Luminescent lanthanide reporters: new concepts for use in bioanalytical applications

Lanthanides represent the chemical elements from lanthanum to lutetium. They intrinsically exhibit some very exciting photophysical properties, which can be further enhanced by incorporating the lanthanide ion into organic or inorganic sensitizing structures. A very popular approach is to conjugate the lanthanide ion to an organic chromophore structure forming lanthanide chelates. Another approach, which has quickly gained interest, is to incorporate the lanthanide ions into nanoparticle structures, thus attaining improved specific activity and a large surface area for biomolecule immobilization. Lanthanide-based reporters, when properly shielded from the quenching effects of water, usually express strong luminescence emission, multiple narrow emission lines covering a wide wavelength range, and exceptionally long excited state lifetimes enabling time-gated luminescence detection. Because of these properties, lanthanide-based reporters have found widespread applications in various fields of life. This review focuses on the field of bioanalytical applications. Luminescent lanthanide reporters and assay formats utilizing these reporters pave the way for increasingly sensitive, simple, and easily automated bioanalytical applications. (topical review)