Nucleic Acid Lateral Flow Assays – A Review on Oligonucleotide-Based Methods

Nucleic Acid Lateral Flow Assays (NALFAs) have been increasingly explored for the detection of DNA and RNA, in particular for the specific screening of pathogens. Traditional lateral flow assays developed for the detection of nucleic acids rely heavily on antibody-antigen interactions. However, there are plenty of solutions that resort fully or partially to the use of oligonucleotides as a way to perform specific recognition. This review covers the main detection strategies that are present in these systems, as well as readout strategies, signal amplification routes, and overall performance of the analytical parameters, as well as commercial potential. Special attention will be given to the detection of various RNA viruses infecting both human and animal hosts, mainly coronaviruses, given the abundance of recent literature about the subject. Moreover, various examples of commercial solutions related with oligonucleotide-based NALFAs are listed. While the compilation of such topics intends to be a pool of knowledge about oligonucleotide-based NALFA, new directions and emerging innovations are covered in detail.