Tech watch: AI-powered tech targets malaria and TB

There are two additional tools in this month’s technology tracker. MiniDock MTB is a portable TB diagnostic kit that can detect the disease in under 30 minutes without requiring sputum while Smart Drone Technology identifies and eliminates mosquito breeding sites. 

The technology tracker highlights technologies in infectious disease control, climate-health, vaccination, nutrition and last-mile delivery. All the three featured tech this month are AI-powered.

Drug Design for Global Health (dd4gh) is an open-access AI drug discovery platform launched on 31st March by Medicines for Malaria Venture and Deepmirror. Funded partly by the Gates Foundation, the platform supports malaria and tuberculosis drugs research. It was co-designed through workshops in Ghana and Switzerland by researchers from the University of Ghana and University of Cape Town.

The platform combines predictive and generative AI with active learning to analyse large research datasets and predict promising drug compounds. Researchers use it to test drug likeness, absorption, metabolism and toxicity before laboratory synthesis, reducing costs and shortening development timelines. Early users in Ghana and South Africa said it improved compound design and decision-making. 

A new portable tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic, MiniDock MTB, developed by Pluslife Biotech, can detect the disease in under 30 minutes without requiring sputum, according to a multi-country study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Evaluated across seven high-burden countries, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia, the battery-powered test met World Health Organization performance targets for near point-of-care diagnostics.

It showed 85.7% sensitivity and 97.6% specificity using sputum samples, and maintained strong accuracy with simpler tongue swabs. Unlike conventional diagnostics such as smear microscopy or Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra, the device is low-cost, portable and easy to use in low-resource settings. The findings suggest MiniDock MTB could significantly expand access to molecular TB testing, particularly for children, older adults and people living with HIV who are often unable to produce sputum. 

Zanzibar has deployed drone-based mosquito surveillance technology under the Smart Drone Technology for a Malaria-Free Zanzibar project launched in May 2026. Led by the Zanzibar Malaria Elimination Programme with support from Sora Technology, the drones map and identify mosquito breeding sites, including inaccessible areas, to support targeted malaria control. Funded by Japan, the system improves surveillance efficiency but depends on skilled operators and continuous maintenance. 

AI-powered technologies are automating response systems for infectious diseases across the continent. 

The new tools show how global health innovation is increasingly focused on speed and expanding access in low-resource settings.