Noul said it commenced a malaria diagnosis project in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI).

The project, set to run from July to December 2024, aims to evaluate the clinical utility of miLab, Noul's digital microscope-based malaria diagnostic solution, in endemic regions of Western Kenya.

A World Health Organization (WHO) report published in April highlighted the importance of digital malaria microscopy as a key measure for the international community to implement in the fight against malaria.

Noul's miLab, providing automated AI analysis of infected cells, is user-friendly for field use.

Unlike rapid diagnostic tests, it employs morphological diagnosis. This allows it to identify malaria cases with pfhrp 2/3 gene deletions, which are common in Africa.

The study will be conducted in four medical institutions located in Kisumu and Siaya, involving 2,000 patients who will undergo malaria testing. The efficacy of miLab will be compared against rapid diagnostic tests and traditional local microscopy methods to validate its clinical usefulness.

"The WHO recommends quality-assured microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests for malaria confirmation in endemic regions such as Western Kenya," said Dr. Simon Kariuki, Head of the KEMRI/Centre for Global Health Research Malaria Program. "However, implementing these recommended tests in the field presents significant challenges."

The introduction of new technologies to enhance malaria diagnostic quality is urgently needed, he added.

Kariuki stressed that he hopes that Noul's digital microscope-based malaria diagnostic solution will significantly improve diagnostic efficacy.

Noul's Chief Business Officer Kim Tae-hwan also said, "Noul's miLab MAL has demonstrated superior diagnostic performance over traditional field microscopy in major African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Ethiopia, as evidenced by published studies."

Through this evaluation project with the CDC and KEMRI, Noul aims to establish miLab as the top-performing product for addressing global malaria diagnosis challenges and leverage the references obtained to enter the North American market, Kim added.