The field of diagnostics is experiencing an important and necessary shift from laboratory-based testing to point-of care (POC)-based testing in order to adapt with the new conditions that are driven mainly by ever-changing health care scenarios, technology, regulations, and the market. Biosensors and especially portable biosensors have become widely acknowledged tools for many clinical applications including diagnostics, personalized medicine, global health, drug discovery, food safety, and forensics. Additionally, the increasing costs of health care can be greatly subsided through remote monitoring and POC testing. This is of major importance during the recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic where the demand for biosensors became critical to mitigate the widespread of the virus. Research has seen a spike in the development and production of portable devices with fast, accurate, and on-site detection capabilities. Here, we discuss our recent experiences in the development of COVID-19 biosensors including dot-blot assays, lateral flow assays (LFA) and electrochemical biosensors. Our approach considered the exploration of nanotechnological materials such as noble metal nanoparticles as well as the use of polymeric structures encapsulating colorful and shiny dyes that cab used for the visual and optical detection. All of these have been considered with the cost-reduction of the tools needed and making use of existing technologies to complement the biosensors such as the use of smartphone-assisted imaging for the dot blot and LFA assays for example. Our group also explored the difficulties faced during the pandemic in acquiring materials such as antibodies where we have demonstrated plausible approaches to repurpose human samples to produce the antigens and antibodies necessary for any immune-based sensor. Indeed, this approach allowed the development of an “all-in-one” sensor that can theoretically detect several variants of the virus. The platforms described in here are mostly adaptable and shows great promise for the prevention of any eventual situation where urgent measures will be needed.
