High throughput bioassays using nanoparticles

An overview of the usefulness of different nanoparticles to improve the features of high throughput separation and individual and multiplexed detection bioassays is presented. Although the development of microarray and microfluidic systems has expanded the capabilities of these high throughput assays, the combined use of NPs and these devices has provided them with new applications in drug discovery, proteomic and genomic studies, and clinical diagnosis. This article reviews the wide application field of magnetic, gold, silver, semiconductor and other nanoparticles in high throughput bioassays. Also, the versatility of the detection systems described shows that NPs are useful alternatives to fluorescent dyes, which are often used in these assays.