MULTIMAL

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease responsible for half a million deaths annually. Infections are caused by five different Plasmodium species, which require different treatments. Currently, there is no rapid diagnosis technology available to differentiate them. We propose the development of a highly accurate multiplex disposable graphene DNA-based sensor device to be the first distinguishing the 5 species. It can advance patient care quality, enabling diagnosis of asymptomatic cases and tracking of malaria transmission through the early and accurate detection of infections paving the way for personalized medicine and ultimately malaria elimination. It will be less expensive, faster, more user friendly than standard DNA analysis, usable by non-specialized personnel and compatible with resource-limited settings. The co-innovation potential arises from the interaction of fundamental knowledge results obtained by UMinho with the industrial production capacity available at INL.