Recent advances on nanomaterials for personalized diagnostics in multiplex point-of-care testing

The development of multiplex point-of-care testing (xPOCT) is crucial in both community and clinical settings, particularly for the identification and active screening of progressive diseases. Multiplexing ensures the trace level detection of various biomarkers, simultaneously with the advantages of reduced reagents and sample sizes, shortened analysis times, minimized experimental variability, and enhanced efficiency and efficacy of the analytical process. To address this need, advanced nanomaterials with unique properties such as large surface area-to-volume ratios, quantum confinement effects, functionality, signal amplification, biocompatibility, and stability combined with modern technologies demonstrate promising potential to enhance the accuracy and sensitivity of xPOCT. In this review, we first present state-of-the-art xPOCTs and investigate various techniques employed for the development of xPOCTs to advance personalized medicine. We then explore the impact of diverse nanomaterials on the performance of developed multiplex tests for a range of clinically validated biomarkers. Finally, we explore the emerging trends in the field and highlight some key research directions for the future.