The dissemination of sensors is key to realizing a sustainable, ‘intelligent’ world, where everyday objects and environments are equipped with sensing capabilities to advance the sustainability and quality of our lives—e.g. via smart homes, smart cities, smart healthcare, smart logistics, Industry 4.0, and precision agriculture. The realization of the full potential of these applications critically depends on the availability of easy-to-make, low-cost sensor technologies. Sensors based on printable electronic materials offer the ideal platform: they can be fabricated through simple methods (e.g. printing and coating) and are compatible with high-throughput roll-to-roll processing. Moreover, printable electronic materials often allow the fabrication of sensors on flexible/stretchable/biodegradable substrates, thereby enabling the deployment of sensors in unconventional settings. Fulfilling the promise of printable electronic materials for sensing will require materials and device innovations to enhance their ability to transduce external stimuli—light, ionizing radiation, pressure, strain, force, temperature, gas, vapours, humidity, and other chemical and biological analytes. This Roadmap brings together the viewpoints of experts in various printable sensing materials—and devices thereof—to provide insights into the status and outlook of the field. Alongside recent materials and device innovations, the roadmap discusses the key outstanding challenges pertaining to each printable sensing technology. Finally, the Roadmap points to promising directions to overcome these challenges and thus enable ubiquitous sensing for a sustainable, ‘intelligent’ world.

This research presents an innovative all-in-one 3D-printed electrochemical biosensor for noninvasive detection of uric acid in saliva. Uric acid is a key biomarker for monitoring disorders such as gout and kidney disease as well as assessing the progression of metabolic conditions. The 3D-printed platform integrates a microwell, saliva collection module, and a three-electrode system, including carbon black and Prussian-blue-modified electrodes with immobilized uricase, into a single compact device, streamlining the sampling-to-detection workflow. Initial optimization using screen-printed electrodes on polyester films with differential pulse voltammetry established baseline performance, while the fully integrated 3D-printed system, with the incorporation of uricase, achieved detection limits of 0.09 μM in phosphate-buffered saline and 0.1 μM in 20% diluted saliva. Comparative analysis with high-performance liquid chromatography confirmed the accuracy and reliability of the measurements. By combining nanomaterial-enhanced electrodes, enzymatic recognition, and additive manufacturing, this platform offers a portable, user-friendly, and low-cost solution for point-of-care uric acid monitoring. The integrated design minimizes sample handling, prevents contamination, and enables hygienic, noninvasive collection. This approach facilitates rapid diagnostic testing and real-time health monitoring, providing actionable information for personalized patient care. Overall, the fully 3D-printed biosensing system represents a significant advance in electrochemical biosensors, demonstrating the potential to improve the clinical management of uric acid-related conditions while enabling scalable, accessible, and point-of-care diagnostics.

Printed electrochemical strips are increasingly used in nucleic acid diagnostics due to their affordability portability, compactness, and ease of use. To respond to traditional electrochemical methods that require complex immobilization protocols, in this study, we introduce a simplified platform that combines a cost-effective electrode printed on a polyester substrate with a hybridization chain reaction (HCR) for DNA signal amplification. Unlike prior approaches that rely on nanomaterials or intricate modifications, our method places the target sequence and hairpins directly on the electrode surface, reducing both cost and preparation time while maintaining efficient signal amplification. Using DNA modified with methylene blue (MB) as a redox mediator, the system generates a "signal-off" response by suppressing electron transfer when MB intercalates into the DNA polymers formed by HCR. This approach eliminates the need for complex surface functionalization, enhancing ease of fabrication and consistency. Targeting miRNA-21, a known cancer biomarker, the sensor achieves picomolar sensitivity in both buffer and diluted human serum. This platform offers a cost-effective, sensitive, and portable solution for point-of-care diagnostics and real-time miRNA monitoring in clinical settings.

Locked nucleic acids (LNAs) are chemically modified oligonucleotides widely used in gene silencing and precision oncology, yet their clinical translation is limited by the absence of simple, rapid assays to quantify them directly in biological fluids for dose optimization and timely therapeutic feedback. Here, we report a paper-based electrochemical biosensor for the direct detection of antisense LNA oligonucleotides using LNA-anti-miR-155 as a clinically relevant model. The platform employs a methylene blue-labeled RNA probe that mimics the native miRNA target and yield a signal-off voltammetric response upon hybridization. The disposable, gold nanoparticle-modified paper electrodes support picomolar detection limits, high reproducibility, and reliable performance in undiluted human plasma without sample pretreatment. By combining portability, low cost, and rapid analysis in a single-use format, this biosensor advances point-of-care monitoring of LNA-based therapeutics and provides a versatile blueprint for future personalized treatment platforms targeting antisense oligonucleotides.