Electrochemical biosensors: Towards point-of-care cancer diagnostics

Wide-scale point-of-care diagnostic systems hold great promise for early detection of cancer at a curable stage of the disease. This review discusses the prospects and challenges of electrochemical biosensors for next-generation cancer diagnostics. Electrochemical biosensors have played an important significant role in the transition towards point-of-care diagnostic devices. Such electrical devices are extremely useful for delivering the diagnostic information in a fast, simple, and low cost fashion in connection to compact (hand-held) analyzers. Modem electrochemical bioaffinity sensors, such as DNA- or immunosensors, offer remarkable sensitivity essential for early cancer detection. The coupling of electrochemical devices with nanoscale materials offers a unique multiplexing capability for simultaneous measurements of multiple cancer markers. The attractive properties of electrochemical devices are extremely promising for improving the efficiency of cancer diagnostics and therapy monitoring. With further development and resources, such portable devices are expected to speed up the diagnosis of cancer, making analytical results available at patient bedside or physician office within few minutes. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.