Surface-enhanced Raman scattering: an emerging label-free detection and identification technique for proteins.

The detection and identification of biologically important molecules has critical importance in several fields such as medicine, biotechnology, and pharmacology. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful emerging vibrational spectroscopic technique that allows not only for the characterization, but also for the identification and detection of biomacromolecules in a very short time. In this review, efforts to utilize SERS for label-free protein detection and identification is summarized after a short introduction of proteins and the technique.