Application of smartphone-based spectroscopy to biosample analysis: A review

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Optical Sensing Technologies
• Mobile Health

Background:

• Smartphones have significantly altered daily life and opened new avenues for scientific research.
• There is a growing emphasis on health management, driving the integration of health monitoring with smartphone technology.
• Various smartphone-based optical detection platforms have been developed for biological sample analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the applications of smartphone-based optical sensors for analyzing biosamples.
• To highlight key sensing modalities including microscopic imaging, colorimetric, and luminescence sensing.
• To discuss current limitations and future prospects of smartphone sensors in spectroscopy.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on smartphone-based optical sensing platforms.
• Categorization of applications based on sensing principles: microscopic imaging, colorimetric, and luminescence.
• Analysis of current technological limitations and future research directions.

Main Results:

• Smartphone optical sensors are versatile tools for biosample analysis.
• Key applications demonstrated in microscopic imaging, colorimetric assays, and luminescence detection.
• Identified limitations in current smartphone spectroscopy and outlined future potential.

Conclusions:

• Smartphone-based optical sensors represent a promising, accessible technology for diverse biosensing applications.
• Further development is needed to overcome current limitations in spectroscopy and enhance sensor capabilities.
• The future holds significant potential for widespread adoption in health monitoring and scientific research.