Progress in biosensing applications of isothermal nucleic acid amplification techniques

Biosensing is an analytical strategy that combines biological recognition elements with physical transduction methods to generate specific quantitative or semi-quantitative analytical information. A major focus in advancing biosensing strategies is the development of efficient signal amplification technologies, which are critical for enhancing detection sensitivity and overall analytical performance. Isothermal amplification technology (IAT) significantly improves biosensing efficiency through rapid and high-yield nucleic acid amplification, and has great potential in on-site, point-of-care and in-situ detection applications. This review aims to summarize recent advancements in various IATs used in biosensing applications. In particular, the mechanism and advantages of IATs in biosensing are introduced, including sensor design principles and the role of signal amplification in improving sensor performance, as well as addressing key technical challenges. Furthermore, the applications and development prospect of integrating IATs and biosensing to realize a variety of small molecules, cancer cells, pathogens, proteins, enzymes as well as nucleic acid analysis are fully discussed, with emphasis on the conversion pathway of the target signal. The primary goal is to highlight the signal amplification capabilities of IATs in biosensing and to provide insight into the design of novel biosensing platforms.