Development of a novel plasmodium falciparum topoisomerase I specific biosensor for diagnosis of malaria

The thesis present a DNA based biosensor with potential use for future at-point-of-care diagnosis of malaria. In the developed setup, specific detection of malaria parasites in crude blood samples is facilitated by the conversion of single Plasmodium falciparum topoisomerase I (pfTopI) mediated cleavage-ligation events, happening within nanometer dimensions, to micrometer-sized products readily detectable at the single molecule level in a fluorescence microscope. The biosensor requires no special equipment and the readout is adaptable to simple colorimetric detection systems. Moreover, with regard to sensitivity the presented setup is likely by far to outcompete standard cold immuno-based diagnostics. Hence, the presented biosensor form the basis for a new generation of easy-to-use diagnostic tools suitable even for the malaria epidemic areas in developing countries.