Translational Bioengineering for Cancer Diagnostics and Theranostics: Biosensors, Smart Therapy, Bioelectronics, and Point-of-Care Platforms

Cancer remains a major global health challenge, and outcomes depend strongly on early detection, accurate molecular stratification, and longitudinal monitoring. Conventional diagnostic pathways can be limited by invasiveness, late-stage detection, and inadequate sensitivity to capture tumour heterogeneity or dynamic treatment response. Translational bioengineering and biotechnology are addressing these gaps by linking clinically relevant biomarkers to engineered diagnostic and monitoring platforms that are sensitive, robust, scalable, and deployable. Rapid advances in biosensors, bioelectronics, microfluidics, and nanomaterials, together with low-cost fabrication routes such as paper-based electronics and additive manufacturing, are accelerating point-of-care (POC) testing and enabling portable, user-friendly systems. In parallel, the integration of these diagnostic platforms with targeted and precision cancer therapies is enabling real-time treatment monitoring and personalized therapeutic decision-making. These developments support a shift toward practical, technology-driven cancer diagnostics and engineering-led theranostics.This Research Topic aims to showcase translational bioengineering innovations that convert cancer biomarkers into real-world diagnostic, monitoring, and engineering-led theranostic systems. We seek contributions that advance minimally invasive and molecular diagnostics, including liquid biopsy-compatible workflows and sensing platforms for circulating tumour DNA, extracellular vesicles/exosomes, microRNAs, proteins, metabolites, and epigenetic markers. A central emphasis is placed on technology development and analytical validation, such as sample preparation and enrichment, assay robustness and reproducibility, multiplexing, stability, and testing in clinically relevant matrices (e.g., serum/plasma), with appropriate benchmarking against reference methods. We particularly welcome work that moves beyond proof-of-concept toward deployable solutions, including device integration, usability, manufacturability, and scalable prototyping. These advances also support rational cancer therapy by enabling treatment stratification, response assessment, and real-time therapeutic decision-making. Theranostic submissions are encouraged when they are clearly engineering-led, demonstrate definable technology innovation (e.g., monitoring-guided intervention concepts), and include appropriate experimental validation.The scope includes biosensors (electrochemical, optical, immunosensors, aptasensors), bioelectronics, microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems, nanomaterial-enabled signal enhancement, and translational POC formats such as paper-based analytical devices (papertronics/ePADs), screen-printed and flexible electrodes, wearable or portable sensing, smartphone-connected readouts, and 3D-printed cartridges/cassettes for integrated workflows. Computational and AI-enabled approaches (e.g., signal processing, sensor-data fusion) are welcome only when they directly advance a diagnostic/theranostic platform and are supported by appropriate validation. Submissions that demonstrate how such platforms inform, guide, or monitor cancer therapy, particularly targeted or precision treatment strategies, are encouraged.Out of scope: clinical trials and trial protocols; purely clinical observational studies without a substantive technology development component; epidemiology/risk-factor studies; modelling/AI-only manuscripts without validation and translational relevance; and bibliometric-only studies. Topic editors: Jagriti Narang, Roberto Pilloton, Sudheesh K. Shukla, PhD, MRSC, Humaira Farooqi Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78107/translational-bioengineering-for-cancer-diagnostics-and-theranostics-biosensors-smart-therapy-bioelectronics-and-point-of-care-platforms