A Digital Microfluidic Method for Rapid Malaria Diagnostics

Aaron Wheeler from the University of Toronto in Canada will develop a cost-effective, portable test that uses microfluidics to rapidly diagnose malaria from saliva samples. The digital microfluidic device is comprised of an array of electrodes over which droplets of samples and reagents can be moved around using a simple operating system. This allows the concentration of samples to enhance the specificity of the test, and the automation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay to detect the presence of malaria antigens, along with a digital readout. They will develop protocols for the assay and for concentrating the samples, and perform a pilot test to evaluate the device for detecting malaria from plasma and oral samples taken from patients in Mozambique compared to conventional methods.