Abstract
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a metabolically active body fluid that contains rich categories of circulating biomarkers, including cells (e.g., leukocytes, cancer cells), extracellular vesicles (e.g., apoptotic bodies, microvesicles and exosomes) and molecules (e.g., amyloid β aggregates, tau proteins, microRNAs and interleukins). These biomarkers have been studied in patients with various neurologic diseases such as seizure disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, glioblastoma, inflammation, traumatic brain injury, etc. Conventional CSF analysis uses flow cytometry, ELISA, mass spectroscopy qPCR, etc. for biomarker profiling. These approaches can provide comprehensive proteomics or transcriptomics analyses but require large sample volume, bulky and expensive equipment, and extensive processing and/or detection time. With emerging micro/nanotechnologies, new opportunities have been offered for rapid, accurate, and early diagnostics. These new technologies, including microfluidic system, magnetic biosensors (e.g., μNMR, μHall, GMR), optical biosensors (e.g., SPR), and electrochemical biosensors, can provide size-matching methodologies for biomarker isolation and detection in complex bio-fluids.