Recent Developments in the Field of Optical Immunosensors Focusing on a Label-Free, White Light Reflectance Spectroscopy-Based Immunosensing Platform

Abstract

Optical immunosensors represent a research field of continuously increasing interest due to their unique features, which can mainly be attributed to the high-affinity and specific antibodies they use as biorecognition elements, combined with the advantageous characteristics of the optical transducing systems these sensors employ. The present work describes new developments in the field, focusing on recent bioanalytical applications (2021–2022) of labeled and label-free optical immunosensors. Special attention is paid to a specific immunosensing platform based on White Light Reflectance Spectroscopy, in which our labs have gained specific expertise; this platform is presented in detail so as to include developments, improvements, and bioanalytical applications since the mid-2000s. Perspectives on the field are been briefly discussed as well, highlighting the potential of optical immunosensors to eventually reach the state of a reliable, highly versatile, and widely applicable analytical tool suitable for use at the Point-of-Care.