RAM! The Device That Can Diagnose Malaria (Rapid Assessment of Malaria)

Here is the latest discovery on How to cure Malaria with RAM (Rapid Assessment of Malaria)

Although it is preventable and curable, the World Health Organization estimates that 438,000 people died from malaria in 2015, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa.

John Lewandowski, a PhD student in mechanical engineering at MIT, said diagnosing it quickly is critical.

"Early detection is very important, typically in the first five to seven days before symptoms arise, so that treatment can begin," said Lewandowski, 26.

He's designed a mechanical device called RAM (Rapid Assessment of Malaria) that is able to detect malaria in five seconds from a drop of blood. 

There are two primary ways to diagnose malaria: You can test a drop of blood under a microscope to identify the parasite, or you can do a diagnostic test on a blood drop sample, which returns a positive or negative result, similar to a home pregnancy test.

But many rural communities in Africa and Asia don't have the medical infrastructure for microscopic tests, and the diagnostic test can't detect malaria infection in the very early stages. 

Lewandowski developed his device to make diagnosing malaria quicker and cheaper.

The RAM is battery-operated, costs about $100 to $120, and is made from low-cost materials. The plastic box (measuring 4x4 inches) has a small circuit board, a few magnets and a laser on the inside. On the outside is an LCD screen, an SD card slot and a plastic disposable cuvette.

"It's pretty bare bones," said Lewandowski, who's the founder and CEO of Boston-based Disease Diagnostic Group, which is developing the device. 

You take a finger prick of blood and insert it into the box through the cuvette. If the malaria parasite is present, the magnets draw the iron crystals horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The laser helps identify the pattern and diagnose the disease. (If the disease isn't present, no crystals form.)

The technology is deliberately simplistic and easy to use, although diagnosing the parasite and determining treatment needs to be done by a local clinic or hospital. 

SOURCE : CNN