Recent advancements in fabrication of nanomaterial based biosensors for diagnosis of ovarian cancer: a comprehensive review

Ovarian cancer is commonly diagnosed via determination of biomarkers like CA125, Mucin 1, HE4, and prostasin that can be present in the blood. However, there is a substantial need for less expensive, simpler, and portable diagnostic tools, both for timely diagnosis and management of ovarian cancer. This review (with 101 refs.) discusses various kinds of nanomaterial-based biosensors for tumor markers. Following an introduction into the field, a first section covers different kinds of biomarkers for ovarian cancer including CA125 (MUC16), mucin 1 (MUC1), human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), and prostasin. This is followed by a short overview on conventional diagnostic approaches. A large section is then presented on biosensors for determination of ovarian cancer, with subsections on optical biosensors (fluorimetric, colorimetric, surface plasmon resonance, chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence), on electrochemical sensors, molecularly imprinted sensors, paper-based biosensors, microfluidic (lab-on-a-chip) assays, chemiresistive and field effect transistor–based sensors, and giant magnetoresistive sensors. Tables are presented that give an overview on the wealth of methods and materials. A concluding section summarizes the current status, addresses current challenges, and gives an outlook on potential future trends