Rapid malaria detection using a spin Hall magnetoresistance sensor

Abstract

As a by-product of malaria infection, hemozoin has emerged as a promising biomarker for malaria detection using magnetic sensors. However, the requirement of a large magnetizing field often renders the detection of its tiny stray field challenging. Here, we report the detection of hemozoin using recently developed spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) sensors, which exhibit high sensitivity, negligible hysteresis, and nearly zero DC offset. These unique characteristics enable the simultaneous application of a strong out-of-plane field to magnetize hemozoin and precisely tuned in-plane compensation fields to counteract misalignment-induced stray field components. Using hemozoin suspensions as surrogates for infected blood, our platform achieves a detection limit of 1.6×104 parasites/μL, which is sufficient for early-stage malaria diagnosis. With a measurement time of only 30 s, significantly faster than conventional diagnostic methods, the SMR-based detection platform is well-suited for point-of-care malaria diagnostics in resource-limited settings.