The role of the nanofibers in lateral flow assays enhancement: a critical review
Sahar Asghari, Elena Ekrami, Fatemeh Barati, Manizheh Avatefi, Matin Mahmoudifard
Abstract
Lateral flow assays (LFAs) are a simple, inexpensive, and rapid technology, use for the fast detection of the presence or absence of the desired biomarkers. So, it can lead to the early diagnosis of infectious elements, analytes, etc. in point-of-care testing. However, their specificity and sensitivity can be improved via the integration of nanofibers into LFA due to their unique properties including their high surface to area ratio, high capacity for binding antibodies, and reducing the flow rate of sample movement, which results in the significant accuracy of the assay. In this paper, we reviewed the role of the nanofibers in the boosting of LFAs and the cases of their function in the sensitivity enhancement of these tests. The useful method for the generation of these nanofibers is mostly electrospinning, which is due to the high speed of nanofiber fabrication, user-friendly performance, generation of uniform nanofibers with the appropriate diameter, and the high surface-to-volume ratio of nanofibers. These advantages make the electrospun nanofibers an ideal candidate for use in LFA structure to achieve the best efficiency for them.