Diagnostic and Surveillance Tools

Our team is dedicated to improving diagnostic and surveillance tools essential for providing accurate treatment and monitoring the effectiveness of disease control programs. This work is crucial for the management of infectious diseases.

Key Contributions:

• Molecular Diagnosis Improvement: Participated in research that enhanced the molecular diagnosis of several diseases, including malaria, schistosomiasis, SARS-CoV-2, and  sexually transmitted diseases in Kenya.

• Technical Capacity Building: Increased the technical capabilities of Kenyan investigators, enabling them to design high-performance molecular diagnostics.

Our efforts have led to significant advancements in the diagnostic and surveillance capabilities for various infectious diseases, contributing to better disease management and control strategies in Kenya.

Key publications

1. Kanoi BN*, Waweru H, Kobia FM, Mukala J, Kirira P, Mogere D, Gallini R, Aberg M, Vatish M, Gitaka J, Kamali-Moghaddam M. Differential expression of plasma proteins in pregnant women exposed to Plasmodium falciparum malaria. medRxiv. 2024:2024-05. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.01.24306614

2. Ally O, Kanoi BN, Kamath S, Shiluli C, Ndombi EM, Odiere M, Nyanjom SG, Misinzo G, Raju SL, Ochola L, Gitaka J. Development of a Rapid and Highly Sensitive Nucleic Acid-Based Diagnostic Test for Schistosomes, leveraging on Identical Multi-Repeat Sequences (IMRS). Frontiers in Parasitology. 2024 ;3:1361493. doi:10.3389/fpara.2024.1361493

3. Shiluli C, Kamath S, Kanoi BN, Kimani R, Maina M, Waweru H, Kamita M, Ndirangu I, Abkallo HM, Oduor B, Pamme N, Dupaty J, Klapperich CM, Lolabattu SR, Gitaka J. Improving gonorrhoea molecular diagnostics: Genome mining-based identification of identical multi-repeat sequences (IMRS) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Heliyon. 2024 Mar 5;10(6):e27344. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27344. PMID: 38533083; PMCID: PMC10963193.

4. Mgawe C, Likhovole C, Ger S, Odari E, Linnes JC, Kanoi BN, Gitaka J, Ochola L. Application of  multiple binding sites for LAMP primers across P. falciparum genome improves detection of the parasite from whole blood samples. Frontiers in Malaria. 2023;1:1303980.

Complete list of publications can be found  here