Approaches and Challenges for Biosensors for Acute and Chronic Heart Failure

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Heart failure (HF) affects over 64 million globally, with rising incidence and prevalence, posing significant public health and economic challenges.
• Accurate diagnosis and prognosis of HF are critical, necessitating advancements in sensor technology.
• Biomarkers such as natriuretic peptides, troponin, aldosterone, and galectin 3 are key indicators for HF assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and discuss influential and novel biosensor applications for diagnosing acute and chronic heart failure.
• To evaluate current biosensing technologies based on sensitivity, applicability, user-friendliness, and cost-effectiveness.
• To highlight the importance of biosensors as rapid, portable alternatives to conventional laboratory analyses for HF detection.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of recent studies on biosensor development for heart failure biomarkers.
• Analysis and comparison of various biosensing platforms and their performance metrics.
• Evaluation of biomarkers associated with myocardial stretch, neurohormonal pathways, and myocardial fibrosis/hypertrophy.

Main Results:

• Biosensors offer significant advantages for early HF diagnosis, including speed, portability, and lower cost.
• Novel biosensing devices demonstrate promising sensitivity and applicability for detecting key HF biomarkers.
• The review identifies trends and challenges in the field, guiding future research and development.

Conclusions:

• Biosensors represent a significant breakthrough in the early diagnosis and management of heart failure.
• The development of fast, portable, and low-cost biosensing devices is essential to meet the growing demand for HF diagnostics.
• Further research should focus on enhancing biosensor performance, ensuring clinical validation, and improving user-friendliness for widespread adoption.