Development and Implementation of Portable Biosensors in Microfluidic Point-of-Care Devices for Pathogen Detection

Abstract

Massive pathological outbreaks have frequently impacted global risk, emphasizing the necessity for on-site sample analysis techniques that are rapid, reliable, and responsive to accelerate diagnoses and enable early action. The point-of-care examination makes it easier to quickly identify analytes close to patients, enabling improved identification, control, and treatment of the pathologic infection. It also provides fast medical decisions as the diseases can be diagnosed early, leading to better clinical outcomes for patients. The material used to manufacture the device is essential in microfluidic technology. Inorganic, polymeric, hydrogels, and paper are the four broad categories of materials utilized in microfluidic chips. Soft lithography, photolithography, conventional machining, and laser ablation are some of the technologies used to fabricate microfluidic devices. Electrochemical, electro-chemiluminescent, colorimetric, and enzymelinked immunosorbent assay is the most common sensing technology integrated with microfluidics to detect microbes and biological analytes. This chapter will investigate how microfluidic technology has been utilized to develop portable biosensors and the current trends of these nanosensors for point-of-care diagnosis of various pathogenic diseases. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.