that the technology would completely alter the way malaria is fought globally.
“But with this tool, we can find out very quickly if an entire village or town is suffering from or carrying malaria. The technique is chemical-free, requires no needles, and detects malaria through the skin using infrared light – it’s literally just a flash in the skin of a person and that’s it.
“The device works with a smartphone, so the results are acquired in real time.” Researchers believe that the technology is the first step in eliminating malaria.
“According to the World Health Organization report on malaria, in 2020 there were approximately 241 million cases worldwide and more than 600,000 died from malaria,” said Dr. Lord. “Most of the cases are in sub-Saharan Africa, where 90 percent of the deaths are children under the age of five. .
“The biggest challenge to eliminate the disease is the presence of asymptomatic people in a population that act as a reservoir of transmission by mosquitoes.” World Health Organization has proposed large-scale surveillance in endemic areas and this non-invasive, affordable and rapid tool offers a way to achieve this.”
The technology could also help tackle other diseases. “We have successfully used this technology in mosquitoes to non-invasively detect infections such as malaria, zika and dengue,” said Dr. Lord.
“In our post-COVID world, it could be used to better address disease as people move around the world. We hope the tool could be used at ports of entry to screen travelers, minimizing disease reintroduction and reducing global outbreaks”. .
“It’s still early days, but this proof of concept is exciting.” (AND ME)
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
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