AsianScientist (May 2, 2014) – Scientists have patented a new way to detect one of the most common and deadly diseases in the world. The quick and inexpensive test uses infrared light to detect malaria at a very early stage of its development and could dramatically reduce the number of people who die from the disease.
Lead researcher Associate Professor Bayden Wood from Monash University said the test, which looks for fatty acids in the parasite that causes malaria, could be a game changer, especially for developing countries where malaria is most prevalent.
“Current tests for malaria suffer from serious limitations. Many are expensive, require specialist instruments and highly trained staff to judge whether blood samples contain the parasite. These are big hurdles given that the disease is rampant in developing nations,” Wood said.
“What’s been holding us back is the lack of an accurate and inexpensive test to detect malaria early and stop it in its tracks. We believe we’ve found it.”
The technique, known as Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), utilizes infrared light to detect the vibrations of molecules. It essentially gives a snapshot of the entire chemistry of the system under investigation.
Study co-author Professor Leann Tilley from the University of Melbourne said the new approach was the first to make it possible to detect the early stages of the parasite’s life cycle, known as the ring stage and the gametocyte stage.
“Malaria is tough to diagnose because only small numbers of immature parasites are present in the blood stream. Once they mature, the parasites hide away in the tissues. It is important to make an early diagnosis before the parasites lodge in brain capillaries causing complications that can lead to death,” Tilley said.
Spread through the bite of an infected mosquito, malaria affects around 300 million people worldwide. Symptoms, which include fever and headaches, typically develop within a few days. Early diagnosis is critical to prevent the parasite from developing in the body. Left untreated, malaria can lead to coma or death. Recent estimates suggest that more than 1.2 million people die every year.
The next phase will see Wood and his team carry out clinical tests of the ATR devices in a human trial in Thailand. It is hoped that the test could be on the market within three years.
The article can be found at: Khoshmanesh et al. (2014) Detection and Quantification of Early-Stage Malaria Parasites in Laboratory Infected Erythrocytes by Attenuated Total Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate Analysis.
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Source: Monash University; Photo: euthman/Flickr/CC.
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