Antibodies in biosensing

Abstract

Biosensing, the detection of biological phenomena with accuracy and precision, is a rapidly growing and increasingly divergent field. The requirement for a stable, adaptable, and highly specific recognition receptor is of paramount importance to the design of a good biosensing assay. Among the receptors currently used in these applications, the antibody is perhaps the only one designed by evolution to be a natural biosensor. A greater understanding of the genetics of antibodies has given researchers the ability to manipulate their structure and to take advantage of the vast range of possible specificities. The platforms that rely on antibodies as recognition receptors, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), flow cytometry, radioimmunoassay (RIA), immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry, and antibody arrays, have evolved significantly to include new techniques and greater multiplexing opportunities. Here we give an overview of these techniques, and the ways in which the development of these biosensing assays are revolutionizing basic research, diagnostics, and therapeutics. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010.