Recent advances in field effect transistor biosensors for drug screening applications

Abstract

Clinical drug screening plays a crucial role in disease treatment, and in understanding the impact of drug monitoring on cellular level biochemical reactions. Field effect transistor (FET) biosensors have emerged as powerful analytical tools integrating multiple disciplines in biomedical research. FET biosensors are pivotal in the biosensor field due to their specificity, high sensitivity, low cost, label-free, real-time detection, and integration abilities. Currently, FET biosensors are fabricated in various configurations, including top-gate, back-gate, dual-gate, solution-gate and extended-gate types. This article reviews the design and applications of FET biosensors in drug screening. First, it introduces the classification, structure mechanism and immobilization methods of bio-probes. Next, it discusses the methods and effects of using FET biosensor platforms to screen cancer drugs, anti-infective drugs, inhibitor drugs, anti-histamines, psychotropic drugs, cardiovascular disease drugs, and other drug categories. The findings suggest that FET biosensors have the potential to provide robust evidence, improving the success rate of new drug development and shortening the drug development cycle.