Development of rapid screening for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency prior to malaria treatment utilizing on-board pH-based electrochemical assay

We present a prototyped assay to detect glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency before administration of an anti-malaria drug, which may cause potentially lethal acute hemolytic anemia in patients with G6PD deficiency. The proton production from a chemical reaction catalyzed by G6PD was measured to reflect the G6PD activity in a blood sample. The device consists of a pH sensor, a temperature control unit, and a fluidic sample well, which were integrated on a print circuit board. The experimental results indicate that samples with G6PD deficiency can be diagnosed within 2 min rendering a point-of-care assay for rapid screening. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.