Rapid Diagnostics Test Detects Asymptomatic Malaria Cases

Researchers from Imperial College London and other institutions have developed a rapid diagnostic test called Dragonfly that can identify asymptomatic malaria cases, potentially tackling the spread of the disease. The test uses technology originally created at Imperial and its spinout ProtonDx, and can detect low levels of malaria parasites in the blood, even in people without symptoms. This breakthrough has significant global health implications, as it offers a way to detect and treat previously undetectable malaria cases rapidly and on the ground in countries most affected by malaria.

Key Takeaways:

• The Dragonfly test can detect 95% of all malaria parasite infections, including 95% detection of those where the numbers of parasites are too low to be detected by looking at blood under a microscope.
• The test uses technology originally created at Imperial and its spinout ProtonDx, and can detect low levels of malaria parasites in the blood without the need for extensive laboratory equipment or infrastructure.
• Results can be delivered in as little as 45 minutes, and the test is sensitive enough to detect even the lowest levels of malaria parasites in the blood.
• Almost 700 blood samples were collected from the community in The Gambia and Burkina Faso to assess the Dragonfly test's accuracy against gold standard PCR testing and other common methods of testing.
• The team is already working closely with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to explore opportunities with local manufacturers in the region, ensuring that production and scale-up can be rooted in local capacity.
• The test can be manufactured at a fraction of the cost of other platforms, is compact enough to fit into a backpack, and can operate on batteries, making it ideal for bringing the tool directly to communities without requiring additional specialised equipment.
• The testing equipment consists of a capillary blood sample obtained from a simple finger prick, processed in around 10 minutes to extract high-purity nucleic acids from malaria parasites, then placed into a detection panel and inserted into a portable heater for 30 minutes incubation.
• The Dragonfly test is the first time that a diagnostic test for use outside of a laboratory setting has proven sensitive enough to detect low level malaria parasite infections in people who don't have any symptoms.

Statistics:

• 95% detection rate of malaria parasite infections
• 95% detection rate of asymptomatic malaria parasite infections
• 700 blood samples collected from the community in The Gambia and Burkina Faso
• 45 minutes maximum time for results delivery
• £10-15 estimated cost per test
• 10 minutes processing time for capillary blood sample
• 30 minutes incubation time for detection panel

Sources:

• Imperial College London
• MRC Unit The Gambia
• Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro in Burkina Faso
• ProtonDx Ltd
• NIHR Global Health Research Group (NIHR134694)
• National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
• Wellcome Trust CAMO-Net programme
• Fleming Initiative
• Jameel Fund for Infectious Disease Research and Innovation
• Centre of Defence Pathology and jHub Med at the UK Ministry of Defence
• Rakotomalala Robinson et al. 2025 published in Nature Communications