The global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the absence of a highly sensitive PoC diagnostic method that directly detects the virus, without prior sample preparation steps, in order to carry out a rapid and accurate diagnosis of the virus on a large scale. As a result, PCR tests have been favoured, with a consequent reduction of diagnostic capacity in absolute terms (fewer tests) due to the intrinsic limitations of the method, coupled with the lack of reagent supply and the saturation of authorised clinical laboratories.

The use of biosensors, especially those based on field effect transistors (FETs), is an important alternative, thanks to their ability to make highly sensitive and instantaneous measurements from small sample amounts.