Advances in Biosensing Technologies for Diagnosis of COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted normal human life worldwide. Due to its rapid community spread and high mortality statistics, the development of prompt diagnostic tests for a massive number of samples is essential. Currently used traditional methods are often expensive, time-consuming, laboratory-based, and unable to handle a large number of specimens in resource-limited settings. Because of its high contagiousness, efficient identification of SARS-CoV-2 carriers is crucial. As the advantages of adopting biosensors for efficient diagnosis of COVID-19 increase, this narrative review summarizes the recent advances and the respective reasons to consider applying biosensors. Biosensors are the most sensitive, specific, rapid, user-friendly tools having the potential to deliver point-of-care diagnostics beyond traditional standards. This review provides a brief introduction to conventional methods used for COVID-19 diagnosis and summarizes their advantages and disadvantages. It also discusses the pathogenesis of COVID-19, potential diagnostic biomarkers, and rapid diagnosis using biosensor technology. The current advancements in biosensing technologies, from academic research to commercial achievements, have been emphasized in recent publications. We covered a wide range of topics, including biomarker detection, viral genomes, viral proteins, immune responses to infection, and other potential proinflammatory biomolecules. Major challenges and prospects for future application in point-of-care settings are also highlighted.

Duplex Electrochemical Microfluidic Sensor for COVID‐19 Antibody Detection: Natural versus Vaccine‐Induced Humoral Response

“…[26] Several alternative analytical approaches have recently emerged as valuable countermeasures to COVID-19 spreading. [27][28][29] For example, localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) was used for the detection of spike protein variants [30] and S-IgG antibody. [31] Fluorimetric assays have been developed for viral DNA/RNA [32][33][34] and neutralizing antibody detection.…”

Magnetite-Based Biosensors and Molecular Logic Gates: From Magnetite Synthesis to Application

“…MNPs with proper surface functionalization are especially suitable for the development of lab-in-chip biosensors for easy, reliable, and cost-effective POC diagnostic facilities. In addition, MNPs are widely used in the molecular diagnosis of human viruses [ 128 ] and other infectious pathogens [ 129 ]; MNP-based biosensors are also an extremely promising form in highly accurate POC SARS-CoV-2 detection [ 130 , 131 , 132 ]. In this review, we briefly highlight the following biological objects, which have been recently analyzed using MNP-based POC devices: SARS-CoV-2, Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the typical oral pathogen of Streptococcus, foodborne bacteria in food and environmental samples ( Listeria monocytogenes , Campylobacter jejuni , and Staphylococcus aureus ), pathogenic bacteria ( Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), and Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ), the food pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus ), the bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii , and influenza A H1N1 virus ( Table 1 ).…”

Simultaneous Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleoprotein and Receptor Binding Domain by a Multi-Area Reflectance Spectroscopy Sensor

“…On the other hand, biosensors could provide a reliable solution for point-of-care SARS-CoV-2 detection. They offer a combination of rapid, sensitive, and selective detection, along with quantitative results, low consumable costs, and instrument portability [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. The biosensing methods so far exploited for COVID-19 diagnosis rely on electrochemical [ 23 ] or optical transducers [ 24 , 25 ].…”

“…The biosensing methods so far exploited for COVID-19 diagnosis rely on electrochemical [ 23 ] or optical transducers [ 24 , 25 ]. The Receptor-Binding Domain (RBD) of the spike protein (S) and the nucleocapsid protein (NP) are considered the most appropriate antigens among the structural viral proteins for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples [ 21 , 22 ]. RBD is part of the S1 subunit of the spike protein, a glycoprotein present on the virus surface.…”