REVIEW The future point-of-care detection of disease and its data capture and handling Natalia Lopez-Barbosa 1 & Jorge D. Gamarra 1 & Johann F. Osma 1 Received: 29 September 2015 /Revised: 21 November 2015 /Accepted: 3 December 2015 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016 Abstract Point-of-care detection is a widely studied area that attracts effort and interest from a large number of fields and companies. However, there is also increased interest from the general public in this type of device, which has driven enormous changes in the design and conception of these developments and the way data is handled. Therefore, future point-of-care detection has to include communication with front-end technology, such as smartphones and networks, automation of manufacture, and the incorporation of concepts like the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing. Three key examples, based on different sensing technology, are analyzed in detail on the basis of these items to highlight a route for the future design and development of point- of-care detection devices and their data capture and handling. Keywords Biochips . High - throughput screening . Biosensors . Biotechnological products . Clinical . Biomedicalanalysis . Electrochemicalsensors . Masssensitive sensors . Process analysis Introduction Point-of-care testing diagnosis systems are devices that are capable of providing non-trained individuals with real-time diagnostic results in a particular scenario, eliminating the need for waiting time between the test and the results. Because point-of-care devices are commonly used by non-experts, the Bsample-to-answer^ format, in which the user loads a sample and in return gets a diagnosis, is commonly preferred [1]. The most common commercial point-of-care devices in- clude electrochemical detection methods and immunoassays used for diabetes self-monitoring and home pregnancy tests. Many efforts are being made to increase the availability of devices that provide patients with point-of-care detection. For instance, the emergence and propagation of antibiotic resis- tance has created a concern about the intake of antibiotics by patients that do not require them [2]. A successful point-of- care test could differentiate a viral infection from a bacterial one, reducing the unnecessary use of antibiotics in conditions known to be principally viral [3]. Moreover, patients with chronical diseases such as diabetes need to be constantly mon- itored. Providing them with a point-of-care detection device reduces their dependence on clinical diagnoses which im- proves their quality of life. In addition, if the information acquired from the device is easily transferred to the patient’ s doctor, a more accurate monitoring of the condition can be performed. Lab-on-a-chip (LoC) devices and microfluidics are currently being targeted because of their low sample and reagent volume requirements, easy integration, and rapid response [1]. Different types of diseases are of interest in terms of point- of-care detection and diagnosis. In general, diseases that usu- ally require a long time between the test and the results are of special interest. These can be classified in terms of the target analyte as proteins, cells, nucleic acids, and metabolites. The presence of proteins, generally in the bloodstream, can be used for the diagnosis of diseases [4]. Target proteins are usually detected by immunoassay, in which antigen–antibody binding reactions are used in the analysis because of their high Published in the topical collection featuring Young Investigators in Analytical and Bioanalytical Science with guest editors S. Daunert, A. Baeumner, S. Deo, J. Ruiz Encinar, and L. Zhang. * Johann F. Osma jf.osma43@uniandes.edu.co 1 CMUA, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of los Andes, Cra. 1E No. 19ª-40, Bogota, DC 111711, Colombia Anal Bioanal Chem DOI 10.1007/s00216-015-9249-2