Predicting Acute and Post-Recovery Outcomes in Cerebral Malaria by Optical Coherence Tomography

Malaria kills 400,000 people every year, mostly children in Africa in coma. They have no access to MRI scanning, but if we could identify those with severe brain swelling we may be able to treat them. Simple eye scans (OCT) could identify children with cerebral malaria at risk of death and disability. We will look at whether scans of the optic nerve are as good as MRI in detecting brain swelling, and whether scans of the retina can predict long-lasting brain injury. To do this we will follow 120 patients in Malawi during their malaria illness, and for a year afterwards, assessing their brain function. We will use technological advances, including fibreoptics and micro-electromechanics, to develop a new low-cost, robust OCT device suitable for Africa. We will develop artificial intelligence techniques to analyse the OCT images, and integrate these into the device so that it is functional for non-experts.