Molecular engineering of CRISPR/Cas12a: from activity enhancement to exponential signal amplification

CRISPR/Cas12a has emerged as a powerful tool for molecular diagnostics, yet its inherent linear signal output and limited amplification efficiency constrain its detection sensitivity. Conventional approaches that rely on coupling with pre-amplification techniques increase operational complexity and introduce potential uncertainties, thereby hindering clinical translation. This review highlights a paradigm shift: moving beyond the canonical "one-target-one-enzyme" model through molecular engineering to intrinsically enhance the catalytic activity of CRISPR/Cas12a and even achieve exponential signal amplification. We systematically summarize key strategies, including crRNA reprogramming, activator strand engineering, reporter probe design, and reaction environment optimization, that collectively enhance Cas12a's kinetics, specificity, and intrinsic signal output. These integrated engineering approaches enable ultrasensitive, pre-amplification-free detection of both nucleic acids and non-nucleic acid targets, paving the way for the next generation of robust and field-deployable point-of-care diagnostics.