Peptide-based electrochemical biosensing

Peptides have attracted intense interest and found wide applications in a range of areas. Peptide can perform biological functions, and is also an excellent biomaterial for the construction of new nanostructures in nanotechnology, which have been used as components in biological and medical analysis for fabricating novel biosensors. Peptide-based biosensors are extensively being studied as potent analytical tools in clinical analysis, especially the electrochemical biosensors have received particular attention due to their high sensitivity and selectivity, fast response, specificity and desired portability in addition to simple instrumentation, as well as decreased cost compared to other conventional methods. We summarized the current advances on the development of peptide-based electrochemical biosensors with an emphasis on the recent material designs, recognition schemes, and strategy innovations. The fabrication of biosensors will be classified into several modes according to the different roles that peptide played. Peptides are often employed as the target recognition components to specifically couple with various analytes which include, but are not limited to, nucleic acid, protein, antibody, cell and metal ions in biosensing systems. Peptide can also be utilized as substrate materials to modify the electrode surface and improve the performances. In addition, the inherent ability of self-assembly endows the peptide with signal amplification capability. In view of the unprecedented advantages brought about by peptide nanostructures and smart design strategies, peptide-based biosensors are expected to be one of the most promising devices in bioassay and continue to pave the way for realizing advanced biomolecular analyses of complex and technically challenging systems.