Advances in nanomaterials and their applications in point of care (POC) devices for the diagnosis of infectious diseases

Dai Thien Nhan Tram; Hao Wang; Sigit Sugiarto; Tao Li; Wee Han Ang; Chengkuo Lee; Giorgia Pastorin

doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2016.09.003

Advances in nanomaterials and their applications in point of care (POC) devices for the diagnosis of infectious diseases

Biotechnol Adv. 2016 Dec;34(8):1275-1288. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2016.09.003. Epub 2016 Sep 26.

Authors

Dai Thien Nhan Tram¹, Hao Wang², Sigit Sugiarto³, Tao Li⁴, Wee Han Ang⁵, Chengkuo Lee⁶, Giorgia Pastorin⁷

Affiliations

¹ Pharmacy Department National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore. Electronic address: tram.dai.thien.nhan@u.nus.edu.
² Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering, Drive 3, Singapore 117576, Singapore. Electronic address: elewangh@nus.edu.sg.
³ Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore. Electronic address: sigit.sugiarto@u.nus.edu.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore. Electronic address: litao@u.nus.edu.
⁵ Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore. Electronic address: chmawh@nus.edu.sg.
⁶ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering, Drive 3, Singapore 117576, Singapore. Electronic address: elelc@nus.edu.sg.
⁷ Pharmacy Department National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore; NanoCore, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576, Singapore; NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, Centre for Life Sciences (CeLS), Singapore 117456, Singapore. Electronic address: phapg@nus.edu.sg.

Abstract

Nanotechnology has gained much attention over the last decades, as it offers unique opportunities for the advancement of the next generation of sensing tools. Point-of-care (POC) devices for the selective detection of biomolecules using engineered nanoparticles have become a main research thrust in the diagnostic field. This review presents an overview on how the POC-associated nanotechnology, currently applied for the identification of nucleic acids, proteins and antibodies, might be further exploited for the detection of infectious pathogens: although still premature, future integrations of nanoparticles with biological markers that target specific microorganisms will enable timely therapeutic intervention against life-threatening infectious diseases.

Keywords: Diagnostic tools; Infectious diseases; Nanotechnology; Pathogens; Point-of-care (POC).

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Communicable Diseases / diagnosis*
Humans
Nanomedicine / methods*
Nanostructures* / chemistry
Nanostructures* / therapeutic use
Point-of-Care Systems*