Perspectives on electrochemical biosensing of COVID-19

Rapid detection of human coronavirus disease 2019, termed as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) or COVID-19 infection, is urgently needed for containment strategy owing to its unprecedented spreading. Novel biosensors can be deployed in remote clinical settings without central facilities for infection screening. Electrochemical biosensors serve as analytical tools for rapid detection of viral structure proteins, mainly spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins, human immune responses, reactive oxygen species, viral ribonucleic acid, polymerase chain reaction by-products, and other potential biomarkers. The development of point-ofcare testing devices is challenging due to the requirement of extensive validation, a time-consuming and expensive step. Together with specific biorecognition molecules, nanomaterialbased biosensors have emerged for the fast detection of early viral infections.

Automated summary

Rapid detection of COVID-19 is urgently needed, with novel electrochemical biosensors being able to detect viral structure proteins and human immune responses quickly. However, developing point-of-care testing devices requires extensive validation, while nanomaterial-based biosensors are also playing a role in fast detection of early viral infections.