Abstract
Lateral flow assays (LFAs) are the best-performing and best-known point-of-care tests worldwide. Over the last decade, they have experienced an increasing interest by researchers towards improving their analytical performance while maintaining their robust assay platform. Commercially, visual and optical detection strategies dominate, but it is especially the research on integrating electrochemical (EC) approaches that may have a chance to significantly improve an LFA’s performance that is needed in order to detect analytes reliably at lower concentrations than currently possible. In fact, EC-LFAs offer advantages in terms of quantitative determination, low-cost, high sensitivity, and even simple, label-free strategies. Here, the various configurations of EC-LFAs published are summarized and critically evaluated. In short, most of them rely on applying conventional transducers, e.g., screen-printed electrode, to ensure reliability of the assay, and additional advances are afforded by the beneficial features of nanomaterials. It is predicted that these will be further implemented in EC-LFAs as high-performance transducers. Considering the low cost of point-of-care devices, it becomes even more important to also identify strategies that efficiently integrate nanomaterials into EC-LFAs in a high-throughput manner while maintaining their favorable analytical performance.Graphical abstract
Highlights
Lateral flow assays (LFAs) are the most well-known point-ofcare (POC) devices that enable rapid detection of relevant bioor chemical markers in a simple and low-cost manner by nonspecialized users
LFA usage was primarily aimed towards medical diagnostics as home-based testing devices or used in clinical laboratories, but their applicability has later extended to agriculture, food safety, and environmental monitoring [1]
We describe recent developments of recognition strategies and signal tracers
Summary
Lateral flow assays (LFAs) are the most well-known point-ofcare (POC) devices that enable rapid detection of relevant bioor chemical markers in a simple and low-cost manner by nonspecialized users. An interesting review focusing on recent developments towards quantitative LFAs highlighted that the majority of devices reaching commercialization are based either on colorimetry or on fluorimetry. With ongoing progresses in material science with respect to facile fabrications strategies available, it could be seen in the future that LFAbased electrochemical detection is one of the most interesting areas to put research efforts on. In this trend article, we want to emphasize the benefits of integrating electrochemical transducers onto LFSs for achieving quantitative results, by merging the advantages of a POC device with those of electrochemical detection.
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