Indiegogo Project Aims to Detect and Cure Malaria in Indonesia Using an iPhone Kit

A project found on Indiegogo, the crowd-funding website for startup projects, states that malaria can be found and cured in Bangka, an island in Indonesia, using an iPhone-based malaria diagnostics kit.

The researchers believe that if the disease can be found and treated in time, it could lead to its complete eradication from the island. They even believe that, if the project proves to be a success, it can be rolled out on a large-scale in Africa as well.

“We want to prove that we can have a significant effect on malaria case management throughout one of these regions. The first study of this kind will take place on Bangka Island in Indonesia. With this study, we have set ourselves the goal of eradicating malaria from the entirety of Bangka Island during malaria high season.” the team of researchers state.

The kit itself is called IanXen RAPID and consists of a iPhone, a portable microscope attached to it, blood slides and lancet pen.

The process seems simple enough too. A blood drop is placed on the slide, having it be examined through the microscope by an app. The results are then said to be given out in a matter of seconds.

The team of researchers believe that this method could be a great solution for a much wider deployment by enabling diagnosis to be carried out with a fully portable kit and at a much lower cost than conventional equipment.

On Indiegogo, the project asks for small donation fee of just £5 / $8.50, stating that it will help fund the project and can even get your name mentioned on the project’s Twitter feed. Also, people feeling generous can even opt for one of the higher donation levels available on the website.

Thank you 9to5 Mac for providing us with this information
Image courtesy of 9to5 Mac