title: Recent advances in nanotechnology applied to biosensors.
abstract: In recent years there has been great progress the application of nanomaterials in biosensors. The importance of these to the fundamental development of biosensors has been recognized. In particular, nanomaterials such as gold nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, magnetic nanoparticles and quantum dots have been being actively investigated for their applications in biosensors, which have become a new interdisciplinary frontier between biological detection and material science. Here we review some of the main advances in this field over the past few years, explore the application prospects, and discuss the issues, approaches, and challenges, with the aim of stimulating a broader interest in developing nanomaterial-based biosensors and improving their applications in disease diagnosis and food safety examination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio-Nano Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory for Thin Film and Microfabrication Technology of Ministry of Education, National Key Laboratory of Micro /Nano Fabrication Technology, Research Institute of Micro/Nano Science and Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, P.R. China; E-Mails:  zhangxueqing@gmail.com  (X. Z.);  guoqin1985@msn.com  (G. Q).
authors.forename: Xueqing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Daxiang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cui