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Sensors applications represent one of the most promising commercial products developments. The Global Industry Analysts predicted that in 2017, the global market for biosensors in medical diagnostics would reach US$16.5 billion. The increased R&D focused on highly accurate real-time diagnosis using biosensors and the demand for biosensors based equipment drives this market. The emergence of new technologies including nanomaterials based-sensors, microfluidics, and non-invasive sensors also act as other market drivers. Until 2016, diagnostic sensors for point of care will continue to drive the market while biodefense and environmental markets are predicted to have the highest CAGRs at 13%-15%. This paper will focus on the preliminary studies in the development of nano and bio sensors for life sciences applications. Data gathered for detection of disease biomarkers using nanotechnology, electrochemistry, and colorimetric methods will be discussed. Studies on the development of lateral flow strip tests, glass slide-based sensors, and 96-well plate assays using quantum dots fluorescence, absorbance, and electrochemical detection methods will be presented.

Engineered nanomaterials (eNMs) are dominating the 21st century in industrial, biological, and medical applications. ENMs are the emerging new materials for sunscreens, medical imaging , solar cell, cosmetics, sports gadgets, consumer products, as well as biological detection materials. One of the major concerns in the application of ENMs like quantum dots (QDs) in life sciences research and clinical diagnostics is non-specific binding (NSB) or nonspecific uptake (NSU) in biological materials such as cells, proteins, or DNA. Elimination of non-specific uptake of ENMs is essential in order to utilize the maximum potential for detection of different biological molecules resulting from the >50% higher emission intensity of QDs in comparison with organic dyes. Furthermore, ENMs are small enough to be used in biological systems making them useful for clinical applications such as drug delivery and/or magnetic resonance imaging. Since QDs are size tunable they can be modified for the detection of single or multiple analyte. However, NSU and/or NSB must be minimized or eliminated before these can be used for the detection of biological analytes. Studies on the development of blocking buffers to minimize or eliminate NSB/NSU have been initiated. Blockers such as bovine serum albumin, polyvinyl pyrrolidone and detergents such as tween 20 and triton X 100 have been used to minimize NSB/NSU. Results of blocking nonspecific uptake of ENMs will be discussed.

Quantum dots (QDs) are a new generation of fluorescent labeling agents which have recently attracted researcher's attention for a variety of biomedical applications. Literature on the applications of quantum dots in the life sciences has recently significantly increased in number that is in line with predictions that nanotechnology in life sciences research will contribute $3.4 billion by 2010 while the National Science Foundation is predicting that the market for nanotechnology and corresponding products will reach $1 trillion in 10 to 15 years. The chemical sensor industry, which is a $2.9 billion US industry, is predicted to grow while applications of nanomaterials have been estimated to have a market impact of over US$ 340 billion within a decade. In this present work, we developed a QD-based protein sensor using mouse IgG as the model analyte. The sensor was designed using a combination of capture antibody (rabbit anti-mouse IgG antibody) and QDs conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG for detection. In order to eliminate the non-specific binding of QD-labeled antibody, a super blocker BBB was used for the assay. Thus, we successfully demonstrated the use of QDs for protein sensing.

Nanotechnology, the area of study involving nanoparticles, century; medical fields. The nanotechnology is one of the fastest growing sectors of the high-tech economy in the 21st industry, it is currently undergoing unprecedented development in nowadays especially in areas of biological research for clinical, environmental and life science applications. The most frequently used nanoparticles are superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles and semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). SPIO nanoparticles with nanometer sizes and superparamagnetic properties are widely used for labeling and sorting cells or organelles, magnetic resonance imaging, targeted drug delivery, and hyperthermia. QDs combined the unique size-dependent physical properties, excellent chemical and photochemical stability, controlled and increased endocytosis, enhanced cooperative binding activity, and easy introduction of multi-functionality for targeted delivery and imaging, and became the most promising labeling tool for life science studies. Both types of nanomaterials provide special approaches for complex studies and play very important roles in modern biomedical research. However, non-specific uptake of QDs and SPIO nanoparticles is a major concern because it can lead to false positives or false results. Hence, we report cellular uptake studies on SPIO nanoparticles and QDs conducted on breast cancer cell line SK-BR3. The results show that both QDs and SPIO nanoparticles have very strong non-specific cellular uptake. With specially designed blocking buffer (BBB) the non-specific signals were significantly decreased.

Sensors applications represent one of the most promising commercial products developments. The Global Industry Analysts predicted that in 2017, the global market for biosensors in medical diagnostics would reach US$16.5 billion. The increased R&D focused on highly accurate real-time diagnosis using biosensors and the demand for biosensors based equipment drives this market. The emergence of new technologies including nanomaterials based-sensors, microfluidics, and non-invasive sensors also act as other market drivers. Until 2016, diagnostic sensors for point of care will continue to drive the market while biodefense and environmental markets are predicted to have the highest CAGRs at 13%–15%. This paper will focus on the preliminary studies in the development of nano and bio sensors for life sciences applications. Data gathered for detection of disease biomarkers using nanotechnology, electrochemistry, and colorimetric methods will be discussed. Studies on the development of lateral flow strip tests, glass slide-based sensors, and 96-well plate assays using quantum dots fluorescence, absorbance, and electrochemical detection methods will be presented.