An anti-tank Javelin missile detector, commonly used in warfare to detect the enemy, has been found to rapidly identify malaria parasites in blood. The technique is based on Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy which provides information on how molecules vibrate.
“Our test detects malaria at its very early stages, so that doctors can stop the disease in its tracks before it takes hold and kills,” said Bayden Wood, associate professor at Monash University in Australia.
Researchers used a special imaging detector known as a Focal Plane Array (FPA) to detect malaria parasite-infected red blood cells.
Originally developed for Javelin anti-tank heat seeking missiles, the FPA gives highly-detailed information on a sample area in minutes. The detector, which is coupled to an infrared imaging microscope, allowed the team to detect the earliest stages of the malaria parasite in a single red blood cell.
