Conventional and Nanotechnology-Based Sensing Methods for SARS Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

Ongoing pandemic coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected over 218 countries and infected 88,512,243 and 1,906,853 deaths reported by Jan. 8, 2021. At present, vaccines are being developed in Europe, Russia, USA, and China, although some of these are in phase III of trials, which are waiting to be available for the general public. The only option available now is by vigorous testing, isolation of the infected cases, and maintaining physical and social distances. Numerous methods are now available or being developed for testing the suspected cases, which may act as carriers of the virus. In this review, efforts have been made to discuss the conventional as well as fast, rapid, and efficient testing methods developed for the diagnosis of 2019-nCoV.Testing methods can be based on the sensing of targets, which include RNA, spike proteins and antibodies such as IgG and IgM. Apart from the development of RNA targeted PCR, antibody and VSV pseudovirus neutralization assay along with several other diagnostic techniques have been developed. Additionally, nanotechnology-based sensors are being developed for the diagnosis of the virus, and these are also discussed.

Point of care detection of COVID-19: Advancement in biosensing and diagnostic methods.

The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has created much inconvenience and fear that the virus can seriously affect humans, causing health hazards and death. This pandemic has created much worry and as per the report by World Health Organization (WHO), more than 43 million individuals in 215 countries and territories were affected. People around the world are still struggling to overcome the problems associated with this pandemic. Of all the available methods, reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been widely practiced for the pandemic detection even though several diagnostic tools are available having varying accuracy and sensitivity. The method offers many advantages making it a life-saving tool, but the method has the limitation of transporting to the nearest pathology lab, thus limiting its application in resource limited settings. This has a risen a crucial need for point-of-care devices for on-site detection. In this venture, biosensors have been used, since they can be applied immediately at the point-of-care. This review will discuss about the available diagnostic methods and biosensors for COVID-19 detection.

Electrochemical investigations for COVID-19 detection-A comparison with other viral detection methods.

Virus-induced infection such as SARS-CoV-2 is a serious threat to human health and the economic setback of the world. Continued advances in the development of technologies are required before the viruses undergo mutation. The low concentration of viruses in environmental samples makes the detection extremely challenging; simple, accurate and rapid detection methods are in urgent need. Of all the analytical techniques, electrochemical methods have the established capabilities to address the issues. Particularly, the integration of nanotechnology would allow miniature devices to be made available at the point-of-care. This review outlines the capabilities of electrochemical methods in conjunction with nanotechnology for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. Future directions and challenges of the electrochemical biosensors for pathogen detection are covered including wearable and conformal biosensors, detection of plant pathogens, multiplexed detection, and reusable biosensors for on-site monitoring, thereby providing low-cost and disposable biosensors.

ZnO-based nanostructured electrodes for electrochemical sensors and biosensors in biomedical applications.

Fascinating properties of ZnO nanostructures have created much interest due to their importance in health care and environmental monitoring. Current worldwide production and their wide range of applications signify ZnO to be a representative of multi-functional oxide material. Recent nanotechnological developments have stimulated the production of various forms of ZnO nanostructures such as nano-layers, nanoparticles, nanowires, etc. Due to their enhanced sensing properties, improved binding ability with biomolecules as well as biological activities have enabled them as suitable candidates for the fabrication of biosensor devices in the biomedical arena. In this review, the synthesis of ZnO nanostructures, mechanism of their interaction with biomolecules and their applications as sensors in health care area are discussed considering the biosensors for molecules with small molecular weight, infectious diseases, and pharmaceutical compounds.

Nanostructured titanium oxide hybrids-based electrochemical biosensors for healthcare applications.

Biosensors are promising biotechnology products that can be widely used for environmental monitoring, food analysis, and healthcare diagnostics. To detect analytes of interest, the use of nanotechnology in bio-analytical devices is advantageous for increased sensitivity, device simplification, and rapid sensing with multiple capabilities. Depending on the application, biosensors can be fabricated from different materials. TiO2 is a semiconductor material and has received significant attention for various applications such as sensors, solar cells, water splitting, etc. The wide applicability of recently developed novel composition and structure of TiO2 materials has accelerated the development and miniaturization of biosensor devices. This study focuses on recent achievements in TiO2 nanostructured hybrids-based biosensors for detecting various biological markers important for healthcare.

Electrochemical behavior of an anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil at methylene blue modified carbon paste electrode.

A novel sensor for the determination of 5-fluorouracil was constructed by electrochemical deposition of methylene blue on surface of carbon paste electrode. The electrode surface morphology was studied using Atomic force microscopy and XRD. The electrochemical activity of modified electrode was characterized using cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse method. The developed sensor shows impressive enlargement in sensitivity of 5-fluorouracil determination. The peak currents obtained from differential pulse voltammetry was linear with concentration of 5-fluorouracil in the range 4×10(-5)-1×10(-7)M and detection limit and quantification limit were calculated to be 2.04nM and 6.18nM respectively. Further, the sensor was successfully applied in pharmaceutical and biological fluid sample analysis.