Parasite infestation can now be diagnosed with a smartphone
A device connected to a smartphone uses light to detect malaria. The test takes only 10 seconds. An article about the study was published in the journal PNAS Nexus.Tracking malaria infections is very important, but taking and analyzing blood samples can be problematic. A new miniature handheld spectrometer will solve the problem. Users simply need to hold the end of the device to their earlobe or fingertip and then press a button to activate. It responds by directing a beam of harmless infrared light to the desired tissues within 5 to 10 seconds.
The proof-of-concept device was developed by a team from the University of Queensland in Australia, led by Dr. Maggie Lord.
Infrared light passes through the skin into the bloodstream, and the light that is reflected is an indicator. Malaria infects red blood cells, causing both structural and chemical changes, including the presence of parasite-specific proteins. Scientists hypothesized that these changes would lead to unique signatures in infected people.
After the device processes the reflected light signature, it wirelessly transmits the data to a paired smartphone. A special app shows the results in real time, letting the user know if the patient is infected with the malaria parasite.
In its current form, the spectrometer costs about $2,500, but it would quickly pay for itself in a real-world use scenario, the authors of the development believe.
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles species mosquitoes. Malaria is preventable and treatable. The WHO estimates that there will be 241 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2020.
In the same year, an estimated 627,000 people died from malaria.