Department of microbiosensing system using micromachine techniques
Murakami, Y.; Tamiya, E.
Rinsho byori. Japanese journal of clinical pathology 47(12): 1105-1112
1999
ISSN/ISBN: 0047-1860 PMID: 10639819 Document Number: 506553
This paper reviews devices for Point Of Care (POC) testing, especially focusing on current and future biosensors and biosensing fields. POC testing involves on-site diagnosis such as bedside diagnosis and near-patient testing. Biosensors and biosensing devices are a key technology to measure all clinically important parameters. For many reasons such as historical, simplicity, the high stability and activity of the enzyme required, and large demand from diabetics, only glucose sensors are commercially available. Various biosensors are waiting for commercialization. Not only simple biosensors having a biofunctional membrane on a transducer, but more complicated biosensing systems are fabricated on a microchip. Micro-Total Analysis System (mu TAS) is a research field to fabricate miniaturized sensing devices or systems. In these devices or systems, biochemical reactions for detection can be well controlled by running buffers, even though the consumption of reagents and sample is very small. Microarray chip technology, such as the DNA chip, is now receiving much attention in not only genetic research, but other biochemical research and application fields as well. Detection apparatus for the DNA chip is currently bench-top size. According to recent research, however, the size will be reduced as to a portable-size that is suitable for POC testing. Research and development of POC devices are advanced not alternative methods of conventional laboratory test, but as complement technology with advantages such as mobility, speed, and low-cost.