Recent progress of smartphone-assisted microfluidic sensors for point of care testing

Point of care (POC) testing is of great importance in rapid diagnosis of disease, monitoring environmental pollutants, food safety analysis and other fields, especially in resource-limited settings. Microfluidic sensors combined with miniaturized portable detection devices are ideal for POC testing, which significantly reduce the reagent/sample consumption and shorten the analysis time without relying on laboratories and operators. Smartphone-based microfluidic sensors are suitable for POC detection because of their ability to high computational capability and data transferability, making them rapidly emerging as a potential substitute for traditional laboratory instruments. In this review, we introduced the functions of smartphones could achieve in the microfluidic sensing and summarized the detection routes involved in smartphone-based microfluidic sensors, including colorimetric, fluorescent, electrochemical and chemiluminescent sensing, together with thermal imaging and multiple-mode detection. An overview of recent applications in disease diagnosis, environmental monitoring and food safety detection fields was provided. Challenges and future perspectives were discussed. Advances in smartphone-assisted microfluidic sensors are summarized based on their detection modes and typical applications with an introduction of the functions of smartphones. Challenges and perspectives are contemplated. [Display omitted] •Progress of smartphone-assisted microfluidic sensors for POC testing is reviewed.•The functions of smartphones in the microfluidic sensors are briefly enumerated.•Their main detection modes and typical applications are critically summarized.•Challenges and perspectives of this area are discussed.