Emerging applications of label-free optical biosensors

Nanophotonics

article

Giuliano Zanchetta¹  Roberta Lanfranco¹  Fabio Giavazzi¹  Tommaso Bellini¹  Marco Buscaglia¹ 

[1] Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano

关键词: optical materials;    surface plasmon resonance;    rapid analytical methods;    imaging;    DNA nanotechnology;   

DOI  :  10.1515/nanoph-2016-0158

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: De Gruyter

【 摘 要 】

Innovative technical solutions to realize optical biosensors with improved performance are continuously proposed. Progress in material fabrication enables developing novel substrates with enhanced optical responses. At the same time, the increased spectrum of available biomolecular tools, ranging from highly specific receptors to engineered bioconjugated polymers, facilitates the preparation of sensing surfaces with controlled functionality. What remains often unclear is to which extent this continuous innovation provides effective breakthroughs for specific applications. In this review, we address this challenging question for the class of label-free optical biosensors, which can provide a direct signal upon molecular binding without using secondary probes. Label-free biosensors have become a consolidated approach for the characterization and screening of molecular interactions in research laboratories. However, in the last decade, several examples of other applications with high potential impact have been proposed. We review the recent advances in label-free optical biosensing technology by focusing on the potential competitive advantage provided in selected emerging applications, grouped on the basis of the target type. In particular, direct and real-time detection allows the development of simpler, compact, and rapid analytical methods for different kinds of targets, from proteins to DNA and viruses. The lack of secondary interactions facilitates the binding of small-molecule targets and minimizes the perturbation in single-molecule detection. Moreover, the intrinsic versatility of label-free sensing makes it an ideal platform to be integrated with biomolecular machinery with innovative functionality, as in case of the molecular tools provided by DNA nanotechnology.

【 授权许可】

CC BY