Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas Advancement in Molecular Diagnostics and Signal Readout Approaches

Discovery of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas system has greatly improved the gene editing technology. Their applications in the area of diagnostic innovation are gaining much attention. The key characteristics of CRISPR/Cas system that allowed its extensive exploitation in the detection platform are their programmable and highly selective target recognition scheme. Herein, this review presents the major three Cas effectors (Cas9, Cas12, and Cas13) and their significance in various detection assays. The CRISPR/Cas detection strategies, based on their target hybridization, cleavage activity, sensor capabilities, and signal readout methods, are discussed. Some of the recent progressions, challenges, and improvement strategies of CRISPR/Cas technology are highlighted and their biosensing detection platforms toward the development of simple, sensitive, and portable point-of-care diagnostic devices are presented.