Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Receives Grant to Study Noninvasive Technique for Detecting Malaria Via Breathalyzer

A grant from the Gates Foundation will help researchers study how organic compounds in breath could be used to detect the presence of malaria parasites

PHILADELPHIA, June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Taking one important step toward addressing the malaria crisis that impacts millions of patients globally each year, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has received a $1 million grant from the Gates Foundation to study a new, non-invasive technique involving chemicals in the breath to help identify individuals infected with malarial parasites.

Despite many drugs and preventive strategies used to treat or halt the spread of malaria, the life-threatening disease continues to infect more than 250 million people each year worldwide, resulting in more than 600,000 deaths, the majority of which occur in children under the age of 5. Currently, the only way to detect malaria cases are via blood tests that are invasive and require time to collect and properly evaluate samples.

One promising avenue for non-invasive detection of infection is the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—gases released from the body that can be measured in breath. These VOC patterns shift in response to disease, and, while such changes are imperceptible to the human nose, animals with highly sensitive olfactory systems have been shown to detect them. Building on this principle, scientists are now using advanced technologies like mass spectrometry to directly analyze VOCs. In 2022, for example, the EUA approved the first breath-based COVID-19 test that identifies virus-associated VOCs, paving the way for similar diagnostic tools for infectious diseases such as malaria.

The lab of Audrey R. Odom-John, MD, PhD, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at CHOP and the Stanley Plotkin Endowed Chair in Pediatric Infectious Diseases, has spent years looking into ways of improving the diagnostics and potential treatments available for malaria. Prior preclinical work in her lab has suggested VOCs could be used to distinguish infected patients from those without an infection.

"Malaria continues to pose a serious global health risk, and as parasites become more resistant to existing forms of treatment, it will be critical to make sure malaria can be detected as quickly as possible," John said. "Based on encouraging preclinical work from our lab and the advances in using VOCs in the identification of other infectious diseases, we believe that there is an opportunity to take this knowledge and develop a noninvasive breathalyzer to identify malaria more broadly and with faster results. The grant provided to us by the Gates Foundation will help advance this critical work in ways that would not have been possible otherwise."

In addition to being noninvasive, John said that the breathalyzer has the potential to detect asymptomatic cases of malaria. Identifying which patients are infected but not exhibiting symptoms could help significantly slow the spread of the disease. Additionally, the test could have applications for other important global health challenges beyond malaria.

"The better we understand VOCs and their connection to disease, the more opportunities we may have to apply the technology being developed in this work to other infectious diseases that pose a significant threat to global health," John added.

About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia:  
A non-profit, charitable organization, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, the hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. The institution has a well-established history of providing advanced pediatric care close to home through its CHOP Care Network, which includes more than 50 primary care practices, specialty care and surgical centers, urgent care centers, and community hospital alliances throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as the Middleman Family Pavilion and its dedicated pediatric emergency department in King of Prussia. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit https://www.chop.edu. 

Contact: Ben Leach
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
609-634-7906
[email protected]

SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia