Final Tech Brief
Lifelens

What is Lifelens?
Lifelens was created to address the major problem of malaria, especially the child mortality rates in underdeveloped areas, such as Nigeria and Cameroon, by using a mobile diagnostic solution. From a finger prick and blood smear, Lifelens can digitally illustrate anemia, visualize blood cell rupture and parasites, and detect malaria. This can also reduce the costs of diagnosing malaria and increase the availability of treatment.
What is Malaria?
Malaria is a disease of warm, humid climates where pools of water constitute perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a parasite, Plasmodium, which infects red blood cells. The parasite was identified in human blood in 1880, but it wasn’t until 1889 that it was discovered malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes.
The Plasmodium parasites develop in the gut of the mosquito and are transferred to a human through saliva when an infected mosquito takes a blood meal or bites a human. These mosquitoes, also called Malaria vectors (malaria carrier, transporter, host), bite mainly between dusk and dawn. Once the parasites enter the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells.
There are four types of human malaria caused by mosquitoes: * Plasmodium falciparum – the most widespread and dangerous of the four: untreated it can lead to fatal cerebral malaria * Plasmodium vivax – less serious * Plasmodium malariae – less serious * Plasmodium ovale – less serious
Transmission of Malaria
Malaria parasites are transmitted from one person to another by the female anopheline mosquito. Males do not transmit malaria because they only feed on plant juices. Mosquitoes breed in shallow collections of stagnant water or standing fresh water such as puddles, rice fields, and hoof prints.