Nucleic acids are natural biopolymers of nucleotides that store, encode, transmit and express genetic information, which play central roles in diverse cellular events and diseases in living things. The analysis of nucleic acids and nucleic acids-based analysis have been widely applied in biological studies, clinical diagnosis, environmental analysis, food safety and forensic analysis. During the past decades, the field of nucleic acids analysis has been rapidly advancing with many technological breakthroughs. In this review, we focus on the methods developed for analyzing nucleic acids, nucleic acids-based analysis, device for nucleic acids analysis, and applications of nucleic acids analysis. The representative strategies for the development of new nucleic acids analysis in this field are summarized, and key advantages and possible limitations are discussed. Finally, a brief perspective on existing challenges and further research development is provided.

核酸是核苷酸的天然生物聚合物，可存储、编码、传输和表达遗传信息，在生物的多种细胞事件和疾病中发挥核心作用。核酸分析和基于核酸的分析已广泛应用于生物学研究、临床诊断、环境分析、食品安全和法医分析。在过去的几十年里，核酸分析领域迅速发展，取得了许多技术突破。在这篇综述中，我们重点关注核酸分析方法、基于核酸的分析、核酸分析设备以及核酸分析的应用。总结了该领域发展新型核酸分析的代表性策略，并讨论了主要优点和可能的局限性。最后，对现有挑战和进一步研究发展进行了简要展望。