Personalized diagnostics and biosensors: a review of the biology and technology needed for personalized medicine

Abstract

Exploiting the burgeoning fields of genomics, proteomics and metabolomics improves understanding of human physiology and, critically, the mutations that signal disease susceptibility. Through these emerging fields, rational design approaches to diagnosis, drug development and ultimately personalized medicine are possible. Personalized medicine and point-of-care testing techniques must fulfill a host of constraints for real-world applicability. Point-of-care devices (POCDs) must ultimately provide a cost-effective alternative to expensive and time-consuming laboratory tests in order to assist health care personnel with disease diagnosis and treatment decisions. Sensor technologies are also expanding beyond the more traditional classes of biomarkers--nucleic acids and proteins--to metabolites and direct detection of pathogens, ultimately increasing the palette of available techniques for the use of personalized medicine. The technologies needed to perform such diagnostics have also been rapidly evolving, with each generation being increasingly sensitive and selective while being more resource conscious. Ultimately, the final hurdle for all such technologies is to be able to drive consumer adoption and achieve a meaningful medical outcome for the patient.

Growth kinetics of gold nanoparticles on silica/graphene surfaces for multiplex biological immunoassays

“…Evolving personalized diagnostics and medicine also relies rapid proteomic profiling by microarray format biosensors (Ahmed et al 2013). Point-of-care devices required for personalized diagnostics are expected to develop through miniaturization and multiplexing.…”

Detection of single nano-defects in photonic crystals between crossed polarizers

“…Preventive action and early detection of diseases are identified among the best and most cost efficient means of improving health care [1,2]. This can be done by developing efficient high sensitivity biosensors that are cheap and small, allowing them to be applied by physicians at point-of-care or even as a personal appliance in the comfort of our own homes.…”

Is laboratory medicine ready for the era of personalized medicine? A survey addressed to laboratory directors of hospitals/academic schools of medicine in Europe

“…This is very important for many phenotypes under strong and genetic influences, for example, VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), ApoE (apolipoprotein E), and haptoglobin (60%, 30%, and 20% of genetic variability, respectively) [3][4][5]. References to populations have served health care excellently; however, the time has now come for a paradigm shift for laboratory data interpretation toward an increased focus on the genomics [6,7], proteomics [8], metabolomics [9], and other individual properties of patients (i.e., sex, ethnicity, and age) [10] to provide optimal diagnosis and treatments [11]. According to the EU Commission, "Personalised medicine refers to a medical model using molecular profiling for tailoring the right therapeutic strategy for the right person at the right time, and/or to determine the predisposition to disease and/or to deliver timely and targeted prevention" [12].…”

“…Substantial upfront investments are furthermore needed for instrumentation, structural changes, education, and training efforts [9,[24][25][26][27].…”