Immunoassays: An overview

The last two decades have witnessed striking advances in immunoassays (IAs), thanks to innovation and developments in antibody immobilization strategies, rapid diagnostic platforms, novel IA formats, new biosensing concepts, portable detectors, and complementary technologies. These advances have led to the emergence of a wide range of IAs for diversified bioanalytical applications. Most of the initial efforts focused on IAs for central laboratories while the subsequent efforts aimed at decentralized settings. Thereafter, the critical advances in complementary technologies, such as lab-on-a-chip platforms, microfluidics, portable detectors, and novel assay formats, paved the way to several point-of-care IAs. The current trend is strongly inclined toward IA formats for point-of-care testing and personalized mobile healthcare to empower the patients and the general population to monitor and manage their own health. This chapter provides an overview of the critical advances achieved in IAs.