Review of the Recent Advances in Nano-Biosensors and Technologies for Healthcare Applications

Abstract

The growing human population and the discovery of new diseases and emerging pandemics have increased the need for healthcare treatments and medications with innovative designs. The emergence of nanotechnology provides a platform for novel diagnostic and therapeutic in vivo non-invasive detection and treatment of ailments. It is now the era of the Internet of things (IoT), and data acquisition and interpretation from various parts of the human body in real time is possible with interconnected sensors and information transfer devices. Miniaturization, low power consumption and price with compatibility to existing network circuits are essential requirements in the IoT. Biosensors made of nanostructured materials are the ideal choice due to the unique structural, chemical and electronic properties of these materials with the advantage of a large surface-to-volume ratio, which makes them very successful for use as sensors for the detection of diseases, drug carriers, filters, fillers and reaction catalysts in healthcare applications. In this paper, we reviewed the recent progress made in the research and applications of biosensors in health and preventive medicine. The focus of the paper is biosensors made of nanostructured layered materials such as graphene and its structural analogs molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) and boron nitride (BN). We discussed and highlighted the present capabilities of the different nano-forms of these materials in the detection and analysis of diseases. Their efficiencies in terms of the detection limit, the sensitivity and the adaptability to different environments were be discussed. In addition, the challenges and future perspectives of using nano-biosensors to develop efficient diagnostic, therapeutic and cost-effective monitoring devices with smart technologies were explored.