Smartphone-Based Biosensors for Bioanalytics: A Critical Review

The considerable expansion of smartphone's market represents a great potential in mobile analytical field. Indeed, smartphones have become very similar to miniature computers combining advanced operating systems, internal memory and high-quality camera lenses. These portable, low-cost devices are very suitable for running routine tests, which are currently performed in laboratory environment by trained personnel using benchtop instrumentation. Exploiting smartphone's hardware and connectivity it would be possible to develop compact and portable biosensor suitable for point-of-care and point-of-need analysis not only for healthcare, but also for food safety, environmental monitoring and biosecurity, especially in remote and rural areas. Here, we review the most recent papers on the use of smartphones as platform for the development of analytical devices, focusing on the different techniques that have been combined with smartphone technology. This overview highlights the pros and cons of the different approaches for evaluating the real potential application of these analytical devices.