Engineered nanoparticles for clinical assays

Nanoparticles exhibit distinctive physical and chemical properties that make them effective mediators for optical, magnetic or electric signal transduction. Consequently, nanoparticles are increasingly used in the development of biosensing systems that can detect diseases rapidly and accurately, with potential applications extending to point-of-care settings. In this Review, we discuss key aspects of translating nanoparticles into clinical diagnostics, including particle optimization, device construction and biosensing applications. We focus on two representative particle types; gold nanoparticles and magnetic ferrite nanoparticles, which are widely used in biosensing. We explain the characteristics of these particles and illustrate how they can be tailored to detect various analytical targets such as nucleic acids, proteins and small molecules. Finally, we discuss emerging research directions to advance the clinical integration of nanoparticle assays.