Malaria
About half the world's population is at risk of malaria
Globally, in 2023, there were an estimated 263 million malaria cases and 597,000 malaria deaths in 83 countries
(World Malaria Report, 2024)
Nearly every minute, a child under 5 dies of malaria
A daily toll of over 1,000 children under age 5
Early diagnosis reduces morbidity, mortality, and transmission
WHO recommends confirming all suspected malaria cases using parasite-based diagnostic testing (either microscopy or a rapid diagnostic test, RDTs).
Microscopy is the gold standard but requires skilled personnel
In many regions where malaria is prevalent, there is a shortage of both standard laboratory infrastructure and personnel with the necessary skills to perform microscopy.
RDTs are cheap but binary, and antigens last >28 days after treatment*
In regions where malaria is prevalent, clinicians face difficulties quantifying infection and diagnosing whether a positive RDT result indicates a current or past infection, leading to indiscriminate anti-malarial prescription and self-medication.
Gene deletions also limit RDT performance.
P. falciparum parasites with HRP2/HRP3 deletions cannot be detected by HRP2-based RDTs, resulting in false negatives. This increases the risk of delayed diagnosis, severe illness, and higher mortality rates.
Automated Microscopy merges the advantages of microscopy with scalability
With microscopy automation, more samples can be screened and diagnosed in a short period of time, enhancing scalability.
Introducing BIOCHROME, our solution to malaria diagnosis
Biochrome is an AI-powered point-of-care microscopy device for malaria diagnosis.