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Review
. 2025 Jul 29.
doi: 10.1002/med.70006. Online ahead of print.

Advances in Nanotechnology-Enabled Optical Biosensors for Dengue Virus Detection: A Systematic Review

Marta Quero-Delgado  1 , Helena Codina  1 , Rafael Gómez  2   3   4   5 , Francisco José Terán  6   7 , M A Muñoz-Fernández  3   8   9 , José Luis Jiménez  9   10 , Salvador Resino  1   11 , Daniel Sepúlveda-Crespo  1   11 , Isidoro Martínez  1   11
Affiliations
Review

Advances in Nanotechnology-Enabled Optical Biosensors for Dengue Virus Detection: A Systematic Review

Marta Quero-Delgado et al. Med Res Rev. .

Abstract

The dramatic surge in dengue cases in early 2024, endangering half the global population, urgently necessitates faster diagnostic methods. Nanotechnology-enabled optical biosensors offer a promising avenue, leveraging nanomaterial properties for highly sensitive detection of dengue virus (DENV), potentially surpassing conventional techniques in terms of simplicity, speed, and cost-effectiveness. This systematic review analyzes recent advancements in these biosensors for DENV diagnosis. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases (2010-June 1, 2025; OSF: https://osf.io/3gmey/). The methodological quality of the 98 included studies was assessed using a modified CASP checklist. Diverse nanotechnology-based optical biosensors were identified. SPR (36.7%) was the most common transducer, followed by fluorescence (24.5%), colorimetry (15.3%), and SERS (8.2%). Gold-based nanomaterials (35.7%) were most frequently employed, with silver nanomaterials (15.3%), quantum dots (15.3%), and graphene-based materials (15.3%) also showing promise. DENV NS1 protein was the primary target analyte (21.4%). Importantly, almost half of the studies (44.9%) used clinically relevant human samples. While many optical biosensors show promise, challenges hinder their demonstration of the true potential for point-of-care use in their current format; however, they offer high specificity and faster results, laying a strong foundation for cost-effective clinical diagnostics. Nanotechnology-driven optical biosensors offer a transformative approach for DENV detection. Advances in computational design and green synthesis of novel nanomaterials are key to addressing stability and field-deployment challenges. These innovations are crucial for developing robust, sensitive, and user-friendly tools to manage dengue and improve patient outcomes globally.

Keywords: dengue virus; diagnostics; nanomaterials; optical biosensor; point‐of‐care.

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