title: Nanoparticles in molecular diagnostics.
abstract: The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the available and emerging molecular diagnostic methods that take advantage of the unique nanoscale properties of nanoparticles (NPs) to increase the sensitivity, detection capabilities, ease of operation, and portability of the biodetection assemblies. The focus will be on noble metal NPs, especially gold NPs, fluorescent NPs, especially quantum dots, and magnetic NPs, the three main players in the development of probes for biological sensing. The chapter is divided into four sections: a first section covering the unique physicochemical properties of NPs of relevance for their utilization in molecular diagnostics; the second section dedicated to applications of NPs in molecular diagnostics by nucleic acid detection; and the third section with major applications of NPs in the area of immunoassays. Finally, a concluding section highlights the most promising advances in the area and presents future perspectives.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Centro de Investigação em Genética Molecular Humana (CIGMH), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Pedro V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Baptista
authors.forename: Gonçalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Doria
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Quaresma
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cavadas
authors.forename: Cristina S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Neves
authors.forename: Inês
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eaton
authors.forename: Eulália
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Franco
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006046:Gold; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D053758:Nanoparticles; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D057089:Pathology, Molecular / Q000379:methods*; D045663:Quantum Dots
chemical_list: D009696:Nucleic Acids; D006046:Gold