In recent years, mobile health (mHealth) technologies have emerged as a transformative force in the fight against infectious diseases, which continue to threaten global health. The convergence of smartphones, portable sensing devices, wearable biosensors, and AI-driven platforms has revolutionized point-of-care (POC) testing, enabling real-time health monitoring and decentralized diagnostics. Amidst the ongoing challenges posed by pandemics and escalating antimicrobial resistance, mHealth solutions have the potential to reshape early disease detection, outbreak surveillance, and remote patient management. Importantly, they also offer promising avenues for improving healthcare accessibility in developing regions and settings with limited resources. As research in this field progresses, novel biosensors, lab-on-a-chip technologies, and digital health innovations are poised to significantly enhance global health equity, accuracy, and efficiency in disease control.

The primary objective of this Research Topic is to evaluate the latest advancements in mHealth-based diagnostics, focusing on their ability to foster community empowerment, bolster disease surveillance, and promote health equity worldwide. Despite the significant strides made in modern medicine, countless individuals residing in low-resource areas continue to face significant barriers in accessing reliable healthcare and receiving timely disease diagnosis. This gap is particularly critical given that many diseases have already been effectively managed or eradicated in more developed parts of the world, leaving vulnerable populations exposed to outdated, costly, or time-inefficient diagnostic approaches. Our aim is to explore viable solutions, such as low-cost, automated, and portable sensing platforms, that facilitate real-time pathogen detection while obviating the need for complex laboratory setups and highly skilled personnel.

Focusing on the implementation of these solutions in real-world, resource-constrained environments, this Research Topic invites contributions that delve into various aspects of mHealth technologies for pathogen detection. Specific areas of interest include, but are not limited to, smartphone-based biosensing, AI and machine learning in diagnostics, wearable biosensors, microfluidics integrated with mHealth platforms, cost-effective sensing solutions, blockchain-based data management, and the challenges of regulatory adherence and ethical considerations:

- Smartphone-based biosensing and pathogen detection
- AI and machine learning for digital diagnostics and disease prediction
- Wearable and implantable biosensors for real-time disease monitoring
- Microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip technologies integrated with mHealth platforms
- Affordable and automated sensing platforms for resource-limited environments
- Blockchain and cybersecurity solutions for mHealth data management
- Regulatory, ethical, and implementation challenges in mHealth diagnostics
- Field applications of mHealth solutions in developing countries and underserved communities
- Integration of mHealth with telemedicine and remote patient monitoring to enhance healthcare accessibility

This Research Topic welcomes original research, reviews, case studies, and perspectives from researchers, engineers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers working at the intersection of mobile health, pathogen detection, and digital diagnostics. Through these contributions, we aim to drive innovation and improve global health equity, ensuring that technological advancements reach those who need them the most.

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Mobile Health (mHealth) for Pathogen Detection: Bridging Health Disparities