BIOSENSORS - PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE-TRE NDS

The review concerns the recent progress and future trends in the field of biosensors. A brief historic overview is given. Recent achievement s in the miniaturization and microfabrication techniques based on lith ography and screen printing are described, nanotechnology using surfac e probe microscopies is shortly discussed. Developments in optical aff inity sensing devices are closely linked to the progress in immunochem ical biosensors. An increasing use of nucleic acids as biorecognition elements is expected in the near future. Possible market applications and already available commercial devices are also summarized.