Next-Generation Diagnostics: Innovative Technologies Shaping the Future of Infectious Disease Testing
A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 23
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Molecular diagnostics are critical for timely and effective therapeutic interventions, as well as for the surveillance of emerging, re-emerging, and neglected infectious diseases. Among established technologies, real-time PCR remains the benchmark, with multiplex syndromic panels significantly accelerating diagnosis compared to conventional methods. The expansion of companion diagnostics, such as assays for antimicrobial resistance genes, is also proving essential to guide treatment decisions. Cartridge-based closed systems enabling “sample-in/answer-out” qPCR have brought this technology closer to true point-of-care use, despite its remaining limitations. Beyond qPCR, next-generation sequencing-based clinical metagenomics has emerged as a powerful approach for detecting both known and novel pathogens with high sensitivity and specificity. Additionally, new platforms integrating isothermal amplification, microfluidics, CRISPR-based diagnostics, lateral-flow devices, 3D-printed components, smartphone-enabled readouts, and artificial intelligence are paving the way for next-generation accurate, portable, and scalable molecular diagnostics.
This Special Issue welcomes contributions on innovative technologies for molecular diagnostics for bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections, including, but not limited to, the following:
a. Isothermal nucleic acid amplification methods (e.g., LAMP, RPA);
b. Next-generation sequencing for clinical metagenomics;
c. Genomics-based antimicrobial resistance detection;
d. CRISPR-based diagnostics;
e. Lab-on-a-chip and biosensing systems;
f. Point-of-care molecular diagnostic platforms;
g. Mobile health (mHealth) diagnostics using smartphones;
h. Artificial intelligence applied to molecular diagnostics.
Dr. Luis Gustavo Carvalho Pacheco
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diagnostics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- molecular diagnostics
- next-generation sequencing
- CRISPR
- biosensing
- microfluidics
- nucleic acid
- pathogen
- antimicrobial resistance
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
