Biomarker Detections Using Functional Noble Metal Nanoparticles

In this chapter, we detail recent advances in immunoassays for various cancer biomarkers and biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) using functional noble metal nanoparticles, such as gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The fascinating properties of these nanomaterials, such as biocompatibility, large surface area, functional flexibility, and unique optical as well as electrical properties have been explored to enhance the sensitivity and selectivity of the proposed methods. The signal enhancement associated with the utilization of metal nanoparticles as amplifying labels as well as the construction of nanoparticle-protein assemblies provide the basis for ultrasensitive biomarker detection. Different immunoassay methods, including but are not limited to electrochemical, optical and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) techniques, are compared.