Meeting policy requirements is essential for advancing molecular diagnostic devices from the laboratory to real-world applications and commercialization. Considering policy as a starting point in the design of new technology is a winning strategy. Rapid developments have put mobile biosensors at the frontier of molecular diagnostics, at times outpacing policymakers, and therefore offering new opportunities for breakthroughs in global health. In this Perspective we survey influential global health policies and recent developments in mobile biosensing in order to gain a new perspective for the future of the field. We summarize the main requirements for mobile diagnostics outlined by policy makers such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, the European Union (EU), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We then classify current mobile diagnostic technologies according to the manner in which the biosensor interfaces with a smartphone. We observe a trend in reducing hardware components and substituting instruments and laborious data processing steps for user-friendly apps. From this perspective we see software application developers as key collaborators for bridging the gap between policy and practice.
Keywords: diagnostics; mHealth; paper-based analytical devices; smartphone; telemedicine.