Tag: University of Pretoria

Categories : Lab Tests and ImagingTags :

World Voice Day: UP Researchers Develop Low-cost Voice Screening Device for SA

On By ModernMedia
Dr Maria du Toit takes a close-up look at vocal cords, capturing high-resolution images and video using widely available mobile technology. Traditionally, this type of examination requires expensive equipment and specialist doctors, making it difficult to access in many parts of South Africa

Ahead of World Voice Day on 16 April, researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP) are inviting the public to take part in free voice checks using a new, locally developed device that could significantly expand access to vocal health services across South Africa.

The groundbreaking, low-cost, smartphone-compatible device, which is currently being tested as part of ongoing research, enables clinicians and trained users to take a close-up look at the voice user’s vocal cords by capturing high-resolution images and video using widely available mobile technology. Traditionally, this type of examination – known as laryngoscopy – requires expensive equipment and specialist doctors, making it difficult to access in many parts of South Africa.

“Your voice is something you use every day – whether for work, social interactions, or simply being heard. Yet many people ignore early warning signs of vocal problems,” says Professor Jeannie van der Linde, who is leading the research team and is Head of UP’s Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology in the Faculty of Humanities.

Voice disorders are more common than many people realise. Prof Van der Linde adds: “International estimates suggest that up to one in five people will experience a voice problem at some point in their lives, with higher risk for those who rely heavily on their voices for work, such as teachers, healthcare workers and call centre agents. Despite this, access to specialised diagnostic services remains limited, particularly outside major urban centres.”

The research and device are part of a broader effort to rethink how vocal health services are delivered in South Africa. “Our aim was to develop a solution that is more portable, more affordable and easier to integrate into different healthcare contexts,” says Dr Maria du Toit, a Lecturer in Speech-Language Pathology and member of the research team.

“Many people ignore early signs like hoarseness or vocal fatigue, often because they don’t have easy access to assessment services,” Dr Du Toit says. “If we can identify these issues earlier, we can intervene sooner and potentially prevent more significant problems from developing.

The development of the device forms part of ongoing efforts within the department to explore how mobile anddigital technologies can be used to increase the availability of vocal health assessment and care.

Dr Roxanne Malan, a postdoctoral fellow, speech therapist and research team member, highlights the importance of designing technology that balances functionality with affordability and ease of use. “We wanted to ensure that the device is not only clinically useful but also practical in a range of settings, including those withlimited resources,” she says. “The goal is to make vocal health screening more widely available without compromising on quality.”

The technology, which has not been named yet, is being developed at UP and is currently undergoing testing to compare its performance with gold-standard laryngoscopy. “We started feasibility testing in June 2025 and preliminary tests have been very positive, demonstrating that the device is usable and produces high-quality images of the relevant structures,” Dr Malan says. “It consists of a low-cost, off-the-shelf borescope – typically used industrially – adapted with a 3D-printed handle to ensure optimal placement of the scope in the patient’s mouth, as well as the correct angle for visualisation. We have also assessed its safety for human use and its ability to be properly disinfected.”

In addition to testing the device, the World Voice Day initiative seeks to increase general awareness about theimportance of vocal health. “Your voice is central to how you communicate, work and engage with others,” Dr DuToit says. “Taking care of it should be seen as an essential part of overall health, not something to think aboutonly when there is a problem.”

Dr Malan says the team’s vision is for the scope to be readily available as a screening device in public hospitalsand clinics all over South Africa and other low- and middle-income countries. “But we still foresee numerousphases of testing to ensure that it can be used by a range of healthcare professionals, and that it makes asignificant difference in the target healthcare sectors. We will name and launch it at a stage when this has beendone.”

Dr Du Toit says members of the public can support the research by booking their free voice health check. “Byattending, you’re not only taking care of your own vocal health – you’re helping researchers develop solutionsthat could make voice care more easily available to thousands of people who currently don’t have access tothese services.”

Event details: Members of the public are invited to take part in free voice checks on World Voice Day, 16 April 2026, at the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at the University of Pretoria’s Hatfield Campus.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about their vocal health and contribute to research that aims to make voice care more accessible across South Africa.

Who should consider a voice check?

This free check is especially recommended for:

● Teachers and lecturers

● Singers and performers

● Healthcare workers

● Clergy and public speakers

● Call centre workers

● Anyone who uses their voice extensively

You should also consider attending if you:

● frequently experience hoarseness or voice changes;

● feel your voice tires easily;

● have ongoing throat discomfort when speaking; and/or

● simply want reassurance that your voice is healthy.

To register, visit: https://forms.gle/imqeHnpGveQaEuDD6


Categories : Lab Tests and Imaging Respiratory DiseasesTags :

UP Researchers Innovate Handheld Detection Device that Could Transform TB Screening

On By ModernMedia
The new MARTI TB screening device

With their innovation of a small but powerful handheld device, researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP) are on course to redefine the tuberculosis (TB) screening process, which could ultimately help to combat the TB pandemic more effectively. TB is one of the deadliest infectious diseases worldwide, claiming more than 1.25 million lives each year, of which about 50 000 deaths occur in South Africa. It is the leading cause of death among people with HIV.

MARTI (mycolate antibody real-time immunoassay) is the name of the handheld device that can provide very high certainty that a person at risk does not have TB. Using just one drop of blood – and no laboratory – it is set to change the way TB is detected. It may even be adapted for use in both human and veterinary healthcare. The diagnostic is fast, accurate, affordable and – the intellectual part of it – proudly South African.

An internal validation trial was recently completed to confirm the accuracy of the test. These trial results show remarkable promise in terms of the specificity, sensitivity and accuracy of the diagnostic test, coming close to the range of targets set by the World Health Organization for the “perfect” test, making MARTI an ideal screening and diagnostic tool. An earlier trial demonstrated great potential in using this test to monitor TB treatment; these results were published in the journal Biomarkers in Medicine.

“Many people aren’t aware that TB doesn’t always sit in the lungs – it can be present in bones, joints and the brain,” says Professor Jan Verschoor, former research leader of UP’s Tuberculosis Research Group in the Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology and now an emeritus professor of biochemistry who has been leading this discovery. “The ‘gold standard’ TB test that involves growing cultures from lung sputum can take about six weeks, by which time, many more people could have been infected by the patient or the patient’s health could have deteriorated beyond the prospect of cure. From a simple finger-prick blood sample, the MARTI test gives us a result in 30 minutes. This has profound cost and public health implications in a country like South Africa, where we conduct three to five million TB tests a year.

Tuberculosis bacteria. Credit: CDC

Caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, this resilient bacterium has long evaded simple detection methods, particularly in regions where healthcare infrastructure is limited. But now, an unexpected hero has emerged in the war on TB: a molecule in the bacterium’s waxy coat – specifically its mycolic acid (MA) – holds the key. These wax-like substances form a nearly impenetrable barrier, making the bacterium both drug-resistant and difficult to detect.

But while other scientists focused on breaking through this barrier, Prof Verschoor took a different approach: what if the wax itself could be used to detect the disease? He was the first to demonstrate that antibodies to the waxes are reliable indicators of active TB, irrespective of whether someone had been vaccinated or was coinfected with HIV.

A key aspect of the innovation came from Carl Baumeister, a PhD candidate under Prof Verschoor. He made the leap from slow laboratory-based biosensing to a handheld device that detects anti-MA antibodies accurately and affordably in less than 30 minutes. The result is a test that’s as clever as it is simple and cost-effective.

Detecting these anti-MA antibodies requires sophisticated sensing technology: the surface of a screen-printed carbon electrode is pre-coated with a thin layer of MA. MARTI works by flowing a drop of blood over this electrode. If a patient has TB, the sensor detects these antibodies in the blood sample; if a patient does not have TB, no signal would be generated since there are no anti-MA antibodies in the blood sample.

“The device fits in the palm of your hand and requires only a single drop of blood – no sputum, no needles, no laboratory,” says Carl Baumeister, Head of Operations of the UP spin-off company MARTI TB Diagnostics. “This may become a game-changer to diagnose TB in paediatric and HIV-positive patients, where obtaining sputum samples is often neither feasible nor safe. The same could apply to the 20% of all extra-pulmonary cases.”

“If MARTI says you don’t have TB, you can trust it,” Baumeister says. “That’s a critical trait when trying to rule out cases during an outbreak or in mass screening campaigns, much like what was needed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unlike other TB diagnostics, MARTI offers something rare and powerful: near-perfect negative predictive value in typical screening applications.

The internal validation trial across six healthcare facilities in Tshwane was led by Prof Veronica Ueckermann, Head of Infectious Diseases at Steve Biko Academic Hospital and UP’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

“Collecting, transporting, processing and analysing the samples from the various sites within the temperature and time constraints of the validation trial protocol posed a significant logistical challenge – but we succeeded,” says Mosa Molatseli, a senior research scientist who heads up the MARTI laboratory.

Recognising its potential, UP established the start-up company MARTI TB Diagnostics (Pty) Ltd to develop and eventually commercialise MARTI.

“This is designed to ensure that the technology remains in South African hands while attracting investment and serving global needs,” says Gerrie Mostert, interim CEO of the company. “The next steps are to get investors, funding and partner organisations on board, obtain regulatory approval and start manufacturing the kit. Ultimately, MARTI should be rolled out to clinics worldwide.”