Antibody Immobilization Techniques in Mass Sensitive Immunosensor: Enhanced Sensitivity through Limited Mass Load

Background: Biosensors are analytical devices that include a sample-delivery approach between a biological recognition element and a transducer required to convert the physicochemical change produced from the interaction of biological molecule-receptor interaction into a signal. The immunosensor is a special type of biosensor that includes an antibody as a biorecognition element to detect analytes as antigens. In mass sensitive sensors, antigen-antibody interactions can be specified by measuring the frequency change and the most commonly knowns are the surface acoustic wave, bulk acoustic wave, quartz crystal microbalance and microcantilevers. Methods: Different methods for antibody immobilization, including functionalization of the transducer surface with specific groups, have been reported for antibody immobilization. This stage affects the limit of detection and overall performance. In this review, perspectives on immobilization strategies of mass sensitive immunosensors according to transducer types will be presented. The choice of immobilization methods and their impact on performance in terms of capture molecule loading, orientation and signal improvement will also be discussed. Results: One of the most critical points during the configuration of the biorecognition layer is to improve the sensitivity. Therefore, we initially focused on comparisons of the antibody immobilization strategies in the biorecognition layer in terms of mass load level and high sensitivity. Conclusion: The lack of significant data on the mass accumulations up to the functionalization and antibody immobilization steps, which are the basis of immusensor production, has been identified. However, mass sensitive immunosensors have the potential to become more common and effective analytical devices for many application areas.