Advances in CRISPR-based SERS detection of food contaminants: A review

The integration of CRISPR-Cas systems and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has emerged as a powerful approach for developing highly sensitive biosensors. This review explores recent studies that demonstrate the potential of CRISPR-Cas12a and Cas13a systems combined with SERS technology in detecting nucleic acids with exceptional sensitivity and specificity. This review examines studies that showcase the application of CRISPR-Cas and SERS technology in various fields, including healthcare, food safety, environmental monitoring, and biodefense. The reviewed studies highlight the capability of CRISPR-Cas systems to target specific DNA or RNA sequences, while SERS serves as a highly sensitive detection method. The combination of these technologies enables the development of biosensors for the detection of pathogens, genetic markers, drug resistance genes, chemical compounds, and adulterants in food. The reviewed studies demonstrate the significant findings and potential of integrating CRISPR-Cas and SERS technologies for biosensing applications. The studies showcase the ability of CRISPR-Cas12a and Cas13a systems to detect nucleic acids with high sensitivity and specificity, even at trace levels. The use of SERS as a detection method offers advantages such as enhanced sensitivity, selectivity, and reliability. The combination of CRISPR-Cas and SERS technology has the potential to revolutionize diagnostic testing in various sectors. Although challenges remain, including improving detection limits and reducing interference from complex matrices, the promise of these biosensors in early disease diagnosis, pathogen detection, and environmental monitoring is evident. Further research and development are warranted to harness the full potential of CRISPR-Cas and SERS technology for future biosensing applications.