Nanotechnology-based Diagnostics; Are we Facing the Biotechnology Evolution of the 21st Century?

Ikonomopoulos John

doi:10.4172/2161-1068.1000e102

Abstract

Undoubtedly the last third and even more so, the concluding decade of the previous century was a period during which the emergence and later on the broad application of Molecular Biology, revolutionized the field of Diagnostics. However the application of this type of technology despite its obvious success has also revealed some weak points. Nanotechnology seems to provide a very promising alternative that bypasses these weaknesses and perhaps supports the prospective for a new generation of diagnostic tests that will be easier to apply and hopefully equally efficient. The relevant evidences are elaborated in this article towards concluding whether we are facing the 21st century diagnostic revolution.

Highlights

The last third and even more so, the concluding decade of the 20th century was a period during which the emergence and later on the broad application of Molecular Biology, revolutionized the field of Diagnostics
What is especially intriguing about the applications mentioned above in terms of their potential practical use is in addition to their low minimum detection limit and small dependency on dedicated equipment, that they can be developed for all-in-one assays, i.e. the same principles of detection applied with a variety of nanoprobes designed to detect peptide or nucleic acid
The technical possibilities offered by the application of nanotechnology in the field of diagnostics seem practically numerous and by all means exciting

Summary

Introduction

The last third and even more so, the concluding decade of the 20th century was a period during which the emergence and later on the broad application of Molecular Biology, revolutionized the field of Diagnostics. The application of this type of technology despite its obvious success has revealed some weak points. During mainly the last decade, an increasing number of reports have been published describing an alternative approach for a great variety of applications including pathogen detection, incorporating nanotechnology. QDs can be used for multi-labeling or multi-target detection within the context of diagnostic applications designed to identify the genetic or the immunogenic footprint of a pathogen. Does this type of technology have the potential to generate in this century, a diagnostic revolution similar to that recorded in the previous by the application of Molecular Biology?

Basic properties

Technical principles

Conclusion