Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a microscopic parasite, Plasmodium spp, transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, and is among the most prevalent and deadly on the planet. It is considered that one of the limitations for the global control of this disease is the lack of fast, sensitive and easy-to-use diagnostic tools, something crucial to treat patients as soon as possible. Along these lines, researchers from the CIBER for Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) at the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), have recovered a widely established classic test, the ELISA (Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay), and have provided high performance to be able to detect malaria in a quantifiable way in one hour and with sensitivity close to PCR.This study has been carried out in collaboration with researchers from the International Health Unit of the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, which is part of the International Health Program of the Catalan Health Institute (PROSICS), and the Catalonia Bioengineering Institute (IBEC).The classic ELISA is a sensitive and reliable assay that uses antibodies to specifically capture an analyte of interest (in this case, the malaria parasite) and an enzymatic marker that generates a colored product in proportion to the amount of captured parasite. These types of assays usually include several steps and last 6 to 8 hours, so it must be carried out in a centralized laboratory. However, thanks to this work, published in https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2021.338254 Analytica Chimica Acta, the process has been optimized to achieve the result in less than an hour.As explained by Dr. Eva Baldrich, head of the CIBBIM-Nanomedicine - Diagnostic Nanotools research group of the VHIR, researcher at CIBER-BBN and last author of this study, "we have replaced the conventional enzymatic marker with a more efficient amplifying enzymatic polymer that generates higher signals in less time. In this way, together with a meticulous optimization of the different steps and components of the trial, we have been able to shorten the duration of the trial and detect malaria in less than one hour and with a sensitivity that is close to PCR, a very sensitive technique that it detects the genetic material of the parasite but it is too sophisticated and expensive for field work".The produced ELISA will allow the simultaneous analysis of a large number of samples, is capable of generating quantitative results and is easily automated. According to the CIBER-BBN researchers, "right now we are looking for funding to carry out a field validation of this method and industrial collaborators to undertake its automation using low-cost desktop equipment".Lack of diagnostic tools, key to the spread of malariaEndemic in Spain until the 1960s, when it was eradicated, malaria continues to be among the most prevalent and deadly diseases on the planet. Each year, malaria infects hundreds of millions of people and is responsible for taking half a million lives, mainly children on the African continent, but also in large areas of Asia and Latin America. This shows that the advances in vector control, diagnostic methods and treatment in recent decades have been insufficient.As with other infectious diseases, the lack of appropriate diagnostic tools complicates disease control. Malaria is especially rampant in poor countries, with poor health systems, poorly trained professionals, and a population with limited access to health care. In these conditions, techniques that require time and knowledge such as microscopy or that are too expensive and complex, such as PCR, are not very feasible, while rapid antigen detection techniques, much cheaper and easier to use, are not sufficiently sensitive and reliable.The eradication of this disease is among the priorities of the World Health Organization (WHO). However, experts agree that this objective will only be achieved with additional improvements in these fields, including the production of improved diagnostic tools, as well as reinforcing public health policies, strengthening health systems and guaranteeing free medical care in the countries where malaria is most prevalent.