Portable Multiplex Optical Assays

Global health issues are increasingly becoming critical with high fatality rate due to chronic and infectious diseases. Emerging technologies aim to address these problems by understanding the causes of lethal conditions and diagnosing symptoms at early stage. Existing commercial diagnostics primarily focus on single-plex assays due to ease-of-use, simplicity in analysis, and amenability to mass manufacturing. Many research grade devices have utilized only a few molecular and morphological signatures in bodily fluids. However, multiplex devices can improve accuracy, sensitivity, and scalability of research and diagnostic devices. This review presents multiplex assays that utilize optical, electrical, and chemical methods and materials that have the potential to improve portable point-of-care diagnostics. The critical role of emerging optical and complementary assays with multiple contrast mechanisms is investigated to enable highly multiplex analysis in field settings. Multiparameter portable devices for field applications toward health monitoring, food testing, air quality monitoring, and microanalysis in other extreme conditions are examined. Current trends indicate the need for validation of health diagnosis based on a large number of biomarkers in randomized clinical trials. Advanced digital analysis, crowd-sourced solutions, and robust user interfaces will become an integral part of the connected global health systems and personalized monitoring platforms.