title: Mass spectrometry for malaria diagnosis.
abstract: A physical method currently being developed for malaria parasite detection and diagnosis in blood is reviewed in this article. The method - direct laser desorption mass spectrometry - is based on the detection of heme (iron protoporphyrin) as a unique qualitative and quantitative molecular biomarker for malaria. In infected erythrocytes, the parasite sequesters heme in a molecular crystal (hemozoin) - a volume of highly concentrated and purified biomarker molecules. Laser desorption mass spectrometry detects only heme from hemozoin in parasite-infected blood, and not heme that is bound to hemoglobin or other proteins in uninfected blood samples. The method requires only a drop of blood with minimal sample preparation. Laser desorption mass spectrometry may become a rapid and high-throughput tool for specific and sensitive pan-malaria detection at levels below 10 parasites/mul of blood.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, MS 2-217, Laurel, MD 20723-6099, USA. plamen.demirev@jhuapl.edu
authors.forename: Plamen A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Demirev
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D006418:Heme / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D015394:Molecular Structure
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006418:Heme