Development of immunosensors using carbon nanotubes

With increasing reports on bioterrorism, avian flu, and other bio-threats, rapid and real time detection methods are highly warranted. Studies on developing highly sensitive immunosensors aiming at the early detection and clinical diagnoses of various diseases including cancer are undertaken all over the globe. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely discussed as materials with enormous potential for a wide range of in vivo and in vitro bioapplications, ranging from drug delivery to highly sensitive biosensors, owing to their superior electronic and mechanical properties along with nanoscale dimensions. Though a lot of attention has been drawn toward carbon nanotubes for the past 15 years in academia and to a certain extent in industry, CNT-based immunosensors and other applications are still in the nascent stage, and there are many challenges to be overcome for the successful commercialization of the concepts. This article highlights on the recent developments and the possible impacts of carbon nanotube based immunosensors.