Noul showcases AI-powered malaria diagnostic tool with superior accuracy at US meet

Korean diagnostics company Noul said that it presented two studies demonstrating that its AI-driven malaria diagnostic solution, miLab MAL, had greater accuracy compared to standard microscopy tests.

Noul unveiled its latest research findings on miLab MAL through oral and poster presentations at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) conference, which is ongoing in New Orleans, Louisiana, from Wednesday to Sunday.

ASTMH, established in 1903, is a global organization dedicated to research and education in tropical and waterborne diseases, hygiene, and health, playing a significant role in the fields of tropical medicine and public health. Since 2018, Noul has been presenting its research progress on miLab MAL annually at the ASTMH conference.

This year, an oral presentation of a clinical performance study on miLab MAL conducted in Nigeria was selected.

“miLab MAL delivers highly accurate diagnostic results within 15 minutes, surpassing the accuracy of expert microscopists,” said Professor Wellington A. Oyibo, Chair of the Malaria Operational Research Expert Group of Nigeria’s National Malaria Programme and a professor at the University of Lagos, during his oral presentation.

The unique solution can have a significant impact on malaria elimination efforts and set a new global standard for malaria diagnostics, Oyibo added.

In a study involving 400 suspected malaria patients in Lagos, Nigeria, miLab MAL achieved a sensitivity of 94.4 percent and a specificity of 98.1 percent.

The company explained that the results indicate that miLab MAL can diagnose malaria in high-risk areas with a level of precision that exceeds that of skilled microscopy experts, providing fast and reliable results.

During the conference, Noul also presented a poster on the latest AI technology applied to miLab MAL.

The system incorporates a proprietary Reviewing Classifier, which fine-tunes diagnostic accuracy by mimicking the in-depth cell examination conducted by microscopy experts.

In comparative studies with clinical data, this technology improved the overall percent agreement (OPA). A retrospective study in Malawi in 2022 showed an OPA increase from 92.3 percent to 98.3 percent, while prospective studies conducted in 2024 in Malawi and Ethiopia showed OPA improvements from 98.5 percent to 99.6 percent and 96.2 percent to 100 percent, respectively, significantly reducing the number of ambiguous cases requiring expert review.

“miLab MAL, recognized as a digital microscopy product aligned with the WHO’s 2030 malaria goals, has proven its superior performance over traditional microscopy, the gold standard for malaria diagnosis,” Noul Chief Business Officer Kim Tae-hwan said. “These latest findings reaffirm its unique positioning as a global standard in malaria diagnostics.”