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Blood-free transdermal device tests for malaria in seconds
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A noninvasive device that can detect malaria in humans and mosquitoes in 20 seconds or less by delivering short laser pulses to blood vessels transdermally could provide an effective, low-cost solution for clinical and field diagnoses, according to research published in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
“Malaria control and elimination would benefit greatly from an efficient and universal diagnosis tool that is fast (provides results in seconds), noninvasive and safe (uses no blood sampling or reagents), simple to use (can be operated by nonmedical personnel), sensitive and specific (detects low-level asymptomatic infections), and inexpensive, and that detects malarial infection in humans and in mosquitoes,” Dmitri Lapotko, PhD, DSc, physicist at Rice University, and colleagues wrote. “We recently proposed a transdermal blood- and reagent-free approach based on hemozoin-generated vapor nanobubbles in which malaria parasite-specific endogenous nanocrystals of hemozoin are optically excited in vivo with a safe and short laser pulse (delivered to blood vessels through the skin).”
The device delivers a series of low-energy and short laser pulses to the skin, and generates vapor nanobubbles around hemozoin particles in malaria parasites. These bubbles are detected acoustically, and each is reported via electric output signal, the researchers wrote. Custom software collects these bubble signals, whose amplitude reports the presence of malaria parasites in blood.
The researchers — who tested the device on a confirmed malaria patient already tested by microscopy and rapid malaria antigen test — wrote that it works best on the wrist and ear lobes.
The device also was tested on mosquitoes that were infected with malaria in the lab.
“Being the first bloodless, through the skin test which delivers a result in seconds, being easy to operate in a field or in clinic, and being universal, our hemozoin nanobubble technology may open a new dimension in malaria screening and monitoring,” Lapotkin told Infectious Disease News.
The researchers wrote that a single unit, at an estimated cost of $15,000, can test approximately 200,000 persons each year without any additional cost (eg, specialized staff, facilities, and diagnostic reagents), which may make it less expensive per test than a rapid diagnostic test. It could be deployed for mass screening and treatment or at border control points – by David Jwanier
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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