Advances in biosensors for diagnosis and monitoring of inflammatory bowel disease: A review.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) encompasses a group of intestinal disorders, primarily Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), characterized by chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. Despite extensive research, the etiology of IBD remains largely unknown, and its progression and prognosis are unpredictable, often involving uncontrolled disease behavior. Current diagnostic and monitoring techniques, such as endoscopy, scoring systems, computed tomography, and ultrasound, provide valuable tools for assessing and monitoring disease progression; but are often used in conjunction with biomarker testing to achieve rapid and accurate results. Recent advances in biosensors, which integrate biorecognition elements with signal transduction platforms, offer immense potential to improve IBD diagnostics by enabling real-time, precise, and non-invasive detection of biomarkers such as C-reactive protein, calprotectin, and cytokines. This review examines existing IBD diagnostic techniques, their limitations, and the emerging role of biosensors in addressing these challenges. It explores the development of electrochemical and optical biosensors, highlights the key biomarkers utilized in these technologies, and identifies challenges and future opportunities for advancing next-generation biosensors for IBD diagnostics and monitoring. These innovations hold promise for enhancing IBD diagnosis, monitoring, and personalized disease management.