The challenge 

At least 50% of people in sub-Saharan Africa don’t have access to essential health services, including easy access to accurate diagnostics. 

The solution 

Lacewing is a novel Imperial-developed technology that provides portable, real-time health data. 

The impact 

Immediate diagnosis and swift response will help to reduce Africa’s infectious disease burden and track outbreaks.  

 

Researchers at Imperial have developed portable tests that provide real-time diagnosis of diseases such as malaria. They are now working with partners in African countries to implement the technology and tackle infectious diseases.  

At least 50% of people in sub-Saharan Africa don’t have access to essential health services, including easy access to accurate diagnostics. Most of these countries lack the resources and infrastructure to diagnose and track diseases and outbreaks, leading to preventable deaths. 

Collaborative solutions

The Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network was established in 2020 to address this healthcare challenge. In 2022 it received NIHR Global Health Research Group funding to boost its work. Led by Imperial College London and Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Burkina Faso, the multidisciplinary team brings together researchers, commercial partners and not-for-profit organisations to tackle infectious diseases in Africa. Partner countries include The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Zambia, Sudan and Kenya. 

Real-time diagnosis 

The network uses Imperial-developed technology to provide real-time health data. Dragonfly and Lacewing are portable, rapid diagnostic devices that use a small blood sample from a patient to provide accurate diagnosis of multiple infections, including malaria. They parallel the most advanced lab-based detection methods, but tests can be carried out without skilled staff, laboratory infrastructure or cold chain requirements.   

According to Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Head of Section and Professor in Paediatric Infectious Disease at Imperial College London, digital diagnostics: “have the potential to revolutionise the treatment and detection of malaria as they can detect all of the malaria parasite species and even low levels of parasite that cannot be seen under a microscope.

Funding for African PhD candidates 

The NIHR Global Health Research Group funds 10 PhD candidates from different African countries. Some are investigating the use of the technology in different contexts – from device performance to usability – and in different settings, such as hospitals or rural clinics. Others are looking at the best points to deploy the diagnostic tests in the patient’s journey and their use in healthcare systems as a whole. As well as creating much-needed capacity, the PhD programme is creating future African leaders in the field of digital diagnostics. 

Imperial technology for global change 

These technologies can easily be adapted to identify a variety of disease-causing agents. Crucially, local production is also possible, reducing the continent’s reliance on global supply chains. By co-producing knowledge with African researchers, the project ensures that the technology will be relevant to, and optimised for, a variety of contexts.  

 

The Global Development Hub published a STEM for Development Impact Memo on the work. You can read the memo here.