Taking Charge Against the Silent Pandemic-Electrochemical Characterization of Drug Resistance.

The occurrence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and chemoresistance (CMR) during bacterial infections and cancer progression, respectively, has become a serious threat leading to increased mortality rates and putting significant pressure on healthcare systems globally. The design and application of new bioanalytical methodologies capable of early AMR and CMR detection in patients is urgently needed to overcome the challenges imposed by drug resistance. Electrochemical methods and (bio)sensors have attracted the widespread attention of researchers as promising tools to identify AMR and CMR in patients due to their high sensitivity, operational simplicity, lower cost, and fast response when compared to conventional assays. In addition, these analytical tools can be miniaturized, favoring the design of point-of-care (POC) devices. In this feature review paper, we report the most recent and promising achievements of electrochemistry-based approaches to detect and understand AMR and CMR, and answer the question of whether genomic or activity-based methods are more advantageous for drug susceptibility testing. The use of methods such as voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is highlighted and discussed. In addition, technical challenges related to the widespread commercialization of such electrochemical devices are discussed, and future research directions are suggested.