Risk stratification of malaria in school-age children using mobile eye-based spectroscopy
Official title: Risk stratification of malaria among school-age children with mHealth spectroscopy of blood analysis
Funded at Purdue University · NIH-11599790 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A low-cost, phone-based method uses pictures of the inner eyelid to identify which children in high-risk areas should get malaria tests.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Purdue University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (West Lafayette, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $60,000 |
| NIH project number | 3R33TW012486-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11599790 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children in school-age groups in malaria-endemic areas who may benefit from targeted screening.
✕Less likely to help
Children in areas with very low malaria prevalence or those not eligible for the screening workflow may receive little direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to create a scalable, noninvasive way to flag children who are most likely to have malaria so they can receive confirmatory testing. It uses mHealth tools and spectroscopy-like analysis of blood-related signals captured with a mobile device to stratify risk. The work focuses on school-age children in Africa and could be implemented in other settings with similar health infrastructure. If successful, it could lower screening costs and help protect educational outcomes by reducing malaria burden.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the method could speed up malaria detection in children and reduce unnecessary testing.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows promise in mobile health approaches for infectious disease screening, but this exact eyelid-based risk stratification is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Purdue University
West Lafayette, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kim, Young L — Purdue University
- Study coordinator: Kim, Young L
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.