Sachikos ATR definitions

ATR spectroscopy is a method that uses infrared light to measure how light interacts with cells. It can detect malaria by analyzing the specific vibrations of infected blood cells, which correspond to the chemistry of the malaria parasite. By using AI models based on patterns and frequencies, accurate predictions can be made about whether a blood sample has malaria or not. So now that we know a little bit about malaria, the next step is to ask ourselves, what actually is ATR spectroscopy? We spoke to Professor Baden in detail about this topic, and here are our key takeaways. The spectroscopy equipment is made up of a glow bar that produces infrared light. This light then travels through a series of mirrors into a crystal on which the blood sample is placed. ATR-spec measures how light interacts with cells, and this is exactly where the magic comes in. As it turns out, all molecules are constantly vibrating at unique frequencies. In this case, infrared spectroscopy shows a normal red blood cell as just a bag of hemoglobin vibrating, whereas an infected blood cell has the specific vibrations which correspond to all the chemistry of the malaria parasite, such as DNA, RNA, and hemozoin. Using AI models based on the patterns and frequencies of thousands of patients, both infected and healthy, we can get an accurate prediction of whether the blood sample taken point of care has malaria or not.