Biosensors at the frontline of precision diagnostics and personalized care

Biosensors are becoming valuable tools for diagnosing disease at an earlier time and for monitoring disease in real-time, improving clinical diagnosis of diseases in general and personalizing healthcare for the individual. Improvements in nanomaterials, such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, and quantum dots, have improved biosensing platforms' sensitivity, selectivity, and the ability to miniaturize them. The incorporation of microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip technologies allows for the rapid testing of patients and for point-of-care application of these technologies. The transition of biosensors into the clinical setting, especially for using biosensors in wearable and implantable devices, is limited by several major issues including toxicity of nanomaterials; the biofouling of devices; limited long-term stability of devices; and improvements to surface engineering, using biocompatible materials, and using antifouling strategies must be made to create the reliability needed for biosensors for in-vivo applications. There are several advances this year that will integrate artificial intelligence and other smart sensing systems and make future biosensor improvements possible and will ultimately expand biosensors' roles in precision diagnostics. Wearable implantable devices possibilities as biosensors. Currently, the clinical application of wearable/implantable devices is hampered by various factors including: toxicity associated with nanomaterials, bio-fouling, and long-term stability in vivo to sustain real-time tracking of disease biomarkers, leading to vital new insights into disease progression and medication success. Research endeavors aimed at addressing present problems and enhancing biosensor functionality will serve to further augment the use of biosensors in clinical contexts.