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Review
. 2022 Oct 12;12(10):862.
doi: 10.3390/bios12100862.

Recent Advances of Representative Optical Biosensors for Rapid and Sensitive Diagnostics of SARS-CoV-2

Meimei Xu  1   2   3 , Yanyan Li  1   2   3 , Chenglong Lin  1   2   3 , Yusi Peng  1   3 , Shuai Zhao  1   2   3 , Xiao Yang  1   3 , Yong Yang  1   3
Affiliations
Review

Recent Advances of Representative Optical Biosensors for Rapid and Sensitive Diagnostics of SARS-CoV-2

Meimei Xu et al. Biosensors (Basel). .

Abstract

The outbreak of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has again emphasized the significance of developing rapid and highly sensitive testing tools for quickly identifying infected patients. Although the current reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) diagnostic techniques can satisfy the required sensitivity and specificity, the inherent disadvantages with time-consuming, sophisticated equipment and professional operators limit its application scopes. Compared with traditional detection techniques, optical biosensors based on nanomaterials/nanostructures have received much interest in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 due to the high sensitivity, high accuracy, and fast response. In this review, the research progress on optical biosensors in SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis, including fluorescence biosensors, colorimetric biosensors, Surface Enhancement Raman Scattering (SERS) biosensors, and Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) biosensors, was comprehensively summarized. Further, promising strategies to improve optical biosensors are also explained. Optical biosensors can not only realize the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 but also be applied to judge the infectiousness of the virus and guide the choice of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, showing enormous potential to become point-of-care detection tools for the timely control of the pandemic.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2 detection; optical biosensors; point-of-care diagnostics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Scheme 1
Scheme 1
Schematic illustration of optical biosensors for SARS-CoV-2 detection.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram of optical sensors in biological detection: (a) colorimetric sensor for the detection of RNA from SARS-CoV-2. Reprinted with permission from ref. [26]. (b) Fluorescent sensor for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. Reprinted with permission from ref. [27]. Copyright 2022, American Chemical Society. (c) SERS sensor for the detection of tumor cell exosomes. Reprinted with permission from ref. [28]. Copyright 2022, Elsevier. (d) Plasma sensor for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. Reprinted with permission from ref. [29]. Copyright 2020, American Chemical Society.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The schematics of the DNA-conjugated CdTe/ZnS QDs nanoprobe for the detection of the target DNA derived from the COVID-19 virus genome(a). Reprinted with permission from ref. [38]. Copyright 2022, Elsevier. The energy transfer process from QD-RBD to AuNP-ACE2 and the corresponding cellular assay (b). Reprinted with permission from ref. [39].
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) The working principle of the detection of S and N proteins from SARS-CoV-2 based on NaYF4: Yb, Er@SiO2 nanoparticles; (b) 5G-enabled NIR-fluorescence sensor used for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis. Reprinted with permission from ref. [47]. Copyright 2021, Elsevier.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Construction of the ACE2-SWCNT nanosensor formation to sense protein ACE2. Reprinted with permission from ref. [52]. Copyright 2021, American Chemical Society. (b) Detection of the RdRp/Hel gene of SARS-CoV-2 via an upconversion nanoparticles/graphene-based biosensor. Reprinted with permission from ref. [53].
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) The schematic diagram of the colorimetric and SERS dual-mode detection of SARS-CoV-2 based on LFIA. Reprinted with permission from ref. [57]. Copyright 2022, American Chemical Society. (b) the preparation process of AuNPs and the tri-mode detection of target RNA. Reprinted with permission from ref. [58]. Copyright 2021, Elsevier. (c) Dual-mode LFIA for the simultaneous detection of the S and NP of SARS-CoV-2 by Fe3O4 nanocomposites with a multilayer QD-Shell. Reprinted with permission from ref. [60]. Copyright 2021, American Chemical Society.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) Flow chart of the direct colorimetric detection of SARS-CoV-2 in serum or sputum using printed nanochains. (b) Quantitative monitoring of virus particles: the color change of nanochains can be observed using a smart phone. (c) Scattering spectra and magnetic field distribution before and after viral particle binding. Reprinted with permission from ref. [68]. Copyright 2021, Wiley.
Figure 7
Figure 7
(a) Schematic illustration of the quantitative evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 using the SERS-based biosensor. Reprinted with permission from ref. [80]. Copyright 2021, American Chemical Society. (b) Overview of the SERS-based biosensor to identify COVID-19 patients using their breath volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). Reprinted with permission from ref. [81]. Copyright 2022, American Chemical Society. (c) Schematic illustration of the SERS-based immunoassay. Reprinted with permission from ref. [85]. Copyright 2021, Elsevier.
Figure 8
Figure 8
(a) State-of-the-art diagram of SERS sensing for interrogating SARS-CoV-2. Reprinted with permission from ref. [88]. Copyright 2021, Elsevier. (b) Schematic diagram of the operation procedure of COVID-19 SERS sensors. Reprinted with permission from ref. [89]. (c) The schematic of the two-step SERS detection based on SnS2 microspheres for diagnosing the infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2. Reprinted with permission from ref. [90]. Copyright 2022, Elsevier.
Figure 9
Figure 9
(a) A series of SPR sensors modified with different SARS-CoV-2 antigens (nucleocapsid, RBD, or spike) is applied to detect human antibodies from different blood products (serum, plasma, or dried blood spots) collected from COVID-positive or -negative individuals. Reprinted with permission from ref. [108]. (b) Label-free FO-SPR serological bioassays with sandwich formats for the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 RBD antibodies. Reprinted with permission from ref. [110]. Copyright 2022, American Chemical Society. (c) Schematic diagram of the fast wavelength interrogation SPR imaging biosensors. Reprinted with permission from ref. [111]. Copyright 2021, American Chemical Society. (d) Schematic of the five-channel SPR system with an autosampler for detecting the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody in serum samples (left). Captures of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody by the His-tagged S1 protein pre-immobilized onto the CM-dextran-based tris-NTA sensor (right). Reprinted with permission from ref. [112]. Copyright 2022, Elsevier.
Figure 10
Figure 10
(a) Principle of the LSPR biosensor for detecting SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein using gold nanoparticles. Reprinted with permission from ref. [121]. (b) Schematic diagram strategy for spike RBD protein or virus detection. Reprinted with permission from ref. [122]. Copyright 2022, Elsevier. (c) The diagram of the opto-microfluidic SPR system. Reprinted with permission from ref. [123]. Copyright 2020, Elsevier.
Figure 11
Figure 11
(a) Schematic of the synthesis of Nb2C-SH QDs (top) and the construction of the Nb2C-SH QD-based SPR aptasensor for detecting the SARS-CoV-2 N gene (bottom). Reprinted with permission from ref. [125]. Copyright 2021, Springer. (b) The configuration of an SPR sensor based on prism-Ag-Si3N4-BP-ssDNA. Reprinted with permission from ref. [126]. Copyright 2022, Springer.
Figure 12
Figure 12
(a) Schematic diagram of the multi-channel SPR sensor. Reprinted with permission from ref. [129]. Copyright 2022, Wiley. (b) Diagram of the SPR imaging system for the detection of blood typing. Reprinted with permission from ref. [130]. Copyright 2020, Elsevier.
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