Cutting-edge biorecognition strategies to boost the detection performance of COVID-19 electrochemical biosensors: A review.

ABSTRACT

Electrochemical biosensors are known for their high sensitivity, selectivity, and low cost. Recently, they have gained significant attention and became particularly important as promising tools for the detection of COVID-19 biomarkers, since they offer a rapid and accurate means of diagnosis. Biorecognition strategies are a crucial component of electrochemical biosensors and determine their specificity and sensitivity based on the interaction of biological molecules, such as antibodies, enzymes, and DNA, with target analytes (e.g., viral particles, proteins and genetic material) to create a measurable signal. Different biorecognition strategies have been developed to enhance the performance of electrochemical biosensors, including direct, competitive, and sandwich binding, alongside nucleic acid hybridization mechanisms and gene editing systems. In this review article, we present the different strategies used in electrochemical biosensors to target SARS-CoV-2 and other COVID-19 biomarkers, as well as explore the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy and highlight recent progress in this field. Additionally, we discuss the challenges associated with developing electrochemical biosensors for clinical COVID-19 diagnosis and their widespread commercialization.