Advances in Electrochemical Biosensors Based on Nanomaterials for Protein Biomarker Detection in Saliva

The focus on precise medicine enhances the need for timely diagnosis and frequent monitoring of chronic diseases. Moreover, the recent pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 poses a great demand for rapid detection and surveillance of viral infections. The detection of protein biomarkers and antigens in the saliva allows rapid identification of diseases or disease changes in scenarios where and when the test response at the point of care is mandated. While traditional methods of protein testing fail to provide the desired fast results, electrochemical biosensors based on nanomaterials hold perfect characteristics for the detection of biomarkers in point-of-care settings. The recent advances in electrochemical sensors for salivary protein detection are critically reviewed in this work, with emphasis on the role of nanomaterials to boost the biosensor analytical performance and increase the reliability of the test in human saliva samples. Furthermore, this work identifies the critical factors for further modernization of the nanomaterial-based electrochemical sensors, envisaging the development and implementation of next-generation sample-in-answer-out systems.

Automated summary

The focus on precise medicine has increased the demand for timely diagnosis and frequent monitoring of chronic diseases. The recent pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has also created a need for rapid detection and surveillance of viral infections. Electrochemical biosensors based on nanomaterials have shown great potential in detecting biomarkers in point-of-care settings. This study critically reviews the recent advances in electrochemical sensors for salivary protein detection, emphasizing the role of nanomaterials in enhancing analytical performance and reliability of the test. It also identifies the critical factors for further modernization of nanomaterial-based electrochemical sensors.