The light pulse comes from a low-powered laser. It has less power than a laser pointer. It shines on a very tiny particle called the hemozoin, which is produced by the malaria parasite once it has infected red blood cells. Hemozoin crystals are not found in red cells that are not infected with malaria.
As the crystals are heated by the laser, they create small bubbles inside infected cells. Dr. Lopotko says the bubbles explode, and then make a sound that scientists can hear and count.
You can detect just few infected cells by a million normal cells.
Dr. Lopotko says when researchers tested the device it was never wrong, and it was able to find malaria infection early, when treatment is very important.
The device can be carried, and uses batteries. It costs about $10,000 to $20,000 to make, but Dr. Lopotko says considering the number of people it can test, that is not a lot of money.
Each device will be capable to screen more than 200,000 people per year. So the cost of analysis for each patient will be less than 50 cents.
People without medical training can use the device to discover whether people are infected with malaria.
Dr. Lopotko says the light beam used by the device is safe. Researchers will now test the device at a hospital in Houston that cares for patients infected with malaria. If those tests are successful, researchers will test the device throughout the world this year.
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