Themed collection Celebrating International Women’s Day 2026: Women in Sensing and Diagnostics

While point-of-care (POC) biosensors have enormous potential to help guide and inform clinical decisions at a patient's location, the translation of fundamental, applied, and proof-of-concept biosensors into commercial products is complex.

This review summarizes recent advances in 1,8-naphthalimide-based reactivity probes for H₂S detection and imaging.

This review provides an in-depth analysis of the fundamentals, technological integration, and expanding applications of lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices within the realm of clinical and biomedical sciences.

In this review article, we provide an overview of the recent advancements made in fluorescence-based sensing of various classes of pesticides.

Highly durable, stretchable, sensitive and biocompatible wearable strain sensors are crucial for healthcare, sports, and robotics applications.

Fluorescent molecular rotors incorporating julolidine have found diverse applications in various research fields.

In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in diagnostic sensor design using nIR fluorescent SWCNTs and suggest potential directions for technological developments for real-world applications.

Objectifying and standardizing diagnostic methods are essential steps toward the modernization and global recognition of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

CRISPR-Cas technology is being integrated into advanced biosensing platforms, creating powerful tools for the rapid, precise, and sensitive cfDNA-based cancer detection.

Fig. schematic of various advanced techniques for BrC detection.

This manuscript emphasizes advancements in electrochemical sensors for real-time glucose monitoring, showcasing their pivotal role in enhancing personalized healthcare through continuous, reliable measurement of biochemical markers.

This comprehensive review encapsulates the current literature on chemosensing applications of aggregation-induced-emission (AIE)-active azines including various metal ions, anions, small molecules, bio-analytes.

Accessible microfluidic configurations support CTC isolation (by size, rigidity, antigen expression) and detection in a single platform. Integrated detection can be achieved through optical, electrochemical, and physical means.

Electrochemiluminescence enables precise interrogation of hybrid theranostic nanoparticles, advancing their potential for clinical translation.

This work presents polydopamine-based pH sensors with enhanced stability and minimal signal drift after consecutive and continuous measurements.

A microfluidic system using DMA-based DNA purification for toxin-producing algae, combined with air-dried LAMP reagents stable at room temperature for up to five months, enables rapid and low-cost detection without the need for cold storage.

In this study, we developed an ultra-sensitive lateral flow test utilizing the luminescence of lanthanide nanoparticles for the quantification of PSA.

Lanthanide-based time-resolved fluorescence energy transfer immunoassays are a sensitive and homogenous method to detect infectious disease antibodies in serum.

A nonenzymatic electrochemical sensor is designed through the covalent immobilization of toluidine blue on functionalized MXenes for the detection of H₂O₂. The sensor shows great response for H₂O₂ detection at an applied potential of −0.25 V.

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) have emerged as a promising platform for gas sensing applications due to their low-power operation, room-temperature sensitivity, and structural tunability.

Multiplexed colorimetric detection of milk.

Nanostructure-based sensors study extracellular vesicles; optimization of a single-vesicle resolution spectral library to enhance classification for future AI-driven diagnostics.

Pathogenic bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), pose significant challenges to public health due to their resistance to conventional antibiotics.

A nanomaterial modified sensing platform is exposed to bubbler generated VOC for detection via electrochemical techniques.

Fast and easy detection of creatinine in real saliva by an optical array sensor is reported here. The supramolecular approach used in this device leads to high selectivity and sensitivity.

JUNO-Checked – a live cell electrochemical biosensor for human sperm function diagnostics.

Redox indicator displacement assay (RIDA).

A lateral flow assay integrated with leukocyte isolation and on-filter cell lysis for the detection of PML–RARα nuclear fusion oncoprotein at point-of-care.

The reusability of biosensors is a crucial advancement in environmental monitoring and laboratory efficiency.

We developed a method to detect C-reactive protein (CRP) using single cluster analysis of gold nanoparticle aggregates using a dark-field microscope equipped with a smartphone. The sensitivity was sufficiently high as a diagnostic indicator.

NIAD-4 derivatives with modular groups are reported, enabling spectral tuning while retaining binding to fibrillar protein structures. Using NIAD-CNOET, cells treated with preformed α-synuclein fibrils could be distinguished via flow cytometry.

An illustration of non-invasive alcohol skin gas monitoring using a CNF film sensor (PQQ-ADH/MWCNTs/CNF) that exhibits great selectivity and ultra-sensitivity with detection range at ppb levels.

Using capture-SELEX, DNA aptamers for two important ocular drugs were obtained, allowing highly sensitive detection of low volume samples.

A new ECL sensor to monitor creatinine as a biomarker for diagnosis of chronic kidney diseases.

Bionanocomposites based on chitosan have been explored as magneto-plasmonic nanosorbents for the SERS detection of organic molecules in spiked water.

With a case-control cohort of COVID samples, this study proposes a methodology to use a hypothesis-free sensor array strategy for classifying clinical samples. The protocol includes the design of experiments, data extraction, treatment and analysis.

Optimizing paper immunoassay conditions for diagnostic accuracy is often achieved by tuning running conditions in a trial and error manner. We report the use of machine learning to optimize an assay for SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM antibodies.

A fluorescent naphthalimide-based self-assembled sensor (PAD) efficiently detects Fe(III) ions in the HEPES buffer, natural water samples, and food samples. The PAD⊂Fe complex can detect cysteine (Cys) exclusively from a wide range of amino acids.

A new highly selective and sensitive fluorescent probe, 5 (2-(4-(1,3-dithian-2-yl)phenyl)-4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazole), was developed for Hg²⁺ ion with colorimetric and fluorimetric behavior in organic semi-aqueous solutions.