Plasmonic and metamaterial biosensors: a game-changer for virus detection

Abstract

One of the most important processes in the fight against current and future pandemics is the rapid diagnosis and initiation of treatment of viruses in humans. Currently available viral diagnostic methods detect only known pathogens, which comprise a small number of virus strains. In addition, identifying viral genomes is challenging due to low viral abundance and possible contamination by host nucleic acids. To ensure the distinction between the infected and non-infected people and predict the outbreak of disease, alternative approaches should be considered. In the ongoing hunt for new developing tests and diagnostic kits with high selectivity and sensitivity, plasmonic platforms, which control light in subwavelength volumes, have opened up exciting prospects for biosensing applications. They can identify particular viruses in a cost-effective, sensitive, label-free, rapid, and reproducible way due to their tunable plasmonic properties. In particular, plasmonic-assisted virus detection platforms can be achieved by various approaches, including propagating surface and localized plasmon resonances, as well as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. In this review, we discuss both the fundamental principles governing a plasmonic biosensor and prospects for achieving improved sensor performance. We highlight several nanostructure schemes to combat virus-related diseases. We also examine the technological limitations and challenges of plasmonic-based biosensing, such as reducing the overall cost and handling of complex biological samples. Finally, we provide a future perspective for opportunities to improve plasmonic-based approaches to increase their impact on global health issues.