Jason Jones with Robert Deissler and Robert Brown
Studying the Magnetic and Optical Properties of Malaria for Use in Early Detection
When the Malaria parasite ingests the hemoglobin of the red blood cell, it sequesters the toxic iron inside of its abdominal vacuole for safety. The iron atoms reside in a carbon structure to make up the hemozoin crystals. The iron structure of the hemozoin form thin needle shapes, leading to a noticeable paramagnetism. This project will study the effect of magnetic fields on the alignment of the hemozoin. Hemozoin blood samples will be subjected to a polarized laser beam in combination with a time-varying external magnetic field produced by moving magnets. Using the optical dichroism of the aligned crystals, the relationship between the magnetic field strength, the polarization of the laser and the transmitted intensity will be investigated. A goal of the project is to develop a detection device sensitive to the concentration levels relevant to infected blood.