Cancer biomarker detection with photonic crystals-based biosensors: an overview

This review wants to give an overview of the photonic crystals-based biosensors for cancer biomarkers detection. Indeed, in the last two decades, 1D, 2D and 3D photonics crystals have seen an extraordinary development in the direction of medical diagnosis, health assessment and therapy monitoring. Cancer-related biomarkers can span over a wide range of biological elements including circulating tumor DNA, miRNA, proteins, enzyme, metabolites, as well as circulating tumor cells. Therefore, the review is articulated in three sections reporting on the basics of the most common used 1D, 2D, and 3D photonic crystal configurations followed by the more recent biosensing applications in cancer biomarker detection. These devices include 1D truncated multilayers such as distributed Bragg reflectors and layered gratings, 2D ordered waveguiding slabs with particular emphasis on the micro/nano cavities and 3D direct and inverse opals. Their added value can be resumed in the capability to strongly confine the electromagnetic radiation interacting more efficiently with the biological sample thus improving the limit of detection. In conclusions, photonic crystal-based biosensors hold great potential in the detection of cancer biomarkers thanks to their ultimate performances guarantying, in the near future, a versatile sensing tool to clinical personnel and physicians.