Nanomaterials-enabled point-of-care diagnostics for pathogens

Nanomaterials, with their unique physicochemical properties, have emerged as important enabling components for improving the performance of point-of-care testing (POCT) technologies for pathogen detection. Many conventional POCT methods still face challenges in sensitivity, specificity, multiplexing capability, and quantitative accuracy, particularly when applied to low-abundance pathogens in complex clinical samples. This review first summarizes the functional roles of representative nanomaterials in pathogen POCT, including optical signal output, catalytic signal amplification, target enrichment, and interfacial regulation. We then discuss how these materials improve lateral flow assays, biosensors, microfluidic systems, and isothermal nucleic acid amplification platforms. Finally, we summarize three major nanomaterial-assisted recognition mechanisms, including pathogen surface recognition, ROS-mediated signal conversion, and nucleic acid recognition, and discuss their applications in respiratory, urinary, and fecal specimens. These advances are expected to support the development of more sensitive, integrated, and field-deployable diagnostic systems for infectious disease control.