Trends in Multiplex and Smart Technologies for In Vitro Diagnostics and Point-of-Care Testing

Dear Colleagues,

Multiplex immunoassays (IAs) that can simultaneously determine many analytes in a single sample are becoming critically important in healthcare for the diagnosis of complex diseases. This Special Issue will provide insights into various multiplex IA formats and technologies together with the challenges involved and future prospects. Similarly, there is an evolving trend towards smart technologies for in vitro diagnostics (IVD) and point-of-care testing (POCT), which are paving the way toward next-generation healthcare. Smartphone/smart device (SP/SD)-based technologies, paper-based assays (PBAs), and lab-on-a-chip (LOC) platforms are the most prominent smart technologies, which will be very useful for rapid diagnostics at decentralized labs, physician office labs, and remote and personalized settings. The emerging smart devices are fully-automated, network-enabled, and do not require continuous power supply. The complementary technologies, such as microfluidics, system integration, device automation, and new biosensor concepts, are providing an impetus for continuous improvements in multiplex detection and smart technologies. The pending challenges include reproducible bioanalytical performance, miniaturization of microfluidic devices, material safety and disposal, changing SP/SD specifications, data security and ownership, big data, and cost-effectiveness.

Dr. Sandeep K. Vashist
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.