Electrochemical Affinity Assays/Sensors: Brief History and Current Status

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Biosensors
• Nanomaterials

Background:

• Electrochemical affinity assays and sensors emerged in the 1970s.
• They enable selective and sensitive detection of various analytes.
• The core principle involves analyte capture by an affinity element and signal transduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the early development of electrochemical affinity assays.
• To focus on advances in the past decade.
• To highlight improvements in sensitivity and device usability.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on electroactive labels (nanoparticles, quantum dots, redox compounds, enzymes).
• Examination of nanomaterials, microfabrication, and microfluidics technologies.
• Analysis of developments in user-friendly, disposable sensor formats.

Main Results:

• Significant sensitivity improvements achieved through advanced electroactive labels and amplification schemes.
• Emergence of nanomaterials integrated with microfabrication and microfluidics.
• Development of practical electrochemical sensor devices like lab-on-a-chip, paper, and wearable sensors.

Conclusions:

• Recent progress has greatly enhanced the sensitivity of electrochemical affinity sensors.
• Nanomaterials and microfluidics are key drivers for developing advanced sensor platforms.
• The field is moving towards more user-friendly, portable, and disposable electrochemical sensing devices.