Nanoengineered microneedle biosensors for minimally invasive disease diagnostics: Development and future prospects

Abstract

Despite significant advances in clinical diagnostics, conventional biomarker detection remains hampered by invasiveness, delayed feedback, and limited suitability for continuous monitoring, especially in resource-limited and decentralized healthcare settings. The growing burden of chronic, infectious, and metabolic diseases underscores an urgent demand for real-time, minimally invasive, and patient-friendly diagnostic platforms. Nanoengineered microneedle (MN) biosensors have emerged as a transformative solution, offering painless access to interstitial fluid (ISF), a rich, stable reservoir of biomarkers, while integrating advanced nanomaterials to achieve ultrahigh sensitivity, specificity, and multi-analyte detection. Integration with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, Internet of Things (IoT) platforms, and cloud-based analytics, these devices can provide personalized diagnostics, predictive health insights, and continuous disease management. This review critically evaluates recent progress in MN biosensor technology, covering design evolution, nanomaterial enhancements, clinical targets, and translational challenges. The fabrication of microneedle architecture with electrochemical, optical, and enzymatic sensing modalities is shown to enable high-fidelity, real-time health monitoring across diverse physiological domains, from glucose and lactate to cytokines and cancer biomarkers. Overall, these platforms promise a paradigm shift toward wearable, autonomous diagnostics integrated with digital health ecosystems and AI-driven analytics.