Highlights Malaria diagnostics exist at a unique nexus where robustness and usability intersect with a significant need for increased sensitivity. Immobilized metal affinity-functionalized cellulose membranes are a promising tool for increasing the sensitivity of point-of-care malaria diagnostics. For the primary malaria biomarker, histidine-rich protein 2, IMAC membranes were found to increase sensitivity by 15.8-fold compared to traditional methods. IMAC membranes could also be used for capture and recovery of non-histidine rich biomarkers such as Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase.