Recent Advances in Biosensors for Detecting Cancer-Derived Exosomes

Abstract

Early detection and effective treatments are two of the greatest challenges in the fight against cancer. Cancer-derived exosomes are attractive biomarkers for the early diagnosis and therapeutic response evaluation of cancer. Here, we review recent advances in biosensors for the detection of cancer-derived exosomes. We discuss the potential exosomal biomarkers of various cancers, which can be applied as indicative targets in the design of biosensors. We further describe the fabrication of exosome detection biosensors with respect to biological recognition strategies and signal transduction techniques, which involve integrated scientific and technological aspects of analytical chemistry and nanotechnology. Furthermore, future research directions and challenges in using cancer-derived exosomes for point-of-care (POC) testing are presented.