McMillen Lab - Malarial Antibody Detection with an Engineered Yeast Agglutination Assay

The McMillen lab has published an approach where engineered yeast cells can be used as a simple, low-cost method of detecting malaria antibodies in blood samples.  Allowing the yeast to settle in a round well results in a distinct pattern visible to the naked eye, minimizing the instrumentation required, and the raw material cost of the yeast is about a hundredth of a cent per test.  The lab is currently working with colleagues in the Philippines to implement the process of growing the test in Manila, which would set the stage for field testing in remote areas without easy access to lab-based assays.

Link to access the publication: Malarial Antibody Detection with an Engineered Yeast Agglutination Assay | ACS Synthetic Biology