Bioanalytical advances in assays for C-reactive protein

•This review presents bioanalytical advances in assays for human C-reactive protein.•The pathophysiological role and clinical significance of CRP is provided.•Analytical performance of standard assays in clinical settings.•Advanced CRP assay formats with high performance and multiplexing are described.•Analytical aspect of CRP is discussed along with future prospects for POC testing.

This review presents advances in assays for human C-reactive protein (CRP), the most important biomarker of infection and inflammation for a plethora of diseases and pathophysiological conditions. Routine assays in clinical settings are based on analyzers, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and lateral flow assays. However, assays encompassing novel sensing schemes, improved chemistry, signal enhancement, lab-on-a-chip, microfluidics and smartphone detection, have emerged in recent years. The incorporation of immune-transducing chips or sensing interfaces with nanomaterials enables multiplexing analysis of CRP with co-existing biomarkers. However, there are still considerable challenges in the development of rapid diagnostics for both pentameric and monomeric CRP forms.