Special Issue "Immunosensors"
QuicklinksA special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosensors".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2010
Special Issue Editor
Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Loïc J. Blum
Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, Institut de Chimie et Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculmaires, ICBMS-UMR5246 Bâtiment CPE, 43 Boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, F-69622 Villeurbanne Cédex, France
Website: http://www.icbms.fr/
E-Mail:
Interests: chemi- and bio-luminescence; electrochemiluminescence; immunosensors; biochips; fiberoptic biosensors
Published Papers
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Immunosensors are biosensors based on specific antigen-antibody interactions and in which the transducer detect either directly or indirectly the immunochemical reactions. In the indirect approach, the detection of the immune complex is achieved through the labelling of either the antibody or the antigen depending on the immunoassay format (sandwich type, competition, capture). Most often, an optical detection (fluorescence chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence, absorbance) is used although electrochemical detection has been also described. Direct detection approaches are label-free methods, in which the specific binding event between the antibody and the target analyte (the antigen) is monitored by a change or a variation in physicochemical properties. In that case, the detection methods include electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, microgravimetry and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). In addition, these direct detection methods can also provide kinetics information on the antigen-antibody reaction.
Beyond the specific detection of analytes, the constant search for high-performance systems has led with the help of micro and nanotechnologies and the integration of microfluidics to the development of miniaturized immunosensor-based devices with for some of them high-throughput analytical properties. Not only clinical analysis, the traditional field of application of immunoanalysis, will benefit from these new developments but also environmental analysis, quality control in pharmaceutical and food industries, biosecurity and prevention of bioterrorism and finally the proteomic era with protein profiling and protein-protein interaction studies.
Prof. Dr. Loïc Jacques Blum
Guest Editor
Submission
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are refereed through a peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed Open Access monthly journal published by MDPI.
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Keywords
- immunosensors
- immunoassays
- immunoanalysis
- electrochemical immunosensors
- chemiluminescent immunosensors
- capacitive immunosensors
- protein immobilization
- Langmuir-Blodgett films
- total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF)
- Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) immunosensors
- Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR)
- label-free immunosensors
- antigen immobilization
- antibody immobilization
- protein chips
- immunochips
- microarrays
- flow immunosensors
- Immuno-PCR
Planned Papers
Title: Analytical and Pharmacological Aspects of Therapeutic Drug Minitoring of mTorr Inhibitors
Authors: Pieri M., Miraglia N., Polichetti G., Acampora A. and Capone D.
Affiliations: Department of Public Medicine and Social Safety, University of Naples "Federico II", II Policlinico, Ed. 20 Via Pansini, 5. 80131, Naples, Italy; E-Mail: maria.pieri@unina2.it (P.M.)
Abstract: mTor inhibitors represent a new class of immunosuppressant drugs extensively used for the prevention and the treatment of graft rejection in organ transplant recipients. Their current use is due to referred low nephrotoxic effects, particularly important in kidney transplanted and/or patients with renal failure. The most representative drugs of such class are Sirolimus (Siro) and Everolimus (Rad); the latter is a sirolimus structurally-related drug, that, despite the similar mechanism of action and structural analogy, seems to be more stable, soluble and presents a more predictable pharmacokinetics with respect to the former. Unfortunately, both drugs show a narrow therapeutic window and are characterised by both inter- and intra-patients pharmacokinetic variabilities. Therefore, owing to these pharmacokinetic aspects, monitoring of whole-blood drug levels are recommended in order to optimize the therapy. Moreover, both Siro and Rad are metabolized by hepatic cytochrome P450 3A4 isozyme, a system involved in the metabolism of several other agents commonly used to manage transplant patients, with a potential of drug-drug interactions. Other aspects, such as hepatic failure and/or ethnicity, may influence drug blood levels, further making the therapeutic monitoring appropriate in order to optimize dosage regimens and improve clinical outcomes. Among the available assays, Liquid Chromatography coupled with UltraViolet or Electrospray Tandem Mass Spectrometry methods (LC/UV or LC/ESI-MSMS) are the most accurate and specific ones. A reliable alternative is represented by immunoassays, which offer the opportunity to minimize sample pre-treatment, thus reducing the time between drawing blood sample and measuring the drug concentration, an important aspect in high-throughput analyses. Despite this, a limitation in the use of immunoassays for therapeutic drug monitoring is the lower specifity compared with the chromatographic methods when analysing structurally-related drugs. Moreover, a certain grade of overestimation of the immunoassays with respect to the chromatographic techniques is reported, and, literature data still suggest the use of a chromatographic-based analysis in particular conditions, such as early post-transplant period, patients with difficult clinical issues and/or polytherapies. New insights to optimize mTor inhibitors regiments seem to be offered by the evaluation of CYP P450 3A activity by using the probe drug approach. To such purpose, there are a number of major probe drugs used for in vivo studies including: midazolam, cortisol, lidocaine, nefedipine, dextromethorphan, erythromycin, dapsone and alfentanil. Focusing on the pharmacological and analytical aspects of mTor inhibitors, the aim of the present paper is to report the most recent knowledges concerning this issue, supplying a critical and comprehensive review for whom involved both in the clinical and analytical areas.
Last update: 7 July 2010