A critical review: Recent advances in digital biomolecule detection with single copy sensitivity

Detection of a single biomolecule, ranging from nucleic acids, proteins, viruses to bacteria, is of paramount importance in various fields including biology, environment, food and agriculture industry, public health, and medicine. With the understanding of the biological functions of these biomolecules (or bioparticles) and their impacts on public health, environmental pollution, and food safety, advanced detection techniques are unprecedentedly demanded for their early and/or sensitive detection. In this critical review, a series of elegant research about digital detection of biomolecules with potential single copy sensitivity is reviewed and summarized with the focus on the design principle and the innovation of how to accomplish the digital detection concept. Starting with a brief introduction on the importance of digital detection, recent advances in digital biomolecule detection with single copy sensitivity are grouped and discussed based on the difference of signal reporting systems, including surrogate signal development for digital detection, direct visualization for digital detection, and nucleic acid amplification enabled digital detection. Interdisciplinary combination and integration of different cutting-edge techniques are also discussed with details. The review is closed with the conclusion and future trends.

Automated summary

Detection of single biomolecules is crucial in various fields, and there is a growing demand for advanced detection techniques with single copy sensitivity. Recent research highlights the importance of design principles and innovations in achieving digital detection of biomolecules, focusing on signal reporting systems such as surrogate signal development, direct visualization, and nucleic acid amplification. Interdisciplinary integration of cutting-edge techniques is also discussed as a way to advance digital biomolecule detection.