Biosensor developments: application to prostate-specific antigen detection

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the best serum marker currently available for the detection of prostate cancer and is the forensic marker of choice for determining the presence of azoospermic semen in some sexual assault cases. Most current assays for PSA detection are processed on large analyzers at dedicated testing sites, which require that samples be sent away for testing. This leads to delays in patient management and increased administration costs. The recent emphasis placed on the need for point-of-care patient management has led to the development of novel biosensor detection strategies that are suitable for the miniaturization of assays for various targets including PSA. This review highlights the current and novel analytical technologies used for PSA detection, which will benefit clinicians, patients and forensic workers in the future.