CRISPR-based biosensors for pathogenic biosafety

Pathogenic biosafety is a worldwide concern. Tools for analyzing pathogenic biosafety, that are precise, rapid and field-deployable, are highly demanded. Recently developed biotechnological tools, especially those utilizing CRISPR/Cas systems which can couple with nanotechnologies, have enormous potential to achieve point-of-care (POC) testing for pathogen infection. In this review, we first introduce the working principle of class II CRISPR/ Cas system for detecting nucleic acid and non-nucleic acid biomarkers, and highlight the molecular assays that leverage CRISPR technologies for POC detection. We summarize the application of CRISPR tools in detecting pathogens, including pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites and their variants, and highlight the profiling of pathogens' genotypes or phenotypes, such as the viability, and drug-resistance. In addition, we discuss the challenges and opportunities of CRISPR-based biosensors in pathogenic biosafety analysis.

Automated summary

Pathogenic biosafety is a global concern, and there is a high demand for precise, rapid, and field-deployable tools for analyzing pathogenic biosafety. Recently developed biotechnological tools, especially those utilizing CRISPR/Cas systems coupled with nanotechnologies, have great potential for point-of-care testing of pathogen infection. This review introduces the working principle of class II CRISPR/Cas systems for detecting biomarkers, summarizes the applications of CRISPR tools in detecting pathogens and profiling their genotypes or phenotypes, and discusses the challenges and opportunities of CRISPR-based biosensors in pathogenic biosafety analysis.