Point of Care Malaria Diagnostic

To help clinicians in the developing world test for the presence of malaria, we have designed a novel point-of-care diagnostic device.  Our device focuses on an alternative method of diagnosis which will be economically feasible for developing countries.  In addition, the device is suitable for implementation in areas with limited pre-existing healthcare infrastructure and limited training of healthcare workers.

Our device is a lateral flow assay that is able to detect malaria during the early stages of infection. Our novel platform replaces the antibodies that are generally used in such assays with bacteria expressing evolved scaffold proteins on their surface. Additionally, the device tests a patient’s urine for our biomarker which will obviate the need for skilled professionals to draw blood. Our test can rapidly and cheaply diagnose malaria so that patients can be diagnosed before treatment, preventing the spread of drug resistant malaria.