Malaria detector uses smartphone and diagnoses in 10 seconds

According to a study published in the scientific journal PNAS Nexus, scientists have developed a device that can detect malaria via smartphone🇧🇷 The technology was created by a team of scientists from the University of Queensland in Australia and promises to diagnose in just ten seconds.

To perform the diagnosis, the device emits a beam. infrared light on a person’s finger or ear for five to ten seconds — light is harmless to man. An infrared signature is then collected and processed by a computer algorithm. The last step is data transfer to a paired smartphone, which is responsible for displaying the result in real time.

The Australians ran the detector in partnership with the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, which uses it on patients in the Amazon. Fiocruz, CNPq, and the Carlos Chagas Filho Research Support Foundation in the State of Rio de Janeiro even helped fund the research.

“Malaria infects red blood cells, causing structural and chemical changes, including the presence of certain parasite proteins. Our hypothesis is that these changes produce unique signatures for infected people compared to uninfected,” said the team leader from the school. From the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland, Dr. Maggie Lord, in a statement.

malaria detector

It is very simple to use: the user has to press the device on the earlobe or fingertip and then press the activation button. Thus, infrared light will penetrate the bloodstream and show whether the disease is present in the blood.

The device offers a solution that appeals to people who do not like needles, as well as providing diagnosis in a very short time. It can be particularly useful in areas where malaria is a real problem.

According to the survey, a single device can be used to diagnose up to a thousand people a day and costs only $2,500 (about R$13,100 at current prices). Researchers claim that the option is much more economical than existing ways of detecting malaria.