Smartphone eye-photo checks to find malaria risk in schoolchildren
Risk stratification of malaria among school-age children with mHealth spectroscopy of blood analysis
A low-cost smartphone photo of the inner eyelid plus a brief fever check will be used to flag school-age children in malaria-prone areas who most need a malaria rapid test.
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 ID | NIH-11142441 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You or your child would have a quick photo taken of the inner eyelid with a basic smartphone and answer a few questions about recent fever or illness. An algorithm estimates blood hemoglobin from the photo and combines that with fever information to decide who should get a malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT). The goal is to find children with malaria-linked anemia and catch infections that might be missed by routine screening while avoiding unnecessary RDTs. The project focuses on school-based screening in malaria-endemic parts of sub-Saharan Africa and will refine the phone-based hemoglobin method for this age group.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are school-age children (roughly primary and early secondary age, about 6–15 years) attending schools in malaria-endemic regions.
Not a fit: Infants, adults, people outside malaria-endemic areas, or anyone needing urgent medical care for severe illness are unlikely to benefit from this prescreening approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could enable cheaper, noninvasive prescreening that finds more hidden malaria infections in schoolchildren while reducing unnecessary tests.
How similar studies have performed: Rapid diagnostic tests are already effective for malaria and prior work has shown smartphone photos can estimate hemoglobin, but combining these tools as a prescreen for school programs is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
West Lafayette, United States
- Purdue University — West Lafayette, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kim, Young L — Purdue University
- Study coordinator: Kim, Young L
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 below.