Point of care testing: The impact of nanotechnology

Characteristics of Microfluidic Paper-based Analytical Devices Fabricated by Four Different Methods

“…1 For these reasons, μPADs are to be popular alternative devices to conventional ones for food safety analysis, 2,3 environmental monitoring, 4,5 and pointof-care diagnosis. [6][7][8][9] μPADs have been fabricated by a variety of methods, including (1) photolithography, [10][11][12] (2) wax printing, [12][13][14] (3) inkjet printing, [15][16][17][18] (4) screen printing, [19][20][21][22] and (5) craft cutting.…”

Gold Nanoparticles for Diagnostics: Advances towards Points of Care

“…Recent developments in nanotechnology have put forward a wide range of nanosensing platforms with unique properties that are revolutionizing molecular diagnostics [5]. Here, a focus will be given to gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-based platforms that are suitable for POCT, stating the physical-chemical principals and biomolecular recognition used in these platforms, promising state of the art proof of concepts that may be suitable for POCT and finally some examples of current status of the market in this field.…”

“…As such, AuNPs have been extensively used as electrochemical labels and carriers of biomolecules for detection of clinical relevant analytes, such as DNA [35], cancer-associated proteins [42] and circulating cancer cells [43]. Additionally, AuNPs have been used to modify the electrode surface in order to increase the redox surface area, allow the immobilization of biomolecules and improve direct electron transfer which allows for electrochemical signal amplification [5]. …”

Paper-Based Point-Of-Care Testing in Disease Diagnostics

“…Since the seminal work of Whitesides and colleagues in 2007 describing the first microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) [10], a myriad of applications in bioanalysis, healthcare and disease screening have been demonstrated. The combination of the capabilities of microfluidic systems with the flexibility of lateral flow test strip technologies has yielded valuable POC diagnostic platforms [11][12][13]. Paper-based microfluidics presents a unique opportunity for diagnosis Editorial Syedmoradi & Gomez of various diseases due to their affordability, ease of fabrication, reproducibility, sensitivity and low limits of detection.…”