Lanthanide-doped nanoprobes for microRNA detection

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a sub-class of non-coding RNAs approximately 20–24 nucleotides in length, have emerged as valuable biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis, and potential forensic evidence. Advances in lanthanide-doped nanoprobes offer great promise for sensitive miRNA detection due to their high photostability, long luminescence lifetimes, and large anti-Stokes shifts. This review provides a comprehensive overview of strategies for developing lanthanide-doped nanoparticle (LnNP)-based biosensors for miRNA detection. We begin by introducing miRNAs as biomarkers in disease diagnostics and discussing synthesis and surface modification approaches for upconversion nanoprobes. We then highlight various detection strategies using lanthanide-doped nanoprobes—including clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based, sandwich structure-based, energy transfer-based, and inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-based detection. Finally, we address current challenges, potential applications and future perspectives for LnNP-based biosensors and their potential for clinical translation. • MicroRNAs as biomarkers for disease diagnosis, prognosis, and forensic evidence. • Synthesis and surface modification of upconversion nanoparticles. • Advantages of lanthanide-doped nanomaterials for detection. • Strategies for detecting microRNAs using lanthanide-doped nanoprobes.