Capillary electrophoresis based immunoassays: a critical review.

The purpose of this article is to review and evaluate the uses and potentials of capillary electrophoresis (CE) in immunoassay analysis (IA). This review will be divided into four sections. First, a brief summary of the fundamentals, applications and requirements of immunoassays in both research and clinical diagnostics will be given. This section will also cover the rationale behind the current research to combine CE and IA. Also, the specific needs to CE in this field will be addressed. Second, the modes of use of CE in IA will be discussed and typical applications for each will be given. Third, a separate section will be devoted to the investigation of performing immunoassays on micro fabricated devices, an interesting alternative to the conventional capillary-based approach. Finally, a critical assessment of the current status and merits of this technology will be presented.