Abstract
Since microorganisms are evolving rapidly, there is a growing need for a new, fast, and precise technique to analyse blood samples and distinguish healthy from pathological samples. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy can provide information related to the biochemical composition and how it changes when a pathological state arises. FTIR spectroscopy has undergone rapid development over the last decades with a promise of easier, faster, and more impartial diagnoses within the biomedical field. However, thus far only a limited number of studies have addressed the use of FTIR spectroscopy in this field. This paper describes the main concepts related to FTIR and presents the latest research focusing on FTIR spectroscopy technology and its integration in lab-on-a-chip devices and their applications in the biological field. This review presents the potential use of FTIR to distinguish between healthy and pathological samples, with examples of early cancer detection, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) detection, and routine blood analysis, among others. Finally, the study also reflects on the features of FTIR technology that can be applied in a lab-on-a-chip format and further developed for small healthcare devices that can be used for point-of-care monitoring purposes. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no other published study has reviewed these topics. Therefore, this analysis and its results will fill this research gap.
Highlights
Millions of blood test analyses are performed every day worldwide in order to provide blood diagnostic services for the patients [1]
Spectroscopy read, and those that did not fit the purpose of this review were excluded
ATR-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy with multivariate analysis was able to accurately identify HIV-infected pregnant women based on blood plasma, showing the potential of this method for early detection of HIV in a fast and reagent-free approach
Summary
Millions of blood test analyses are performed every day worldwide in order to provide blood diagnostic services for the patients [1] These tests are performed in clinical laboratories, simultaneously using different devices and relying on different specialties [2]. These devices are needed to run routine blood tests [2] and examine multiple parameters to assist the physicians in haematology-, chemistry-, and immunology-related diagnosis, among others. Diagnostic devices currently available on the market rely on the same measuring techniques developed in the last century (mainly spectrophotometry or electrochemical assays) [6]. The primary, commercially available measuring techniques for such devices are spectrophotometry, enzyme-linked
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