Optical nanobiosensing of cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide, necessitating rapid, sensitive, and noninvasive diagnostic tools for early detection and monitoring. Optical nanobiosensors have emerged as powerful platforms for detecting cardiac biomarkers because of their high sensitivity, specificity, and real-time readout capabilities. By integrating nanomaterials such as gold nanoparticles, quantum dots, and plasmonic structures with optical transduction mechanisms, including fluorescence, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), these biosensors enable ultralow detection limits and multiplexed analysis. Recent advances have demonstrated their potential in point-of-care testing, offering portable, cost-effective solutions for clinical diagnostics. This review highlights the principles, recent developments, and clinical relevance of optical nanobiosensing technologies in CVD diagnostics while discussing current challenges and future directions toward scalable, robust, and regulatory-approved platforms.