Recent Advances in Colorimetric Sensors Based on Gold Nanoparticles for Pathogen Detection

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Biosensing
• Public Health

Background:

• Infectious pathogens pose significant public health risks due to high infectivity and lethality.
• Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) possess unique physicochemical properties valuable for colorimetric biosensing.
• Accurate and rapid pathogen detection is vital for infection prevention and control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in colorimetric biosensing for pathogen detection using functionalized gold nanoparticles.
• To highlight the characteristics of AuNPs and their application in sensitive, low-cost, and user-friendly diagnostic platforms.
• To discuss various colorimetric strategies and provide insights into future research directions.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on gold nanoparticle-based colorimetric biosensors for pathogen detection.
• Systematic introduction of four colorimetric strategies: indirect target-mediated aggregation, chromogenic substrate-mediated catalytic activity, point-of-care testing (POCT) devices, and machine learning-assisted sensor arrays.
• Detailed description of three specific biomolecule-functionalized AuNP-based colorimetric sensors.

Main Results:

• Functionalized AuNPs enable sensitive, low-cost, and easy-to-operate colorimetric platforms for pathogen analysis.
• Various colorimetric strategies demonstrate promise for rapid and accurate pathogen identification.
• Recent developments show significant progress in AuNP-based colorimetric sensor technology.

Conclusions:

• Colorimetric biosensing using functionalized gold nanoparticles is a promising technique for pathogen detection.
• Further research is needed to address current challenges and optimize sensor performance for widespread application.
• Future directions include enhancing sensor capabilities and exploring novel applications in infectious disease diagnostics.