DIAGMAL project meeting

The DIAGMAL project held its final EDCTP2 consortium meeting on 17 and 18 October in Nairobi, Kenya. The meeting was hosted by AMREF Health Africa in Nairobi. DIAGMAL  is coordinated by Dr Henk Schallig (Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands) and aims to develop and evaluate a simple molecular diagnostic test for malaria. The diagnostic performance of this innovative platform is being evaluated in five African countries (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, and Sudan) with very different malaria epidemiology. The project is supported by a team of health economists from the London School of Economics and Political Science who are assessing the cost-effectiveness of implementing the new diagnostic test and studying potential barriers to implementation. Furthermore, Mondial Diagnostics (an SME based in the Netherlands) is examining access to the market for the diagnostic platform/product.

The project team reviewed the latest research data at the meeting. The new platform showed good diagnostic performance in Burkina Faso and Kenya. Furthermore, the platform showed potential to be implemented in a near-elimination setting (Namibia), where it is essential to find the last remaining infections. The health economic studies are almost complete, and there is potential interest from third parties who might bring the product to market.