Regensburg 2019 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 27: Biomaterials and biopolymers II (joint session BP/CPP)
BP 27.7: Talk
Thursday, April 4, 2019, 16:45–17:00, H10
Results of field trials of the rotating-crystal magneto-optical method for malaria detection — •Agnes Orban1, Leandra Arndt2, Tamarah Koleala2, Jetsumon Sattabongkot3, Stephan Karl2, and Istvan Kezsmarki1,4 — 1Dept. of Phys., Budapest Uni of Tech. and Econ., Hungary — 2Papua New Guinea Inst. of Med. Res., Madang, PNG — 3Mahidol Vivax Res. Unit, Fac. of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol Uni, Bangkok, Thailand — 4Exp. Phys. V, Center for Electronic Correlations and Magnetism, Uni. of Augsburg
Although malaria is still a global health burden, the current standard for its detection still remains the microscopic observation of stained blood smears. A novel cost-effective, automated, yet sensitive diagnostic method is needed for malaria detection both as an in-field instrument and as a laboratory tool.
Our group aims to design such a compact and inexpensive diagnostic device based on the detection of the magnetically induced linear dichroism exhibited by malaria pigment (aka. hemozoin). These micrometer-size crystals are promising malaria-diagnostic targets as they are unique indicators of the infection.
The rotating magnetic field employed in our system enables a very high sensitivity detection of hemozoin as tested on suspensions of synthetic crystals; on Plasmodium falciparum cultures, on mouse models and on human samples from field trials performed in Thailand and Papua New Guinea, the latter being the main focus of the talk.