Nanotechnology in clinical laboratory diagnostics

Nanotechnology-the creation and utilization of materials, devices, and systems through the control of matter on the nanometer-has been applied to molecular diagnostics. This article reviews nanobiotechnologies that are clinically relevant and have the potential to be incorporated in clinical laboratory diagnosis. Nanotechnologies enable the diagnosis at single cell and molecule level and some of these can be incorporated in the current molecular diagnostics such as biochips. Nanoparticles, such as gold nanoparticles and quantum dots, are the most widely used but various other nanotechnologies for manipulation at nanoscale as well as nanobiosensors are reviewed. These technologies will extend the limits of current molecular diagnostics and enable point-of-care diagnosis as well as the development of personalized medicine. Although the potential diagnostic applications are unlimited, most important current applications are foreseen in the areas of biomarker research, cancer diagnosis and detection of infectious microorganisms.