Biofunctionalization of nanoparticles for cytosensing and cell surface carbohydrate assay

Abstract

Developing sensitive and specific sensing strategies for probing the chemical and biological events in/at a living cell can ultimately contribute to the understanding of life processes. These strategies are also beneficial to early diagnosis of diseases for early and successful treatment. Biofunctionalization of nanoparticles can integrate remarkable properties of both biological components and nanoparticles, thus providing a promising platform for tracing the recognition and transduction processes and improving the sensing performance. This Feature Article reviews the current research regarding the biofunctionalization strategies, and the usage of the bionanocomposites in the arena of cytosensing and cell surface carbohydrate assay. © 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry.