Malaria species detection

Inventors

Galen, Peter • Bledsoe, James Daren • Blankenship, D'Arbra • Deissler, Robert J. • Goss, Steven M. • Grimberg, Brian T.

Assignees

Hemex Health Inc

Abstract

A diagnostic system that includes a cartridge and a reader. The cartridge can contain a patient sample, such as a blood sample. The cartridge is inserted into the reader and the patient sample is analyzed. The sample can be processed for data collection and analysis to provide interpretative results indicative of a disorder, condition, disease or infection of the patient. For example, the data collection and analysis can determine one or more hemozoin characteristics.

Core Innovation

A point-of-care diagnostic system for malaria species detection uses a cartridge-and-reader platform with a magneto-optical detection (MOD) approach. A patient blood sample is exposed to a varying magnetic field while light transmittance through the sample is measured as a time measurement value. Hemozoin in the sample aligns under a magnetic field and randomizes after removal, producing differential light-transmission waveforms over time.

The system determines a condition based on a feature of a slope of a data signal representing the measured light transmittance value. The data signal is taken over a time measurement from a time when the applied magnetic field is removed from the sample to a time the light transmittance value reaches a randomized sample value. The condition is determined from slope-derived features such as relaxation/alignment time, rising and falling slopes, plateau/valley characteristics, time delays, and signal amplitude.

Waveform feature analysis is performed using thresholding and template correlation/matching, including scoring/weighting and database lookups to determine hemozoin characteristics. These hemozoin characteristics include size, amount, and source, and the resulting determination is used to infer infection level and malaria species. The system also includes reader/control functions and cartridge elements for sample identification and test effectiveness checks.

Claims Coverage

The partial independent claims cover two related aspects: a diagnostic system and a method. Across the independent claims, the core claim coverage centers on determining a condition from a slope feature of a light-transmittance time signal taken after removal of an applied magnetic field until a randomized value is reached, and outputting that condition to a user device or system output. The independent claims each rely on inventive features that define the slope-feature determination and condition determination logic.

Across the independent claim set provided, the inventive coverage is anchored on extracting a slope-based feature from a light-transmittance time signal following removal of an applied magnetic field until the signal reaches a randomized sample value, using that slope feature to determine a condition, and outputting the condition to a user device or system output.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications