Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B Microneedle-Based Devices for Point-of-Care Infectious Disease Diagnostics --Manuscript Draft-- Manuscript Number: APSB-D-20-01585R1 Article Type: Hot Topic Reviews in Drug Delivery: Review Article Keywords: Microneedle; infectious disease; Point-of-care Diagnostics (PoC); Biomarker Detection; skin; Biosensor; COVID-19 Corresponding Author: Keng Wooi Ng, Ph.D. Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear UNITED KINGDOM First Author: Rachael V. Dixon Order of Authors: Rachael V. Dixon Eldhose Skaria, Ph.D. Wing Man Lau, Ph.D. Philip Manning, Ph.D. Mark-Birch Machin, Ph.D. S. Moein Moghimi, Ph.D. Keng Wooi Ng, Ph.D. Abstract: Recent infectious disease outbreaks, such as COVID-19 and Ebola, have highlighted the need for rapid and accurate diagnosis to initiate treatment and curb transmission. Successful diagnostic strategies critically depend on the efficiency of biological sampling and timely analysis. However, current diagnostic techniques are invasive/intrusive and present a severe bottleneck by requiring specialist equipment and trained personnel. Moreover, centralised test facilities are poorly accessible and the requirement to travel may increase disease transmission. Self-administrable, point- of-care microneedle diagnostic devices could provide a viable solution to these problems. These miniature needle arrays can detect biomarkers in/from the skin in a minimally invasive manner to provide (near-)real-time diagnosis. Few microneedle devices have been developed specifically for infectious disease diagnosis, though similar technologies are well established in other fields and generally adaptable for infectious disease diagnosis. These include microneedles for biofluid extraction, microneedle sensors and analyte-capturing microneedles, or combinations thereof. Analyte sampling/detection from both blood and dermal interstitial fluid is possible. These technologies are in their early stages of development for infectious disease diagnostics, and there is a vast scope for further development. In this review, we discuss the utility and future outlook of these microneedle technologies in infectious disease diagnosis. Suggested Reviewers: Ryan Donnelly Queen's University Belfast R.Donnelly@qub.ac.uk Professor Donnelly is a world leader in microneedle technology for healthcare applications. Diganta Das Loughborough University d.b.das@lboro.ac.uk Dr Das has expertise on the mathematical modelling of fluid flow through microfluidic systems and has studied extensively the optimisation of microneedle arrays for skin penetration. John Lowry Maynooth University john.lowry@mu.ie Prof Lowry is an expert in electrochemistry, sensors and biosensors Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems Corporation