Recent molecular techniques for the diagnosis of Zika and Chikungunya infections: A systematic review

Zika virus: advancing a priority research agenda for preparedness and response

The 2015-16 Zika virus epidemic emerged in the Americas and rapidly spread throughout the region and beyond, showing the epidemic potential of this mosquito-borne Orthoflavivirus and its capacity to cause severe congenital malformations and neurological sequelae. WHO declared the Zika virus epidemic a public health emergency of international concern in 2016. Despite this declaration, there are no licensed Zika virus vaccines, therapeutics, or diagnostic tests appropriate for routine antenatal screening. To address this absence of essential tools to detect and mitigate the threat of future Zika virus outbreaks, a group of global experts developed a priority agenda for Zika virus research and development. This Series paper summarises crucial challenges and knowledge gaps and outlines a comprehensive strategy to advance research, surveillance, global capacity, policy, and investment for Zika virus preparedness and response.

CRISPR-Driven Biosensors: A New Frontier in Rapid and Accurate Disease Detection

This comprehensive review delves into the advancements and challenges in biosensing, with a strong emphasis on the transformative potential of CRISPR technology for early and rapid detection of infectious diseases. It underscores the versatility of CRISPR/Cas systems, highlighting their ability to detect both nucleic acids and non-nucleic acid targets, and their seamless integration with isothermal amplification techniques. The review provides a thorough examination of the latest developments in CRISPR-based biosensors, detailing the unique properties of CRISPR systems, such as their high specificity and programmability, which make them particularly effective for detecting disease-associated nucleic acids. While the review focuses on nucleic acid detection due to its critical role in diagnosing infectious diseases, it also explores the broader applications of CRISPR technology in detecting non-nucleic acid targets, thereby acknowledging the technology's broader potential. Additionally, the review identifies existing challenges, such as the need for improved signal amplification and real-world applicability, and offers future perspectives aimed at overcoming these hurdles. The ultimate goal is to advance the development of highly sensitive and specific CRISPR-based biosensors that can be used widely for improving human health, particularly in point-of-care settings and resource-limited environments.

Peptide-Based Flavivirus Biosensors: From Cell Structure to Virological and Serological Detection Methods

In tropical and developing countries, mosquito-borne diseases by flaviviruses pose a serious threat to public health. Early detection is critical for preventing their spread, but conventional methods are time-consuming and require skilled technicians. Biosensors have been developed to address this issue, but cross-reactivity with other flaviviruses remains a challenge. Peptides are essentially biomaterials used in diagnostics that allow virological and serological techniques to identify flavivirus selectively. This biomaterial originated as a small protein consisting of two to 50 amino acid chains. They offer flexibility in chemical modification and can be easily synthesized and applied to living cells in the engineering process. Peptides could potentially be developed as robust, low-cost, sensitive, and selective receptors for detecting flaviviruses. However, modification and selection of the receptor agents are crucial to determine the effectiveness of binding between the targets and the receptors. This paper addresses two potential peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) and affinity peptides that can detect flavivirus from another target-based biosensor as well as the potential peptide behaviors of flaviviruses. The PNAs detect flaviviruses based on the nucleotide base sequence of the target's virological profile via Watson-Crick base pairing, while the affinity peptides sense the epitope or immunological profile of the targets. Recent developments in the functionalization of peptides for flavivirus biosensors are explored in this Review by division into electrochemical, optical, and other detection methods.