8 – Fast immunoassay

TLDR: Using these strategies, the whole assay of cancer biomarkers could be completed within several minutes (compared with the several hours in conventional immunoassays) with normally an improved detection limit.

Abstract: Fast immunoassay is one of the major requisites for point-of-care testing. As antibody-antigen binding is often limited by mass transport rather than by binding kinetics (i.e., recognition rate), different approaches such as active transport mode (flow-injection and syringe-injection), mechanical mixing (stirring and rotating), field-driven acceleration (electronic and magnetic field), thermal transport (microwave and infrared heating), and motion substrate (micro/nano motor) have been employed to enhance mass transport and overcome diffusion-limited kinetics for reducing incubation time. Using these strategies, the whole assay of cancer biomarkers could be completed within several minutes (compared with the several hours in conventional immunoassays) with normally an improved detection limit. Fast immunoassay is essential for practical clinical application, and is an important field in the development of immunoassay.