An exploration of biosensors: past, present, and future
An exploration of biosensors: past, present, and future lead image
Biosensors are used to detect the biological or chemical elements by turning them into measurable signals. They can detect food contaminants, diseases, environmental pollutants, pathogens, and allergens, and can even help to personalize health treatments. A common example is a pregnancy test, a label-based biosensor which can detect the presence of pregnancy hormones.
Optical biosensors use light as a quantifiable detection signal. Kaur et al. overviewed the main components of optical biosensors and predicted the direction of future biosensor applications.
“Biosensors have seen several influential improvements over the years, which have significantly advanced their application in healthcare and other fields,” said author Carlos Marques.
The authors reviewed five types of optical biosensors: plasmonic, colorimetric, luminescence-based, interferometric, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy biosensors. They explained the types of bio-recognition elements that can be used to bind to a target and the advantages and disadvantages of using antibodies, enzymes, aptamers, and nucleic acids.
The global market value of biosensors is projected to reach $50 billion by 2030. According to the authors, the most significant improvements made in recent years to biosensors are sensitivity and specificity improvements, integration with microfluidics, wireless communication and portability, and artificial intelligence and machine learning integration.
Implantable biosensors that can monitor biomarkers in the body also show promise for personalized medicine.
“I hope that researchers take away from our paper the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between bioscience, engineering, and data science,” Marques said. “Emphasizing the potential for biosensors to revolutionize health care through improved diagnostics and personalized treatment approaches will inspire future research and innovation in this hot field.”
Source: “Advancements in optical biosensing techniques: From fundamentals to future prospects,” by Baljinder Kaur, Santosh Kumar, Jan Nedoma, Radek Martinek, and Carlos Marques, APL Photonics (2024). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0216621 .
