Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Malaria POC (Ultrasensitive detection of transmissible malaria)
Reporting period: 2019-10-01 to 2021-03-31
Globally, malaria infects hundreds of millions of people and kills nearly half a million children each year. Current point-of-care (PoC) diagnostic tests for malaria can detect the infection but cannot yet predict whether the patient will be able to transmit malaria back to a mosquito when subsequently bitten. One upcoming strategy against malaria is to address this transmission stage by targeting the sexual forms of the parasite (gametocytes). This grant has assisted us to progress towards detecting malaria transmission competency by a PoC rapid diagnostic test. Our assay based on the identification of transmission competency which will be a key tool for future malaria elimination strategies that target parasite transmission. The socioeconomic impact of malaria remains significant, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The WHO’s malaria elimination goals have not been met, and malaria numbers are increasing again in certain areas.This clearly highlights the need for new tools, one of which we have started to develop in this PoC technology.