1. Noninvasive in vivo photoacoustic detection of malaria with Cytophone in Cameroon.
- Author
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Yadem AC, Armstrong JN, Sarimollaoglu M, Kiki Massa C, Ndifo JM, Menyaev YA, Mbe A, Richards K, Wade M, Zeng Y, Chen R, Zhou Q, Meten E, Ntone R, Tchuedji YLGN, Ullah S, Galanzha EI, Eteki L, Gonsu HK, Biris A, Suen JY, Boum Y 2nd, Zharov VP, and Parikh S
- Subjects
- Humans, Cameroon, Adult, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Malaria diagnosis, Male, Hemeproteins analysis, Malaria, Falciparum diagnosis, Malaria, Falciparum epidemiology, Sensitivity and Specificity, Longitudinal Studies, Young Adult, Parasitemia diagnosis, Plasmodium falciparum isolation & purification, Plasmodium falciparum genetics, Middle Aged, ROC Curve, Adolescent, Photoacoustic Techniques methods, Photoacoustic Techniques instrumentation, Erythrocytes parasitology, Flow Cytometry methods
- Abstract
Current malaria diagnostics are invasive, lack sensitivity, and rapid tests are plagued by deletions in target antigens. Here we introduce the Cytophone, an innovative photoacoustic flow cytometer platform with high-pulse-rate lasers and a focused ultrasound transducer array to noninvasively detect and identify malaria-infected red blood cells (iRBCs) using specific wave shapes, widths, and time delays generated from the absorbance of laser energy by hemozoin, a universal biomarker of malaria infection. In a population of Cameroonian adults with uncomplicated malaria, we assess our device for safety in a cross-sectional cohort (n = 10) and conduct a performance assessment in a longitudinal cohort (n = 20) followed for 30 ± 7 days after clearance of parasitemia. Longitudinal cytophone measurements are compared to point-of-care and molecular assays (n = 94). Cytophone is safe with 90% sensitivity, 69% specificity, and a receiver-operator-curve-area-under-the-curve (ROC-AUC) of 0.84, as compared to microscopy. ROC-AUCs of Cytophone, microscopy, and RDT compared to quantitative PCR are not statistically different from one another. The ability to noninvasively detect iRBCs in the bloodstream is a major advancement which offers the potential to rapidly identify both the large asymptomatic reservoir of infection, as well as diagnose symptomatic cases without the need for a blood sample., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2024
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