Application of selected biosensor techniques in clinical diagnostics

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Examination of disease biomarkers mostly performed on crude materials, such as serum, meets some obstacles, resulting from sample complexity and the wide range of concentrations and sizes of the components. Techniques currently used in clinical diagnostics are usually time-consuming and expensive. The more sensitive and portable devices are needed for early diagnostics. Chemical sensors are devices that convert chemical information into parameters suitable for fast and precise processing and measurement.

Area covered

We review the use of biosensors and their possible application in early diagnostics of some diseases like cancer or viral infections. We focus on different types of biorecognition and some technical modifications, lowering the limit of detection potentially attractive to medical practitioners.

Expert opinion

Among the new diagnostic strategies, the use of biosensors is of increasing interest. In these techniques, the capture ligand interacts with the analyte of interest. Measuring interactions between partners in real time by surface plasmon resonance yields valuable information about kinetics and affinity in a short time and without labels. Importantly, the tendency in such techniques is to make biosensor devices smaller and the test results apparent with the naked eye, so they can be used in point-of-care medicine.

KEYWORDS:

• Biosensors
• surface plasmon resonance
• diagnostics
• analytical methods
• point-of-care medicine

Article highlights

• Biosensors can be an effective tool in point-of-care medicine.

• Chemical modifications of the sensor surface decrease significantly the limit of detection.

• SPR based biosensors are promising in early diagnostics of some diseases (e.g. viral infections, cancer, neurogenerative disorders)

• The most challenging issue of today is integration of biosensor techniques with microfluidic measurement cells under smartphone control

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was funded by Wroclaw Medical University project STM.A070.18.010.