Advanced nanobiosensors for the detection of neurovascular damage in cerebral infarction: prospects and challenges

Cerebral infarction is the leading cause of neurological disability and mortality globally and is mainly caused by neurovascular damage and impaired cerebral blood flow. Conventional diagnostic methods for neurovascular injury often lack sensitivity, specificity, or are not able to monitor in real time, therefore, there is a need for accurate early detection to ensure optimal clinical results. The emergence of advanced nanobiosensors can serve as a tool to detect neurovascular damage associated with cerebral infarction. The nanosensors are nanoscale sensing platforms that are highly sensitive, fast and can detect stroke-related biomarkers at very low concentrations. Nanobiosensors combine nanomaterials like nanoparticles, nanowires, quantum dots, and biomimetic nanostructures to facilitate higher signal amplification and target-specific recognition of neurovascular biomarkers. This review aims to provide an overview of the recent developments in the detection of cerebral infarction using nanobiosensor-based technologies, especially their contribution to the identification of neurovascular injury. Although these developments have been made, some challenges are yet to be overcome, such as the issues of biocompatibility, large-scale reproducibility, and limited clinical validation of nanobiosensor platforms. Furthermore, they are not easily applicable in the clinic, lacking a protocol to follow and regulatory issues. The future perspectives of nanobiosensors in point-of-care diagnostics and personalized stroke management are discussed, highlighting the potential of nanobiosensors to revolutionize the diagnosis and monitoring of cerebral infarction in early stages.