Ultrasensitive detection of transmissible malaria

ended

Malaria affects millions around the globe. Affordable and accurate point-of-care diagnostic tests are needed for those in low- or middle-income countries as well as developed areas. Currently, only diagnostic tests for infection are available and are most commonly designed to detect histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2), though HRP2-negative parasites evolved and escape detection by these tests. In addition to detecting and curing infection, another important strategy against malaria is battling transmission by inhibiting gametocytes to carry the disease from humans back to mosquitoes. However, there are no available point-of-care diagnostic tests capable of testing for malaria transmission competency. Within “Malaria POC” we aim to design a lateral flow-based test capable of detecting antigens corresponding to transmission competency, for use at the point-of-care. Our programme has expertise in designing point-of-care tests by incorporating platinum core-shell nanoparticles (PtNCs) called “nanozymes”, which facilitate an amplification step of the signal in the presence of antigen. Within this POC grant we aim to incorporate catalytic “nanozymes” in a lateral-flow diagnostic test that detects activation of mature gametocytes. Prof Molly Stevens (www.stevensgroup.org) will exploit technologies developed in the ERC Consolidator grant “NATURALE CG” (616417) and will be supported through collaborations with Prof Jake Baum, Professor of Cell Biology and Infectious Diseases at Imperial College London, an expert in malaria parasites.