There are nine Work Packages (WPs) divided
into sub-package tasks in the work plan of this project. Phase I involves all tasks relating to developing the background scientific knowhow to enable instrument development, and include the first 5 workpackages. The
first three workpackages deal with applied and fundamental research; while WP 4 focuses on provision of suitable standard samples for the testing programme in WP5. Phase II starts in WP6 where developments and equipment
used in the laboratory will be redesigned and productionised, starting with the technical development of apparatus for producing the required magnetic fields. WP7 (instrument development) will deliver two pre-production
instruments where all other issues will be addressed (peripheral electronics, laser source, software etc) including the development of a disposable sample cell. Phase III (WP8) addresses clinical evaluation and field
trials, while exploitation and dissemination including IPR arrangements will be the focus of WP9, while Project management will be handled in WP10. Project Outputs
i) New knowledge of the changes
induced by Plasmodium in the magneto-optical and magneto-thermal transport properties of biological systems when sequestered in the red blood cells of peripheral tissues, resulting in a deeper understanding of the
effect of plasmodium in blood under the action of applied magnetic fields.
ii) The development of a new instrument requiring optimisation (magnetic field/incident laser path/polarisation) to give the best
practical arrangement offering improved detection sensitivity, where base-line results from whole blood will need to be correlated with results from samples of blood having known levels of parasitic infection in order
to determine the best choice of laser wavelength and optimum thickness of blood film for maximum sensitivity at the lowest possible detection levels of infection. This work will lead on to the development of
pre-production instruments suitable for post project clinical trials, Two instruments are envisaged:
iii) A fully portable instrument based on electronic measurement of the magneto-optic and magneto-thermal
response of a blood sample.
iv) A more advanced, completely non-invasive version of the instrument requiring no blood sample and hence avoiding potential cross-infection and HIV issues. In this concept the
photo-acoustic stimulation/detection path would be through an ear lobe or ideally or the webbing between fingers.
Potential Impact
This project is ambitious and highly innovative, and
will attempt to break new ground in the field of medical diagnosis using magneto-optics and photonics to access information from biological samples that can therefore be interrogated electronically and potentially
non-invasively. The future of medical diagnostics is in the development of "point of care" detection tools that can bypass scientists in the laboratory and give doctors and patients fast and accurate analyses. The US is
leading the way in the field where 11% of diagnostic tests are now performed in the doctor's office20.
The use of these techniques is not only confined to malaria diagnosis, but has much wider
application, It is hoped that this project will lead to longer term development in the field providing a means of interrogating the condition of biological samples where diseased states (cancerous tissues, leukaemia,
diabetes) can be identified from fluctuations in magneto-optical or thermal behaviour.
According to the World Health Organisation, despite considerable progress in malaria control over the past
decade, malaria remains a serious problem particularly in Africa, south of the Sahara, where about 90% of clinical cases occur. Malaria is estimated to kill between 1.1 and 2.7 million people worldwide each year, and
over 2400 million remain at risk.
Successful development of the proposed novel instrumentation will have dramatic impact on society's ability to manage & control the malaria parasite. For the first
time there will be available a reliable means of accurately determining an individuals level of infection without the hazard of drawing blood in a rugged package requiring minimal operator expertise. In those countries
where malaria is endemic introduction of this technology will offer an extremely rapid and safe means of screening very large numbers of the population.
