Label-Free Physical Techniques and Methodologies for Proteins Detection in Microfluidic Biosensor Structures
Georgii Konoplev,
Darina Agafonova,
Liubov Bakhchova,
Nikolay Mukhin,
Marharyta Kurachkina,
Marc-Peter Schmidt,
Nikolay Verlov,
Alexander Sidorov,
Aleksandr Oseev,
Oksana Stepanova,
Andrey Kozyrev,
Alexander Dmitriev,
Soeren Hirsch
Affiliations
Georgii Konoplev
Faculty of Electronics, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”, 197376 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Darina Agafonova
Faculty of Electronics, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”, 197376 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Liubov Bakhchova
Institute for Automation Technology, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany
Nikolay Mukhin
Faculty of Electronics, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”, 197376 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Marharyta Kurachkina
Department of Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Brandenburg, 14770 Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany
Marc-Peter Schmidt
Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany
Nikolay Verlov
Molecular and Radiation Biophysics Division, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute Named by B.P. Konstantinov, National Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, 188300 Gatchina, Russia
Alexander Sidorov
Faculty of Electronics, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”, 197376 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Aleksandr Oseev
FEMTO-ST Institute, CNRS UMR-6174, University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 25000 Besançon, France
Oksana Stepanova
Faculty of Electronics, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”, 197376 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Andrey Kozyrev
Faculty of Electronics, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”, 197376 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Alexander Dmitriev
Department of Ecological Physiology, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “Institute of Experimental Medicine” (FSBSI “IEM”), 197376 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Soeren Hirsch
Department of Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Brandenburg, 14770 Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany
Proteins in biological fluids (blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid) are important biomarkers of various pathological conditions. Protein biomarkers detection and quantification have been proven to be an indispensable diagnostic tool in clinical practice. There is a growing tendency towards using portable diagnostic biosensor devices for point-of-care (POC) analysis based on microfluidic technology as an alternative to conventional laboratory protein assays. In contrast to universally accepted analytical methods involving protein labeling, label-free approaches often allow the development of biosensors with minimal requirements for sample preparation by omitting expensive labelling reagents. The aim of the present work is to review the variety of physical label-free techniques of protein detection and characterization which are suitable for application in micro-fluidic structures and analyze the technological and material aspects of label-free biosensors that implement these methods. The most widely used optical and impedance spectroscopy techniques: absorption, fluorescence, surface plasmon resonance, Raman scattering, and interferometry, as well as new trends in photonics are reviewed. The challenges of materials selection, surfaces tailoring in microfluidic structures, and enhancement of the sensitivity and miniaturization of biosensor systems are discussed. The review provides an overview for current advances and future trends in microfluidics integrated technologies for label-free protein biomarkers detection and discusses existing challenges and a way towards novel solutions.
