Researchers have adapted a rapid diagnostic technology that detects cases of malaria that remain undetected, helping curb the spread of the disease.
A collaborative team from Imperial College London, the MRC Unit The Gambia, the Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro in Burkina Faso, ProtonDx Ltd, and the NIHR Global Health Research Group (NIHR134694) has created and validated a low‑cost, point‑of‑care test capable of rapidly identifying low‑level malaria from a finger‑prick sample.
Dubbed Dragonfly, the test employs technology originally developed at Imperial and its spin‑out ProtonDx. It allows users to diagnose malaria with high accuracy without needing extensive laboratory equipment, delivering results in as little as 45 minutes. The sensitivity of the test means it can pick up even the lowest concentrations of malaria parasites, enabling the detection of asymptomatic infections.
Malaria remains one of the leading causes of preventable death worldwide, with about 95 % of fatalities occurring in Africa. Asymptomatic carriers are a key driver of ongoing transmission, as individuals who harbour the parasite do not seek treatment. Mosquitoes that bite such people can transmit the parasite to others during subsequent bites.
The new technology offers hope for stopping this silent transmission by rapidly identifying previously hidden malaria cases on the ground in the most affected countries.
The findings, published in Nature Communications, carry significant global health implications. This field‑deployable molecular diagnostic method offers a sensitive, scalable solution to support test‑and‑treat interventions for malaria elimination across Africa.
Professor Aubrey Cunnington, Imperial’s Department of Infectious Disease and Co‑Lead of the NIHR Global Health Research Group, said, “This is the first time a diagnostic test suitable for use outside a laboratory has proven sensitive enough to detect low‑level malaria infections in people without symptoms.”
He noted that these asymptomatic individuals represent the main source of transmission. “In countries working toward elimination, detecting these carriers in community screening and treating them has been a long‑standing goal, but no test had yet been capable of doing this on a practical scale.”
The study was part of a global partnership with the NIHR Global Health Research Group and Digital Diagnostics for Africa and was highlighted earlier this year through a Global Development Hub STEM Impact Memo.
The test kits were produced in partnership with ProtonDx, an Imperial spin‑out, enabling the research team to manufacture and distribute the necessary equipment for the trial.
Collaborative efforts within the NIHR Global Health Research Group allowed scientists to develop and test this new technology with expertise from regions most affected by malaria.
Nearly 700 blood samples were collected from communities in The Gambia and Burkina Faso to assess the Dragonfly test’s accuracy against the gold standard PCR, expert microscopy, and conventional rapid diagnostic tests such as lateral‑flow immunoassays.
Results showed that the Dragonfly tool detected over 95 % of all malaria infections, including 95 % of cases where parasite densities were below the detection threshold of microscopy.
While Dragonfly is currently a research‑only device, progress is underway to estimate the cost of a final manufactured version, especially at scale—a vital factor for effective deployment in sub‑Saharan Africa. The team is working closely with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to explore local manufacturing opportunities, ensuring production remains grounded in regional capacity. Future studies will also evaluate the tool’s robustness in community settings that lack laboratory infrastructure.
Dr. Jesus Rodriguez‑Manzano, who led technology development, emphasized the collaborative nature of the project. “This research could not have succeeded without the combined efforts of all participating organizations. The technology represents a game changer for malaria control.”
During the Dragonfly testing procedure, a capillary blood sample from a single finger‑prick is processed in approximately 10 minutes without specialized equipment to extract high‑purity nucleic acids from malaria parasites. The prepared sample is then placed in a detection panel and inserted into a portable heater.
After a 30‑minute incubation at a constant temperature, results are read visually using a color chart: a pink change indicates a negative result, while a yellow change confirms malaria infection.
Dragonfly can be manufactured at a fraction of the cost of other platforms, is compact enough to fit into a backpack, and operates on batteries—key features that allow it to reach communities without additional specialized equipment. The test is user‑friendly, meaning healthcare workers or scientists do not need to be present for its use.