Comparative Analysis of Different Sensor Types

The frequency and number of viral infections encountered globally have been on the rise recently. Also, considering the pandemic experienced in the past years, the health system needs to be prepared for possible future viral disease outbreaks. For this purpose, researchers are working on enhanced platforms for screening and diagnosing viral diseases, which can compete with and prevail over currently available traditional methods. Key parameters to be considered in the sensor to be developed for virus detection can be summarized as sensitivity, specificity, linear range, limit of detection (LOD), speed, cost-effectiveness, and real sample analysis (accuracy and applicability). These features can be expressed as advantageous or disadvantageous with respect to various aspects of sensors using different detection methods (electrochemical, optical, and mass-based). This chapter compares the performance of sensors developed for virus detection by examining these parameters in detail. In this context, recent applications in the literature of electrochemical, optical, and mass-based sensors used to detect viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, dengue, hepatitis B, and influenza are discussed. In addition, each sensor's specific advantages and disadvantages and which applications it is best for are evaluated. Finally, future perspectives and challenges regarding sensor performance in virus analysis are discussed.