Biosensor-based methods in clinical diagnosis.

Despite the multitude of different parameters currently measured in the clinical laboratory, only a minor part of these are measured by means of biosensor-based methods. Within the group of biochemical sensors, enzyme or metabolic sensors as integrated devices in clinical analyzers are dominating. Economically most important are sensors for measuring blood glucose. The implementation of lactate and urea sensors in commercial analytical systems is just beginning and a few more analytes are being intensively investigated in research laboratories (1). Thus, it seems that metabolic biosensors slowly leave the academic playground.