Label-free techniques for laboratory medicine applications

Abstract

New technologies and advanced methods are the important basis for continuous development of laboratory medicine. Although the labeling analysis has become an important research method in laboratory medicine, label-free methods showed unique advantages, such as high sensitivity, small working volumes, low damage to analytes and easy on-chip integrations. Label-free methods are mainly based on the molecular biophysical properties without conjugated labels, which can largely avoid false positives and can provide more reliable and reproducible detection results. Nowadays, New-generation label-free technologies such as terahertz spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Biochip/Microarray, mass spectrometer, have already shown great potential in biomedical applications, such as the identification of clinical microorganism, rapid and unlabeled detection of bimolecular, and dynamic monitoring of bimolecular interaction and the imaging of the construction and spatial structures. In this review, we summarized recent findings on the development and potential applications of the new-generation label-free technologies in clinical laboratory, focusing on the advantages and biomedical research of terahertz spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Biochip/Microarray, quartz crystal microbalance devices and mass spectrometer.