Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Gates Foundation to research a non-invasive technique for detecting malaria through chemicals in breath. The initiative aims to address the global malaria crisis, which infects over 250 million people annually and results in more than 600,000 deaths, primarily affecting children under five.
Currently, malaria detection relies on invasive blood tests that require time for sample collection and analysis. Researchers are exploring the potential of analyzing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), gases emitted by the body detectable in breath, as a non-invasive diagnostic method. VOC patterns change in response to disease, although these changes are undetectable by the human nose. However, animals with sensitive olfactory systems have shown the ability to detect them. Advanced technologies like mass spectrometry are now used to analyze VOCs directly. In 2022, a breath-based COVID-19 test was approved by the EUA, indicating potential for similar diagnostics for diseases like malaria.
Dr. Audrey R. Odom-John, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at CHOP and holder of the Stanley Plotkin Endowed Chair in Pediatric Infectious Diseases, has led research into improving diagnostics and treatments for malaria. Her lab’s preclinical work suggests VOCs could distinguish between infected and uninfected patients.
“Malaria continues to pose a serious global health risk,” said John. “As parasites become more resistant to existing forms of treatment, it will be critical to make sure malaria can be detected as quickly as possible.” She noted that advances in using VOCs for identifying other infectious diseases present an opportunity to develop a noninvasive breathalyzer for broader and faster malaria detection. “The grant provided to us by the Gates Foundation will help advance this critical work in ways that would not have been possible otherwise.”
John also highlighted that this breathalyzer could detect asymptomatic cases of malaria, potentially slowing disease spread significantly. Additionally, this technology may apply to other significant global health challenges beyond malaria.
“The better we understand VOCs and their connection to disease,” John added, “the more opportunities we may have to apply the technology being developed in this work to other infectious diseases that pose a significant threat to global health.”
