Microcantilever-based platforms as biosensing tools

Analyst. 2010 May;135(5):827-36. doi: 10.1039/b908503n. Epub 2010 Jan 13.

Abstract

The fast and progressive growth of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields forces the development of new and powerful sensing techniques for process optimization and detection of biomolecules at very low concentrations. During the last years, the simplest MEMS structures, i.e. microcantilevers, have become an emerging and promising technology for biosensing applications, due to their small size, fast response, high sensitivity and their compatible integration into "lab-on-a-chip" devices. This article provides an overview of some of the most interesting bio-detections carried out during the last 2-3 years with the microcantilever-based platforms, which highlight the continuous expansion of this kind of sensor in the medical diagnosis field, reaching limits of detection at the single molecule level.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / analysis
  • Bacteria / isolation & purification
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / analysis
  • Biosensing Techniques / instrumentation
  • Biosensing Techniques / methods*
  • Environmental Pollutants / analysis
  • Environmental Pollutants / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques
  • Nanotechnology
  • Polymers / chemistry

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Polymers