New approach in SARS-CoV-2 surveillance using biosensor technology: a review

Abstract

Biosensors are analytical tools that transform the bio-signal into an observable response. Biosensors are effective for early detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection because they target viral antigens to assess clinical development and provide information on the severity and critical trends of infection. The biosensors are capable of being on-site, fast, and extremely sensitive to the target viral antigen, opening the door for early detection of SARS-CoV-2. They can screen individuals in hospitals, airports, and other crowded locations. Microfluidics and nanotechnology are promising cornerstones for the development of biosensor-based techniques. Recently, due to high selectivity, simplicity, low cost, and reliability, the production of biosensor instruments have attracted considerable interest. This review article precisely provides the extensive scientific advancement and intensive look of basic principles and implementation of biosensors in SARS-CoV-2 surveillance, especially for human health. In this review, the importance of biosensors including Optical, Electrochemical, Piezoelectric, Microfluidic, Paper-based biosensors, Immunosensors, and Nano-Biosensors in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 has been underscored. Smartphone biosensors and calorimetric strips that target antibodies or antigens should be developed immediately to combat the rapidly spreading SARS-CoV-2. Wearable biosensors can constantly monitor patients, which is a highly desired feature of biosensors. Finally, we summarized the literature, outlined new approaches and future directions in diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 by biosensor-based techniques.

Telehealth and Artificial Intelligence Insights into Healthcare during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Recent cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), influenza A virus subtype H1N1, and Ebola Virus Disease have taught us many lessons about the usefulness of digital health in public health crises. Those lessons can also be applied to improve our reaction to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) through innovative and productive techniques [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. In 1980, the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VisTA) was deployed for the first time; this is considered the beginning of what is now referred to as digital medicine, leading to the first generation of the Electronic Health Record (EHR).…”

Recent Advances in Metal-Organic Framework-Based Electrochemical Biosensing Applications

“…As of November 2021, the number of reported infections worldwide has exceeded 252 million ( World Health Organization, 2021 ), causing severe harm to human health and the global economy. MOF-based electrochemical sensors have been proposed for detecting viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ( El-Sherif et al, 2021 ), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) ( Lu et al, 2021 ), hepatitis-C virus (HCV) ( Sheta et al, 2020 ), which are essential for diagnostic treatment and delaying the spread of diseases.…”

Recent Developments in the Field of Optical Immunosensors Focusing on a Label-Free, White Light Reflectance Spectroscopy-Based Immunosensing Platform

“…Several recent review articles (2021–2022) refer to optical immunosensors, often among other topics of interest in the field of biosensing. Thus, some of these articles describe optical immunosensors that have been developed for various (groups of) biomolecules [ 1 , 41 , 42 ], such as COVID-19-related biomarkers [ 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ]. Immunosensing based on optical fiber technology [ 47 , 48 ] and application of spectroscopic ellipsometry to immunosensing [ 49 ] have been presented in recent reviews.…”

“…Thus, several of the relevant articles present new optical immunosensors for the detection/quantification of proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus or human antibodies developed against them [ 65 , 66 , 71 , 84 ]. Moreover, due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and the consequent high interest in new tools for COVID-19 diagnosis, several recent review articles have presented, among other analytical approaches, research efforts toward development of optical immunosensors associated with COVID-19 [ 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 83 ]. Several optical immunosensors have been developed for the detection of whole bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus [ 68 ], especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus [ 54 ], Salmonella typhi VI [ 59 ], Escherichia coli O157 [ 60 ], and Salmonella typhimurium [ 88 ].…”