Plasmonic Nanobiosensors in Medical Diagnostics: Applications and Future Directions

The rapid development of nanotechnology, photonics, and biomedical engineering has created new opportunities for the development of highly sensitive diagnostic technologies. Among these technologies, plasmonic nanobiosensors have emerged as powerful analytical platforms for detecting biomolecules, pathogens, cancer biomarkers, nucleic acids, proteins, and metabolites. These sensors exploit the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and free electrons in metallic nanostructures, particularly gold and silver, to generate surface plasmon resonance (SPR), localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effects. The resulting enhancement of light–matter interactions enables highly sensitive and, in many cases, label-free detection of biological targets. This review presents the fundamental principles of plasmonic nanobiosensors and discusses the characteristics of commonly used nanostructures, including nanoparticles, nanorods, nanostars, nanoshells, and plasmonic metasurfaces. Major biomedical applications are reviewed, with particular emphasis on cancer diagnosis, infectious disease detection, cardiovascular disease monitoring, neurological disorders, metabolic biomarkers, and point-of-care diagnostics. The integration of plasmonic nanobiosensors with microfluidics, wearable devices, smartphones, and artificial intelligence is also discussed. Particular attention is given to SERS and LSPR platforms because of their potential for highly sensitive and multiplexed detection. Finally, current challenges associated with reproducibility, biofouling, complex biological matrices, manufacturing scalability, and clinical validation are discussed, followed by an assessment of future opportunities for integrated, intelligent, and personalized diagnostic systems.

کلیدواژه ها:

Plasmonic nanobiosensors ، surface plasmon resonance ، localized surface plasmon resonance ، surface-enhanced Raman scattering ، medical diagnostics ، cancer biomarkers ، point-of-care testing ، artificial intelligence