Research Advances and Future Perspectives of Point-of-Care Detection Technologies and Biosensors for Mosquito-Borne Viruses

Abstract

Mosquito-borne viruses, including dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses, place a substantial burden on diagnostic services, especially where molecular laboratories are inaccessible or slow to return results. Point-of-care biosensors could reduce turnaround times and bring testing closer to patients in primary care, outbreak response, and field settings. This review critically examines nucleic acid amplification, CRISPR-assisted assays, lateral-flow platforms, microfluidic systems, electrochemical and optical biosensors, paper-based devices, and smartphone-enabled readouts. These technologies are evaluated in terms of sample preparation, analytical sensitivity and specificity, matrix interference, multiplexing, workflow integration, cost, and clinical validation. Overall, nucleic-acid-amplification and CRISPR-assisted platforms often achieve low reported detection limits under controlled conditions; lateral-flow and paper-based devices offer relatively simple and minimally instrumented workflows; and microfluidic, electrochemical, and smartphone-enabled systems support increasing levels of workflow integration, quantitative readout, and connectivity. However, few platforms currently integrate these advantages into a fully integrated and clinically validated “sample-to-result” workflow. Due to sample heterogeneity, viral strains, reference methods, assay conditions, and disparities in reporting practices, conducting meaningful cross-study comparisons remains challenging. Limited comparisons and insufficient prospective clinical and field validation further restrict the assessment of practical diagnostic utility. Therefore, strong analytical performance alone should not be interpreted as evidence of clinical validity. Priority directions include unified definitions of performance and reporting units, standardized validation protocols and external quality assessment, prospective multi-site evaluation using representative populations and specimens, and earlier consideration of manufacturing scalability, reagent stability, quality systems, and applicable regulatory requirements. Future platforms should integrate simplified sample preparation, multiplex detection, objective digital or AI-assisted interpretation, and secure connectivity while demonstrating measurable benefits for patient management and outbreak surveillance.