Microdevice-based aptamer sensors

The development of microdevices is a topic of interest due to their numerous advantages, such as ease of miniaturization and incorporation into point-of-care devices, low sample volumes, and short analysis times. Combined with the high selectivity of aptamers for various targets, microdevice-based aptasensors are becoming powerful and useful tools for the detection of analytes for a wide variety of applications. In this chapter, the definition and general working principles of microdevices will be presented followed by a brief discussion about aptamer selection and immobilization techniques on the surface of microchips. The most commonly employed detection methods will be presented. Lastly, the most recent advances in the development of aptamer-based microdevices for biomedical, forensic, environmental, and food analysis applications will be shown and discussed comparatively.