Recent studies reveal that a new parasite genome has shown resistance to the front-line malaria treatment artemisinin. Parasite carriers are discovered in South-East Asian countries Thailand and Myanmar. Further studies are being undertaken to ascertain whether the new strain poses global concern. However, a new device promises large steps in the fight against malaria.
Before the discovery of parasites resistant to artemisinin, older studies revealed that other genomes resistant to other malaria treatments have spread from Cambodia and into nearby Asian and Sub-Saharan African countries. This may also be the case with the artemisinin-resistant parasites discovered in Thailand and Myanmar. Studies are being conducted to ascertain the matter.
In the middle of the possible global risks concerning the new parasite strain, a new device stands out, showing promises of aiding in better diagnosis of the disease. The device is only the size of a smartphone, and all it needs is a drop of blood to determine which kind of malaria strain is present in an infected person, making treatment more effective.
"All you need is a finger-prick of blood," explains Sanjeev Krishna, one of the device's developers from the Nanomal Consortium of St. George's at the University of London. "The device can diagnose which of the five known types of malaria is affecting the patient. For example, if the malaria is caused by Plasmodium falciparum it is more likely to be drug resistant."
And because it also uses nanowire technology, it can even tell whether a particular drug would work with the patient. "It extracts the [parasite] DNA from the blood and analyses it to tell if a particular drug, say chloroquine, is going to be ineffective. This way, doctors can immediately go for a more effective treatment," Krishna furthers.
Developers of the device say that it should not cost more than a smartphone, making it affordable for every medical practitioner. However, with new parasite strains discovered, would the new device perform well? Krishna confidently states "The tool is very responsive to incorporation of new markers as and when they are identified. However, there are already many markers that indicate drug resistance in antimalarial combination therapies, so there is plenty to go on as the work continues to fill in missing pieces in a complex jigsaw."
Another device made by three Dutch DIY bio-hackers-- Jelmer Cnossen, Wouter Bruins, and Pieter van Boheemen—has also been reported to identify different strains of the parasite. The device won $50,000 in the Vodafone Mobile for Good competition.