Microfluidic devices with modified electrochemical detection for biomarkers analysis: A review

Abstract

Integrated microfluidic systems continue to garner a great deal of attention. This interest can be attributed to the advantages that these microsystems exhibit over conventional separation and detection systems while performing biomedical and biochemical analyses. Over the past several years many research groups have demonstrated that microfluidic devices with incorporated microelectrodes can be utilized for a broad range of applications. In this work, we review recent developments in the use of microfluidics for the analysis of various types of potential biomarkers. Since microelectrodes usually imply electrochemical sensing, we will focus on microfluidic devices with modified electrochemical detection. Particularly, we describe the principle of operation of these microdevices with an emphasis on recent efforts to improve the sensitivity and selectivity of these microfluidic devices interfaced with electrochemical detection. We describe the various configurations of the microdevices with emphasis on the microelectrode fabrication, modification, and mode of operation. In addition, the potential applicability of these microsystems with integrated microelectrodes for biomarker discovery and analysis is discussed.