Harnessing Aggregation‐Induced Emission for Advanced Disease Diagnosis: Mechanisms, Strategies and Future Perspectives

ABSTRACT

Accurate and early diagnosis remains a key challenge in modern disease management. Conventional diagnostic methods often suffer from limitations in sensitivity, spatial resolution, and practical usability. Aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) luminogens (AIEgens) have emerged as a revolutionary material platform that effectively overcomes the aggregation‐caused quenching (ACQ) effect plaguing traditional fluorophores. Their unique AIE property endows them with exceptional attributes for diagnostic applications, including superior photostability, high signal‐to‐noise ratios and large Stokes shifts. In this review, we present a thorough and structured overview of recent progress in AIEgen‐based diagnostic strategies. The content is organized according to major disease categories: cancers, infectious diseases, neurological disorders, urinary system diseases and circulatory system diseases. For each category, we analyzed the design principles, sensing mechanisms, and analytical performance of AIE probes targeting diverse biomarkers such as proteins, nucleic acids, metabolites, and pathogens. We further discussed how AIEgens have been effectively integrated into point‐of‐care testing (POCT) platforms and portable devices, highlighting their potential for clinical translation. Finally, the promising future directions are outlined, such as the convergence of AIE technology with artificial intelligence for molecular design. This review aims to serve as a foundational reference and to inspire the rational design of next‐generation, AIEgen‐powered diagnostic technologies tailored to precision medicine.