Progress on Dot-Blot Assay as a Promising Analytical Tool : Detection from Molecules to Cells

In recent years, dot-blot assays have received significant interest in bioanalytical sciences and shown significant impact on the identification of a wide variety of target analytes without the aid of sophisticated instrumentation. Dot-blot assay (DBA) exhibited several advantages such as user-friendly operations, rapid analysis, selectivity, and low-costs. Significant efforts have been made on the development of various DBA for the identification of a wide variety of analytes, and commercialization of DBA is underway. The aim of this review is to provide an overview on the recent developments on DBA and the mechanism of DBA for the detection of target analytes. We will also discuss the DBA for the detection of various biologically important molecules based on the growth of nanostructures. Finally, we discuss the future prospects and challenges of DBA in analytical and bioanalytical sciences