The rapid diagnosis of many diseases and timely initiation of appropriate treatment are critical determinants that promote optimal clinical outcomes and general public health. Biosensors are now being applied for rapid diagnostics due to their capacity for point-of-care use with minimum need for operator input. Antibody-based biosensors or immunosensors have revolutionized diagnostics for the detection of a plethora of analytes such as disease markers, food and environmental contaminants, biological warfare agents and illicit drugs. Antibodies are ideal biorecognition elements that provide sensors with high specificity and sensitivity. This review describes monoclonal and recombinant antibodies and different immobilization approaches crucial for antibody utilization in biosensors. Examples of applications of a variety of antibody-based sensor formats are also described.
Artificial manipulation of antibody genes has facilitated the production of several unique recombinant antibody formats, which have highly important therapeutic and biotechnological applications. Although bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) are not new, they are coming to the forefront as our knowledge of the potential efficacy of antibody-based therapeutics expands. The next generation of bsAbs is developing due to significant improvements in recombinant antibody technologies. This review focuses on recent advances with a particular focus on improvements in format and design that are contributing to the resurgence of bsAbs, and in particular, on innovative structures applicable to next generation point-of-care (POC) devices with applicability to low resource environments.
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