Micromechanical cantilever-based biosensors

The merging of silicon microfabrication techniques with surface functionali zation biochemistry offers new exciting opportunities in developing microsc opic biomedical analysis devices with unique characteristics. Micro-mechani cal transducers for chemical and biosensing applications represent one poss ibility. Microcantilevers can transduce a chemical signal into a mechanical motion with high sensitivity, In this review we summarize how cantilever-b ased sensors can be operated, and their working principle is presented in f ew selected biosensing experiments which have been performed recently in ou r groups in the study of biotin-streptavidin and antigen-antibody interacti ons, and specific surface charge development of organic molecules. We also discuss the advantages of this novel technique as well as its potentials. ( C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.