Hemozoin in malaria eradication—from material science, technology to field test

Abstract

Malaria continues to be among the most lethal infectious diseases. Immediate barriers include the detection of low-parasitemia levels in asymptomatic individuals, which act as a reservoir for future infections, and the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains in malaria-endemic, under-resourced regions. The development of technologies for field-deployable devices for early detection and targeted drugs/vaccines is an ongoing challenge. In this respect, the identification of hemozoin during the Plasmodium growth cycle presents a unique opportunity as a biomarker for malaria infection. The last decade has witnessed the development of numerous opto-/magnetic- based ultrasensitive hemozoin sensing technologies with tremendous potential of rapid and accurate malaria diagnosis and drug testing. The unique information in hemozoin formation can also shed light on the development of targeted drugs. Here, we present a comprehensive perspective on state-of-the-art hemozoin-based methodologies for detecting and studying malaria. We discuss the challenges (and opportunities) to expedite the translation of the technology as a point-of-site tool to assist in the global eradication of malaria infection. Malaria continues to be among the most lethal infectious diseases. In the last two decades, we have witnessed unprecedented success in reducing the mortality rate. With the UN resolution of eradicating malaria by 2030 approaching fast, the scientific community has devoted substantial attention to interdisciplinary research using the latest opto-/magnetic-based technologies to detect a novel biomarker coming from the malarial pigment (hemozoin), which also carries vital information for discovering targeted drugs. This perspective article looks into the growing interest in this field and discusses the practical applicability of these sensing technologies.