Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Receives Grant to Study Noninvasive Technique for Detecting Malaria Via Breathalyzer
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PHILADELPHIA, June 18, 2025 ~ In the ongoing battle against malaria, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has received a generous grant of $1 million from the Gates Foundation to conduct research on a new, non-invasive technique for identifying individuals infected with malarial parasites. This groundbreaking approach involves analyzing chemicals in the breath to detect the presence of the disease.

Malaria continues to be a major global health crisis, with over 250 million people being infected each year and resulting in more than 600,000 deaths. The majority of these deaths occur in children under the age of 5. Despite efforts to treat and prevent the spread of malaria through various drugs and strategies, current methods for detecting the disease are invasive and time-consuming, requiring blood tests.

However, there is hope for a more efficient and less invasive method through the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath. These gases are released from the body and can indicate changes in response to diseases. While these changes may not be noticeable to humans, animals with highly sensitive olfactory systems have been shown to detect them. With advancements in technology such as mass spectrometry, scientists are now able to directly analyze VOCs.

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The lab of Audrey R. Odom-John, MD, PhD at CHOP has been at the forefront of researching ways to improve diagnostics and potential treatments for malaria. Previous preclinical studies conducted by her team have shown that VOCs can distinguish between infected patients and those without an infection.

Dr. Odom-John, who is also Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at CHOP and holds the Stanley Plotkin Endowed Chair in Pediatric Infectious Diseases, expressed her excitement about this new opportunity: "Malaria continues to be a serious global health threat, and as parasites become more resistant to existing treatments, it is crucial that we are able to quickly detect it." She believes that based on their promising preclinical work and the success of using VOCs to identify other infectious diseases, there is potential to develop a non-invasive breathalyzer for malaria detection with faster results. The grant from the Gates Foundation will greatly aid in advancing this critical research.

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Aside from being non-invasive, this breathalyzer also has the potential to detect asymptomatic cases of malaria. This could be a game-changer in slowing down the spread of the disease by identifying and treating individuals who may not even know they are infected. Furthermore, this technology could have applications beyond malaria and be used to address other global health challenges.

Dr. Odom-John emphasized the importance of understanding VOCs and their connection to diseases: "The more we learn about VOCs, the more opportunities we have to apply this technology to other infectious diseases that pose a significant threat to global health." With this grant from the Gates Foundation, CHOP is taking a crucial step towards addressing the malaria crisis and potentially revolutionizing disease detection methods for other infectious diseases as well.
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