Recipient organisationLondon Sch of Hygiene and Trop Medicine
Funding£314K
PeriodFeb 2025 — Jan 2030
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
A single finger-prick blood test could reveal whether someone carries dormant malaria parasites in their liver, even when standard tests show nothing wrong. This matters because *Plasmodium vivax*—the most widespread human malaria parasite outside Africa—hides in the liver as dormant hypnozoites that can reactivate weeks or months after the initial infection. Conventional rapid tests and microscopy only detect parasites in the bloodstream, missing these silent carriers entirely. Without knowing who carries the hidden reservoir, elimination campaigns cannot stop transmission. The consortium has already validated a lab-based serological test that identifies these carriers by measuring antibodies to four liver-stage proteins. PvSeroRDT will convert that lab test into a point-of-care rapid diagnostic strip, similar to a pregnancy test, that can be used in rural clinics with no laboratory infrastructure. If successful, this test would enable the PvSeroTAT strategy—test and treat people with a history of *P. vivax* exposure, then clear their dormant infections with a radical cure. The project includes manufacturing transfer to Senegal and clinical validation in Ethiopia and Madagascar. The result could be a practical tool for malaria elimination programmes across sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, targeting the parasite species that has proven most stubborn to eradicate.
View original technical description
Plasmodium vivax is considered the most difficult species of human malaria parasite to eliminate because of the inability of conventional diagnostics to detect individuals who carry dormant liver forms and sustain malaria transmission. The consortium has developed the first diagnostic test that addresses this problem. PvSeroRDT aims to develop a point-of-care (POC) rapid diagnostic test (RDT) to transfer the consortium’s validated lab-based test to the field to support implementation of the P. vivax Serological Test and Treatment (PvSeroTAT) malaria control strategy. The PvSeroRDT specific objectives are: 1) Develop a POC RDT using lateral flow technology to measure antibodies to four P. vivax proteins that are biomarkers for the dormant liver-stage of P. vivax. 2) Establish Africa-based manufacturing capacity at DIATROPIX (Senegal) following RDT development at Abingdon Health, a UK-based SME specialising in lateral flow assays. 3) Validate RDT performance with bio-banked samples, followed by field-based clinical validation on freshly collected samples in Ethiopia and Madagascar. 4) Develop a clear regulatory strategy to streamline market authorization and access to this first-in-class P. vivax serological testing. PvSeroRDT addresses all expected outcomes and impacts of this call topic and work program, respectively. Specifically, it will contribute a robust POC diagnostic to the pipeline in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and enable the implementation of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda for public health. The project is designed to address the WHO’s preferred profile for P. vivax diagnosis, to translate an SME prototype to Africa-based industrial design, and to test clinical performance in several SSA sites, thus enhancing international cooperation in SSA and improving training opportunities in SSA. Ultimately, PvSeroRDT will facilitate implementation of PvSeroTAT – a new intervention for malaria elimination.
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