title: Hemozoin-generated vapor nanobubbles for transdermal reagent- and needle-free detection of malaria.
abstract: Successful diagnosis, screening, and elimination of malaria critically depend on rapid and sensitive detection of this dangerous infection, preferably transdermally and without sophisticated reagents or blood drawing. Such diagnostic methods are not currently available. Here we show that the high optical absorbance and nanosize of endogenous heme nanoparticles called "hemozoin," a unique component of all blood-stage malaria parasites, generates a transient vapor nanobubble around hemozoin in response to a short and safe near-infrared picosecond laser pulse. The acoustic signals of these malaria-specific nanobubbles provided transdermal noninvasive and rapid detection of a malaria infection as low as 0.00034% in animals without using any reagents or drawing blood. These on-demand transient events have no analogs among current malaria markers and probes, can detect and screen malaria in seconds, and can be realized as a compact, easy-to-use, inexpensive, and safe field technology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Rice University Animal Facility, and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005-1892.
authors.forename: Ekaterina Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Lukianova-Hleb
authors.forename: Kelly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Pamela E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Constantinou
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Braam
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.forename: Russell E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Ware
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Dmitri O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Lapotko
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000818:Animals; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D005740:Gases; D006418:Heme / Q000737:chemistry; D006420:Hemeproteins / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D009339:Needles; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum
chemical_list: D005740:Gases; D006420:Hemeproteins; C020753:hemozoin; D006418:Heme