Development of rapid screening for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency prior to malaria treatment utilizing on-board pH-based electrochemical assay

•We proposed a proof-of-concept pH-based G6PD deficiency assay.•A sensor and a temperature control unit were integrated on a printed circuit board.•The assay was found to determine the G6PD level of a sample within 2 min.

We present a prototyped assay to detect glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency before administration of an anti-malaria drug, which may cause potentially lethal acute hemolytic anemia in patients with G6PD deficiency. The proton production from a chemical reaction catalyzed by G6PD was measured to reflect the G6PD activity in a blood sample. The device consists of a pH sensor, a temperature control unit, and a fluidic sample well, which were integrated on a print circuit board. The experimental results indicate that samples with G6PD deficiency can be diagnosed within 2 min rendering a point-of-care assay for rapid screening.