New Methods, New Math Speed Detection of Drug-resistant Malaria

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University developed techniques to quickly identify evolution of drug resistance in strains of malaria. Their goal is to enable the medical community to react quickly to inevitable resistance and thereby save lives while increasing the lifespan of drugs used against the disease. Currently, disease monitoring requires months of clinical trials. The new methods can provide more information in just days, and far cheaper. The investigators have tailored genetic assays and mathematical analysis to uncover and track drug immunity of the deadliest form of the disease, caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

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Access the article, 'Differentiating Plasmodium falciparum alleles by transforming Cartesian X,Y data to polar coordinates'.