Recent Research Progress on Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification for Point-of-care Testing

Isothermal nucleic acid amplification techniques have emerged as transformative tools in molecular diagnostics, particularly for point-of-care testing (POCT), by eliminating the need for complex thermal cycling.This review comprehensively examines the evolving landscape of isothermal amplification technologies-from well-established methods such as NASBA, SDA, RCA, LAMP, HDA, and RPA to recent innovations including CRISPR-based platforms, NESBA, SHARP, and STAR.We detail their underlying amplification mechanisms, kinetics, operating temperatures, and diagnostic performance.Particular emphasis is placed on their signal transduction strategies, encompassing optical (colorimetric, fluorescent, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy) and electrochemical detection modalities.Furthermore, we explore the integration of these technologies with lab-on-a-chip (LOC) platforms and microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (PADs), which collectively enable lowresource, portable, and user-friendly diagnostic solutions.By synthesizing current advances, this review highlights the potential of isothermal amplification-based systems to reshape disease diagnosis and real-time monitoring across diverse healthcare settings.