Emerging biosensing technologies for improved diagnostics of COVID-19 and future pandemics

Diagnostic tools play significant roles in the fight against COVID-19 and other pandemics. Existing tests, such as RT-qPCR, have limitations including long assay time, low throughput, inadequate sensitivity, and suboptimal portability. Emerging biosensing technologies hold the promise to develop tests that are rapid, highly sensitive, and suitable for point-of-care testing, which could significantly facilitate the testing of COVID-19. Despite that, practical applications of such biosensors in pandemics have yet to be achieved. In this review, we consolidate the newly developed diagnostic tools for COVID-19 using emerging biosensing technologies and discuss their application promise. In particular, we present nucleic acid tests and antibody tests of COVID-19 based on both conventional and emerging biosensing methods. We then provide perspectives on the existing challenges and potential solutions.