Nanomaterial Based Biosensors for Disease Detection: A Review

Authors

  • Fatemeh Rezaie Teimurbaglou * Department of Chemistry, To.C., Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran.
  • Saba Faraji Department of Microbiology, To.C., Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.48313/bic.vi.43

Abstract

The advent of nanotechnology has revolutionized biosensing, enabling the development of highly sensitive, rapid, and portable diagnostic platforms. This review comprehensively examines advancements in nanomaterial-based biosensors for detecting a broad range of diseases, including infectious diseases, cancers, neurodegenerative disorders, and cardiovascular conditions. Leveraging unique properties of nanomaterials such as graphene, Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs), metal nanoparticles, and MXenes, these biosensors achieve exceptional analytical performance, often detecting biomarkers at femtomolar to attomolar concentrations. We discuss the operational principles of electrochemical, optical, and Field-Effect Transistor (FET)-based biosensors, emphasizing their applications in Point Of Care (POC) diagnostics. Despite significant progress, challenges persist in clinical validation, reproducibility, stability, and large-scale manufacturing. The review concludes by highlighting future trends, including multiplexed detection, integration with Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the development of sustainable and wearable sensor platforms.

Keywords:

Nanomaterial-based biosensors, Disease detection, Point-of-care diagnostics, Electrochemical sensors, Optical biosensors, Artificial intelligence

References

  1. [1] Şak, B., Sousa, H. B., & Prior, J. A. (2025). Carbon nanomaterial-based electrochemical biosensors for Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers: Progress, challenges, and future perspectives. Biosensors, 15(10), 1-56. https://doi.org/10.3390/bios15100684
  2. [2] Lutomia, D., Poria, R., Kala, D., Singh, A. K., Gupta, M. K., Kumar, D., … ., & Gupta, S. (2025). Unlocking the potential of 2D nanomaterial-based biosensors in biomarker-based detection of Helicobacter pylori. Materials advances, 6(1), 117–142. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4MA00546E
  3. [3] Narware, J., Chakma, J., Singh, S. P., Prasad, D. R., Meher, J., Singh, P., … ., & Kashyap, A. S. (2025). Nanomaterial-based biosensors: A new frontier in plant pathogen detection and plant disease management. Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology, 13, 1570318. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2025.1570318
  4. [4] Wang, X., Li, F., & Guo, Y. (2020). Recent trends in nanomaterial-based biosensors for point-of-care testing. Frontiers in chemistry, 8, 586702. https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2020.586702
  5. [5] Safari, M., Moghaddam, A., Salehi Moghaddam, A., Absalan, M., Kruppke, B., Ruckdäschel, H., & Khonakdar, H. A. (2023). Carbon-based biosensors from graphene family to carbon dots: A viewpoint in cancer detection. Talanta, 258, 124399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2023.124399
  6. [6] Das, S., Saha, B., Tiwari, M., & Tiwari, D. K. (2023). Diagnosis of cancer using carbon nanomaterial-based biosensors. Sensors & diagnostics, 2(2), 268–289. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SD00182A
  7. [7] Pasinszki, T., Krebsz, M., Tung, T. T., & Losic, D. (2017). Carbon nanomaterial based biosensors for non-invasive detection of cancer and disease biomarkers for clinical diagnosis. Sensors, 17(8), 1-32. https://doi.org/10.3390/s17081919
  8. [8] Sharma, M., Mahajan, P., Alsubaie, A. S., Khanna, V., Chahal, S., Thakur, A., … ., & Singh, G. (2025). Next-generation nanomaterials-based biosensors: Real-time biosensing devices for detecting emerging environmental pollutants. Materials today sustainability, 29, 101068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtsust.2024.101068
  9. [9] Choi, H. K., Lee, M. J., Lee, S. N., Kim, T. H., & Oh, B.-K. (2021). Noble metal nanomaterial-based biosensors for electrochemical and optical detection of viruses causing respiratory illnesses. Frontiers in chemistry, 9, 672739. https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2021.672739
  10. [10] Karakuş, E., Erdemir, E., Demirbilek, N., & Liv, L. (2021). Colorimetric and electrochemical detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen with a gold nanoparticle-based biosensor. Analytica chimica acta, 1182, 338939. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2021.338939
  11. [11] Das, C. M., Guo, Y., Yang, G., Kang, L., Xu, G., Ho, H. P., & Yong, K. T. (2020). Gold nanorod assisted enhanced plasmonic detection scheme of COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein. Advanced theory and simulations, 3(11), 2000185. https://doi.org/10.1002/adts.202000185
  12. [12] Kumar, V., Brent, J. R., Shorie, M., Kaur, H., Chadha, G., Thomas, A. G., … ., & Sabherwal, P. (2016). Nanostructured aptamer-functionalized black phosphorus sensing platform for label-free detection of myoglobin, a cardiovascular disease biomarker. ACS applied materials & interfaces, 8(35), 22860–22868. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b06488
  13. [13] Ali, M. A., Zhang, G. F., Hu, C., Yuan, B., Jahan, S., Kitsios, G. D., … ., & Panat, R. (2022). Ultrarapid and ultrasensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in COVID-19 patients via a 3D-printed nanomaterial-based biosensing platform. Journal of medical virology, 94(12), 5808–5826. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.28075
  14. [14] Toyos-Rodriguez, C., Garcia-Alonso, F. J., & de la Escosura-Muniz, A. (2023). Towards the maximization of nanochannels blockage through antibody-antigen charge control: Application for the detection of an Alzheimer’s disease biomarker. Sensors and actuators b: chemical, 380, 133394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2023.133394
  15. [15] Yadav, A. K., Verma, D., Sajwan, R. K., Poddar, M., Yadav, S. K., Verma, A. K., & Solanki, P. R. (2022). Nanomaterial-based electrochemical nanodiagnostics for human and gut metabolites diagnostics: Recent advances and challenges. Biosensors, 12(9), 1-32. https://doi.org/10.3390/bios12090733
  16. [16] Qiu, G., Gai, Z., Tao, Y., Schmitt, J., Kullak-Ublick, G. A., & Wang, J. (2020). Dual-functional plasmonic photothermal biosensors for highly accurate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 detection. ACS nano, 14(5), 5268–5277. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c02439
  17. [17] Büyüksünetçi, Y. T., Çitil, B. E., Tapan, U., & Anık, Ü. (2021). Development and application of a SARS-CoV-2 colorimetric biosensor based on the peroxidase-mimic activity of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Microchimica acta, 188(10), 335. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-021-04989-6
  18. [18] Srivastava, S., Singh, S., Mishra, A. C., Lohia, P., & Dwivedi, D. K. (2023). Numerical study of titanium dioxide and MXene nanomaterial-based surface plasmon resonance biosensor for virus SARS-CoV-2 detection. Plasmonics, 18(4), 1477–1488. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11468-023-01874-1
  19. [19] Seo, G., Lee, G., Kim, M. J., Baek, S. H., Choi, M., Ku, K. B., … ., & Kim, S. I. (2020). Rapid detection of COVID-19 causative virus (SARS-CoV-2) in human nasopharyngeal swab specimens using field-effect transistor-based biosensor. ACS nano, 14(4), 5135–5142. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c02823
  20. [20] Danielson, E., Sontakke, V. A., Porkovich, A. J., Wang, Z., Kumar, P., Ziadi, Z., … ., & Sowwan, M. (2020). Graphene based field-effect transistor biosensors functionalized using gas-phase synthesized gold nanoparticles. Sensors and actuators b: Chemical, 320, 128432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2020.128432
  21. [21] da Silva, S. S., Valério, T. L., Hryniewicz, B. M., Jaradat, H., Araújo, M. D. S. W., Royer, C. A., … ., & Vidotti, M. (2025). Noninvasive electrochemical biosensor for rapid detection of helicobacter pylori in patient saliva. Sensors and actuators b: Chemical, 442, 138136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2025.138136
  22. [22] Truong, P. L., Yin, Y., Lee, D., & Ko, S. H. (2023). Advancement in covid-19 detection using nanomaterial-based biosensors. Exploration, 3, 20210232. https://doi.org/10.1002/EXP.20210232
  23. [23] Mahalakshmi, D., Nandhini, J., Meenaloshini, G., Karthikeyan, E., Karthik, K. K., Sujaritha, J., … ., & Ragavendran, C. (2025). Graphene nanomaterial-based electrochemical biosensors for salivary biomarker detection: A translational approach to oral cancer diagnostics. Nano transmed, 4, 100073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ntm.2025.100073
  24. [24] Yazdani, Y., Jalali, F., Tahmasbi, H., Akbari, M., Talebi, N., Shahrtash, S. A., … ., & Dadashpour, M. (2025). Recent advancements in nanomaterial-based biosensors for diagnosis of breast cancer: A comprehensive review. Cancer cell international, 25(1), 50. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12935-025-03663-8
  25. [25] Azzouz, A., Hejji, L., Sonne, C., Kim, K. H., & Kumar, V. (2021). Nanomaterial-based aptasensors as an efficient substitute for cardiovascular disease diagnosis: Future of smart biosensors. Biosensors and bioelectronics, 193, 113617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2021.113617
  26. [26] Chen, C. H., Liang, H. H., Wang, C. C., Yang, Y. T., Lin, Y. H., & Chen, Y. L. (2024). Unlocking early detection of Alzheimer’s disease: The emerging role of nanomaterial-based optical sensors. Journal of food and drug analysis, 32(3), 296. https://doi.org/10.38212/2224-6614.3520
  27. [27] Lee, Y. Y., Sriram, B., Wang, S. F., Kogularasu, S., & Chang-Chien, G. P. (2024). Advanced nanomaterial-based biosensors for N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide biomarker detection: Progress and future challenges in cardiovascular disease diagnostics. Nanomaterials, 14(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14020153
  28. [28] Dolati, S., Soleymani, J., Shakouri, S. K., & Mobed, A. (2021). The trends in nanomaterial-based biosensors for detecting critical biomarkers in stroke. Clinica chimica acta, 514, 107–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cca.2020.12.034
  29. [29] Campos, E. V. R., Pereira, A. E. S., De Oliveira, J. L., Carvalho, L. B., Guilger-Casagrande, M., De Lima, R., & Fraceto, L. F. (2020). How can nanotechnology help to combat COVID-19? Opportunities and urgent need. Journal of nanobiotechnology, 18(1), 125. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12951-020-00685-4
  30. [30] Wu, L., Wen, W., Wang, X., Huang, D., Cao, J., Qi, X., & Shen, S. (2022). Ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles cause significant toxicity by specifically inducing acute oxidative stress to multiple organs. Particle and fibre toxicology, 19(1), 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12989-022-00465-y
  31. [31] Hanini, A., Schmitt, A., Kacem, K., Chau, F., Ammar, S., & Gavard, J. (2011). Evaluation of iron oxide nanoparticle biocompatibility. International journal of nanomedicine, 6, 787–794. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S17574
  32. [32] Malvindi, M. A., De Matteis, V., Galeone, A., Brunetti, V., Anyfantis, G. C., Athanassiou, A., … ., & Pompa, P. P. (2014). Toxicity assessment of silica coated iron oxide nanoparticles and biocompatibility improvement by surface engineering. PloS one, 9(1), e85835. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0085835
  33. [33] Park, E. J., Lee, G. H., Han, B. S., Lee, B. S., Lee, S., Cho, M. H., … ., & Kim, D. W. (2015). Toxic response of graphene nanoplatelets in vivo and in vitro. Archives of toxicology, 89(9), 1557–1568. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-014-1303-x

Downloads

Published

2025-10-18

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 4 (2025): Biocompounds

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Rezaie Teimurbaglou, F. ., & Faraji, S. . (2025). Nanomaterial Based Biosensors for Disease Detection: A Review. Biocompounds, 2(4), 203-211. https://doi.org/10.48313/bic.vi.43