Biosensors with label-free detection designed for diagnostic applications

Recent Advances in Real-Time Label-Free Detection of Small Molecules

The detection and analysis of small molecules, typically defined as molecules under 1000 Da, is of growing interest ranging from the development of small-molecule drugs and inhibitors to the sensing of toxins and biomarkers. However, due to challenges such as their small size and low mass, many biosensing technologies struggle to have the sensitivity and selectivity for the detection of small molecules. Notably, their small size limits the usage of labeled techniques that can change the properties of small-molecule analytes. Furthermore, the capability of real-time detection is highly desired for small-molecule biosensors' application in diagnostics or screening. This review highlights recent advances in label-free real-time biosensing technologies utilizing different types of transducers to meet the growing demand for small-molecule detection.

Nanobiosensing Based on Electro-Optically Modulated Technology

At the nanoscale, metals exhibit special electrochemical and optical properties, which play an important role in nanobiosensing. In particular, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based on precious metal nanoparticles, as a kind of tag-free biosensor technology, has brought high sensitivity, high reliability, and convenient operation to sensor detection. By applying an electrochemical excitation signal to the nanoplasma device, modulating its surface electron density, and realizing electrochemical coupling SPR, it can effectively complete the joint transmission of electrical and optical signals, increase the resonance shift of the spectrum, and further improve the sensitivity of the designed biosensor. In addition, smartphones are playing an increasingly important role in portable mobile sensor detection systems. These systems typically connect sensing devices to smartphones to perceive different types of information, from optical signals to electrochemical signals, providing ideas for the portability and low-cost design of these sensing systems. Among them, electrochemiluminescence (ECL), as a special electrochemically coupled optical technology, has good application prospects in mobile sensing detection due to its strong anti-interference ability, which is not affected by background light. In this review, the SPR is introduced using nanoparticles, and its response process is analyzed theoretically. Then, the mechanism and sensing application of electrochemistry coupled with SPR and ECL are emphatically introduced. Finally, it extends to the relevant research on electrochemically coupled optical sensing on mobile detection platforms.

Review of HIV Self Testing Technologies and Promising Approaches for the Next Generation

The ability to self-test for HIV is vital to preventing transmission, particularly when used in concert with HIV biomedical prevention modalities, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). In this paper, we review recent developments in HIV self-testing and self-sampling methods, and the potential future impact of novel materials and methods that emerged through efforts to develop more effective point-of-care (POC) SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics. We address the gaps in existing HIV self-testing technologies, where improvements in test sensitivity, sample-to-answer time, simplicity, and cost are needed to enhance diagnostic accuracy and widespread accessibility. We discuss potential paths toward the next generation of HIV self-testing through sample collection materials, biosensing assay techniques, and miniaturized instrumentation. We discuss the implications for other applications, such as self-monitoring of HIV viral load and other infectious diseases.

Electrochemical Biosensors for Pathogen Detection: An Updated Review

Electrochemical biosensors are a family of biosensors that use an electrochemical transducer to perform their functions. In recent decades, many electrochemical biosensors have been created for pathogen detection. These biosensors for detecting infections have been comprehensively studied in terms of transduction elements, biorecognition components, and electrochemical methods. This review discusses the biorecognition components that may be used to identify pathogens. These include antibodies and aptamers. The integration of transducers and electrode changes in biosensor design is a major discussion topic. Pathogen detection methods can be categorized by sample preparation and secondary binding processes. Diagnostics in medicine, environmental monitoring, and biothreat detection can benefit from electrochemical biosensors to ensure food and water safety. Disposable and reusable biosensors for process monitoring, as well as multiplexed and conformal pathogen detection, are all included in this review. It is now possible to identify a wide range of diseases using biosensors that may be applied to food, bodily fluids, and even objects' surfaces. The sensitivity of optical techniques may be superior to electrochemical approaches, but optical methods are prohibitively expensive and challenging for most end users to utilize. On the other hand, electrochemical approaches are simpler to use, but their efficacy in identifying infections is still far from satisfactory.

Kinematic Properties of a Twisted Double Planetary Chaotic Mixer: A Three-Dimensional Numerical Investigation

In this study, a numerical investigation based on the CFD method is carried out to study the unsteady laminar flow of Newtonian fluid with a high viscosity in a three-dimensional simulation of a twisted double planetary mixer, which is composed of two agitating rods inside a moving tank. The considered stirring protocol is a "Continuous sine squared motion" by using the dynamic mesh model and user-defined functions (UDFs)to define the velocity profiles. The chaotic advection is obtained in our active mixers by the temporal modulation of rotational velocities of the moving walls in order to enhance the mixing of the fluid for a low Reynolds number and a high Peclet number. For this goal, we applied the Poincaré section and Lyapunov exponent as reliable mathematic tools for checking mixing quality by tracking a number of massless particles inside the fluid domain. Additionally, we investigated the development of fluid kinematics proprieties, such as vorticity, helicity, strain rate and elongation rate, at various time periods in order to view the impact of temporal modulation on the flow properties. The results of the mentioned simulation showed that it is possible to obtain a chaotic advection after a relatively short time, which can deeply enhance mixing fluid efficiency.

Evaluation of Hydrodynamic and Thermal Behaviour of Non-Newtonian-Nanofluid Mixing in a Chaotic Micromixer

Three-dimensional numerical investigations of a novel passive micromixer were carried out to analyze the hydrodynamic and thermal behaviors of Nano-Non-Newtonian fluids. Mass and heat transfer characteristics of two heated fluids have been investigated to understand the quantitative and qualitative fluid faction distributions with temperature homogenization. The effect of fluid behavior and different Al₂O₃ nanoparticles concentrations on the pressure drop and thermal mixing performances were studied for different Reynolds number (from 0.1 to 25). The performance improvement simulation was conducted in intervals of various Nanoparticles concentrations (φ = 0 to 5%) with Power-law index (n) using CFD. The proposed micromixer displayed a mixing energy cost of 50-60 comparable to that achieved for a recent micromixer (2021y) in terms of fluid homogenization. The analysis exhibited that for high nanofluid concentrations, having a strong chaotic flow enhances significantly the hydrodynamic and thermal performances for all Reynolds numbers. The visualization of vortex core region of mass fraction and path lines presents that the proposed design exhibits a rapid thermal mixing rate that tends to 0.99%, and a mass fraction mixing rate of more than 0.93% with very low pressure losses, thus the proposed micromixer can be utilized to enhance homogenization in different Nano-Non-Newtonian mechanism with minimum energy.

Towards application of CRISPR-Cas12a in the design of modern viral DNA detection tools (Review)

Early detection of viral pathogens by DNA-sensors in clinical samples, contaminated foods, soil or water can dramatically improve clinical outcomes and reduce the socioeconomic impact of diseases such as COVID-19. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) and its associated protein Cas12a (previously known as CRISPR-Cpf1) technology is an innovative new-generation genomic engineering tool, also known as 'genetic scissors', that has demonstrated the accuracy and has recently been effectively applied as appropriate (E-CRISPR) DNA-sensor to detect the nucleic acid of interest. The CRISPR-Cas12a from Prevotella and Francisella 1 are guided by a short CRISPR RNA (gRNA). The unique simultaneous cis- and trans- DNA cleavage after target sequence recognition at the PAM site, sticky-end (5-7 bp) employment, and ssDNA/dsDNA hybrid cleavage strategies to manipulate the attractive nature of CRISPR-Cas12a are reviewed. DNA-sensors based on the CRISPR-Cas12a technology for rapid, robust, sensitive, inexpensive, and selective detection of virus DNA without additional sample purification, amplification, fluorescent-agent- and/or quencher-labeling are relevant and becoming increasingly important in industrial and medical applications. In addition, CRISPR-Cas12a system shows great potential in the field of E-CRISPR-based bioassay research technologies. Therefore, we are highlighting insights in this research direction.

Fundamentals and applications of N-heterocyclic carbene functionalized gold surfaces and nanoparticles

Improved stability and higher degree of synthetic tunability has allowed N-heterocyclic carbenes to supplant thiols as ligands for gold surface functionalization.  This review article summarizes the basic science and applications of NHCs on gold.

Acoustic Biosensors and Microfluidic Devices in the Decennium: Principles and Applications

Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology has gained primary attention in the past decade, where label-free biosensors and microfluidic actuation platforms are integrated to realize such LOC devices. Among the multitude of technologies that enables the successful integration of these two features, the piezoelectric acoustic wave method is best suited for handling biological samples due to biocompatibility, label-free and non-invasive properties. In this review paper, we present a study on the use of acoustic waves generated by piezoelectric materials in the area of label-free biosensors and microfluidic actuation towards the realization of LOC and POC devices. The categorization of acoustic wave technology into the bulk acoustic wave and surface acoustic wave has been considered with the inclusion of biological sample sensing and manipulation applications. This paper presents an approach with a comprehensive study on the fundamental operating principles of acoustic waves in biosensing and microfluidic actuation, acoustic wave modes suitable for sensing and actuation, piezoelectric materials used for acoustic wave generation, fabrication methods, and challenges in the use of acoustic wave modes in biosensing. Recent developments in the past decade, in various sensing potentialities of acoustic waves in a myriad of applications, including sensing of proteins, disease biomarkers, DNA, pathogenic microorganisms, acoustofluidic manipulation, and the sorting of biological samples such as cells, have been given primary focus. An insight into the future perspectives of real-time, label-free, and portable LOC devices utilizing acoustic waves is also presented. The developments in the field of thin-film piezoelectric materials, with the possibility of integrating sensing and actuation on a single platform utilizing the reversible property of smart piezoelectric materials, provide a step forward in the realization of monolithic integrated LOC and POC devices. Finally, the present paper highlights the key benefits and challenges in terms of commercialization, in the field of acoustic wave-based biosensors and actuation platforms.

Attomolar analyte sensing techniques (AttoSens): a review on a decade of progress on chemical and biosensing nanoplatforms

Detecting the ultra-low abundance of analytes in real-life samples, such as biological fluids, water, soil, and food, requires the design and development of high-performance biosensing modalities. The breakthrough efforts from the scientific community have led to the realization of sensing technologies that measure the analyte's ultra-trace level, with relevant sensitivity, selectivity, response time, and sampling efficiency, referred to as Attomolar Analyte Sensing Techniques (AttoSens) in this review. In an AttoSens platform, 1 aM detection corresponds to the quantification of 60 target analyte molecules in 100 μL of sample volume. Herein, we review the approaches listed for various sensor probe design, and their sensing strategies that paved the way for the detection of attomolar (aM: 10^-18 M) concentration of analytes. A summary of the technological advances made by the diverse AttoSens trends from the past decade is presented.

MoS2-based nanocomposites for cancer diagnosis and therapy

Molybdenum is a trace dietary element necessary for the survival of humans. Some molybdenum-bearing enzymes are involved in key metabolic activities in the human body (such as xanthine oxidase, aldehyde oxidase and sulfite oxidase). Many molybdenum-based compounds have been widely used in biomedical research. Especially, MoS2-nanomaterials have attracted more attention in cancer diagnosis and treatment recently because of their unique physical and chemical properties. MoS2 can adsorb various biomolecules and drug molecules via covalent or non-covalent interactions because it is easy to modify and possess a high specific surface area, improving its tumor targeting and colloidal stability, as well as accuracy and sensitivity for detecting specific biomarkers. At the same time, in the near-infrared (NIR) window, MoS2 has excellent optical absorption and prominent photothermal conversion efficiency, which can achieve NIR-based phototherapy and NIR-responsive controlled drug-release. Significantly, the modified MoS2-nanocomposite can specifically respond to the tumor microenvironment, leading to drug accumulation in the tumor site increased, reducing its side effects on non-cancerous tissues, and improved therapeutic effect. In this review, we introduced the latest developments of MoS2-nanocomposites in cancer diagnosis and therapy, mainly focusing on biosensors, bioimaging, chemotherapy, phototherapy, microwave hyperthermia, and combination therapy. Furthermore, we also discuss the current challenges and prospects of MoS2-nanocomposites in cancer treatment.

Recent advances in biosensing approaches for point-of-care breast cancer diagnostics: challenges and future prospects

Timely and accurate diagnosis of breast cancer is essential for efficient treatment and the best possible survival rates. Biosensors have emerged as a smart diagnostic platform for the detection of biomarkers specific to the onset, recurrence, and therapeutic drug monitoring of breast cancer. There have been exciting recent developments, including significant improvements in the validation, sensitivity, specificity, and integration of sample processing steps to develop point-of-care (POC) integrated micro-total analysis systems for clinical settings. The present review highlights various biosensing modalities (electrical, optical, piezoelectric, mass, and acoustic sensing). It provides deep insights into their design principles, signal amplification strategies, and comparative performance analysis. Finally, this review emphasizes the status of existing integrated micro-total analysis systems (μ-TAS) for personalized breast cancer therapeutics and associated challenges and outlines the approach required to realize their successful translation into clinical settings.

Enhancement of Mixing Performance of Two-Layer Crossing Micromixer through Surrogate-Based Optimization

Optimum configuration of a micromixer with two-layer crossing microstructure was performed using mixing analysis, surrogate modeling, along with an optimization algorithm. Mixing performance was used to determine the optimum designs at Reynolds number 40. A surrogate modeling method based on a radial basis neural network (RBNN) was used to approximate the value of the objective function. The optimization study was carried out with three design variables; viz., the ratio of the main channel thickness to the pitch length (H/PI), the ratio of the thickness of the diagonal channel to the pitch length (W/PI), and the ratio of the depth of the channel to the pitch length (d/PI). Through a primary parametric study, the design space was constrained. The design points surrounded by the design constraints were chosen using a well-known technique called Latin hypercube sampling (LHS). The optimal design confirmed a 32.0% enhancement of the mixing index as compared to the reference design.

Enhancement of Fluid Mixing with U-Shaped Channels on a Rotating Disc

In this study, centrifugal microfluidics with a simple geometry of U-shaped structure was designed, fabricated and analyzed to attain rapid and efficient fluid mixing. Visualization experiments together with numerical simulations were carried out to investigate the mixing behavior for the microfluidics with single, double and triple U-shaped structures, where each of the U-structures consisted of four consecutive 90° bends. It is found that the U-shaped structure markedly enhances mixing by transverse secondary flow that is originated from the Coriolis-induced vortices and further intensified by the Dean force generated as the stream turns along the 90° bends. The secondary flow becomes stronger with increasing rotational speed and with more U-shaped structures, hence higher mixing performance. The mixing efficiency measured for the three types of mixers shows a sharp increase with increasing rotational speed in the lower range. As the rotational speed further increases, nearly complete mixing can be achieved at 600 rpm for the triple-U mixer and at 720 rpm for the double-U mixer, while a maximum efficiency level of 83-86% is reached for the single-U mixer. The simulation results that reveal detailed characteristics of the flow and concentration fields are in good agreement with the experiments.

Four Aspects about Solid-State Nanopores for Protein Sensing: Fabrication, Sensitivity, Selectivity, and Durability

Solid-state nanopores are a mimic of innate biological nanopores embedded on lipid membranes. They are fabricated on thin suspended layers of synthetic materials that provide superior thermal, mechanical, chemical stability, and geometry flexibility. As their counterpart biological nanopores reach the goal of DNA sequencing and become commercial, solid-state nanopores thrive in aspects of protein sensing and have become an important research component for clinical diagnostic technologies. This review focuses on resistive pulse sensing modes, which are versatile for low-cost, portable sensing devices and summarizes four main aspects toward commercially available resistive pulse-based protein sensing techniques using solid-state nanopores. In each aspect of fabrication, sensitivity, selectivity, and durability, brief fundamentals are introduced and the challenges and improvements are discussed. The rapid advance of a practical technique requires greater multidisciplinary cooperation. The review aims at clarifying existing obstacles in solid-state nanopore based protein sensing, intriguing readers with existing solutions and finally encouraging multidisciplinary researchers to advance the development of this promising protein sensing methodology.

Electrochemical biosensors for pathogen detection

Recent advances in electrochemical biosensors for pathogen detection are reviewed. Electrochemical biosensors for pathogen detection are broadly reviewed in terms of transduction elements, biorecognition elements, electrochemical techniques, and biosensor performance. Transduction elements are discussed in terms of electrode material and form factor. Biorecognition elements for pathogen detection, including antibodies, aptamers, and imprinted polymers, are discussed in terms of availability, production, and immobilization approach. Emerging areas of electrochemical biosensor design are reviewed, including electrode modification and transducer integration. Measurement formats for pathogen detection are classified in terms of sample preparation and secondary binding steps. Applications of electrochemical biosensors for the detection of pathogens in food and water safety, medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and bio-threat applications are highlighted. Future directions and challenges of electrochemical biosensors for pathogen detection are discussed, including wearable and conformal biosensors, detection of plant pathogens, multiplexed detection, reusable biosensors for process monitoring applications, and low-cost, disposable biosensors.

A Review of Passive Micromixers with a Comparative Analysis

A wide range of existing passive micromixers are reviewed, and quantitative analyses of ten typical passive micromixers were performed to compare their mixing indices, pressure drops, and mixing costs under the same axial length and flow conditions across a wide Reynolds number range of 0.01–120. The tested micromixers were selected from five types of micromixer designs. The analyses of flow and mixing were performed using continuity, Navier-Stokes and convection-diffusion equations. The results of the comparative analysis were presented for three different Reynolds number ranges: low-Re (Re ≤ 1), intermediate-Re (1 < Re ≤ 40), and high-Re (Re > 40) ranges, where the mixing mechanisms are different. The results show a two-dimensional micromixer of Tesla structure is recommended in the intermediate- and high-Re ranges, while two three-dimensional micromixers with two layers are recommended in the low-Re range due to their excellent mixing performance.

Temperature Monitorable Kinetics Study of Human Blood Coagulation by Utilizing a Dual-Mode AlN-Based Acoustic Wave Resonator

In this study, we reported an acoustic wave resonator for temperature monitorable kinetic analysis of human blood coagulation. The resonator is operated in both Lamb wave mode at 860 MHz and Rayleigh wave mode at 444 MHz. The electrical parameter variation of the resonator induced by the increased plasma viscosity can be used to monitor the coagulation process. The Lamb mode of the resonator is sensitive to both plasma viscosity and plasma temperature, while the Rayleigh mode responds only to the temperature which is not affected by viscosity. These unique characteristics of the two modes are due to different spatial distributions of the acoustic energy. Taking advantage of the aforementioned features, an acoustic wave resonator to study the human blood coagulation is designed to simultaneously monitor the temperature and plasma viscosity. The coagulation time and plasma temperature were provided by fitting the time-frequency curves. Our design holds great promise for biological reaction monitoring with possible temperature changes.

Development of a multiplex fully automated assay for rapid quantification of CD4+ T cells from whole blood

The development of cost-effective and rapid assays for the accurate counting of CD4 cells has remained prime focus for disease management. The lack of such assays has severely affected people living in resource-limited disease prevalent areas. CD4 count information plays a vital role in the effective management of HIV disease. There is an unmet need to develop rapid, cost-effective, portable and user-friendly point-of-care (POC) disease diagnostic platform technology for CD4+ T cell counting. Here, we have developed a flow-free magnetic actuation platform that uses antibody-coated magnetic beads to efficiently capture CD4+ T cells from a 30 μL drop of whole blood. On-chip cell lysate electrical impedance spectroscopy has been utilized to quantify the isolated CD4 cells. The developed assay has a limit of detection of 25 cells per μL and provides accurate CD4 counts in the range of 25-800 cells per μL. The whole immunoassay along with the enumeration process is very rapid and provides CD4 quantification results within 5 min time frame. The assay does not require off-chip sample preparation steps and minimizes human involvement to a greater extent. The developed impedance-based immunoassay has potential to significantly improve the CD4 enumeration process especially for POC settings.

Sensitive measurement of tumor markers somatostatin receptors using an octreotide-directed Pt nano-flakes driven electrochemical sensor

Tumor markers play an important role in the early diagnosis and therapeutic effect monitoring of tumors. An electrochemical biosensor was developed based on multi-branched gold nanoshells (BGSs) and octreotide (OCT) functionalized Pt nano-flakes (PtNFs) modified electrodes, which was used for detection of tumor-specific markers to evaluate tumor cells. Sandwich-type nano-hybrid materials were prepared by layer-by-layer modification. First, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and BGSs were modified as electronic materials onto glassy carbon electrodes (GCE). This modified electrode has strong electron transfer capability and large electrode surface area. The OCT was then anchored to the surface of BGSs to sensitively detect Somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) on the surface of HeLa cells. In addition, PtNFs were synthesized using a dual-template method, and OCT template on the surface of PtNFs, as an adsorption bioprobe, was used to reduce the H₂O₂ and amplify the electrochemical signal of biosensor. The proposed biosensor can be applied to the quantitative broad linear range of HeLa cells covering from 10 to 1 × 10⁶ cells mL^-1 (R² = 0.9998) and the limit of detection (LOD) was 2 cells mL^-1. The experimental results also show that the sensor has good stability, biocompatibility and high selectivity, which has great potential for clinical application.

The Role of Electrochemical Immunosensors in Clinical Analysis

An immunosensor is a kind of affinity biosensor based on interactions between an antigen and specific antigen immobilized on a transducer surface. Immunosensors possess high selectivity and sensitivity due to the specific binding between antibody and corresponding antigen, making them a suitable platform for several applications especially in the medical and bioanalysis fields. Electrochemical immunosensors rely on the measurements of an electrical signal recorded by an electrochemical transducer and can be classed as amperometric, potentiometric, conductometric, or impedimetric depending on the signal type. Among the immunosensors, electrochemical immunosensors have been more perfected due to their simplicity and, especially their ability to be portable, and for in situ or automated detection. This review addresses the potential of immunosensors destined for application in clinical analysis, especially cancer biomarker diagnosis. The emphasis is on the approaches used to fabricate electrochemical immunosensors. A general overview of recent applications of the developed electrochemical immunosensors in the clinical approach is described.

Advances in Molecular Diagnostic Approaches for Biothreat Agents

The advancement in Molecular techniques has been implicated in the development of sophisticated, high-end diagnostic platform and point-of-care (POC) devices for the detection of biothreat agents. Different molecular and immunological approaches such as Immunochromatographic and lateral flow assays, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent assays (ELISA), Biosensors, Isothermal amplification assays, Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), Next Generation Sequencers (NGS), Microarrays and Microfluidics have been used for a long time as detection strategies of the biothreat agents. In addition, several point of care (POC) devices have been approved by FDA and commercialized in markets. The high-end molecular platforms like NGS and Microarray are time-consuming, costly, and produce huge amount of data. Therefore, the future prospects of molecular based technique should focus on developing quick, user-friendly, cost-effective and portable devices against biological attacks and surveillance programs.

Highly sensitive electrochemical biosensor based on redox - active monolayer for detection of anti-hemagglutinin antibodies against swine-origin influenza virus H1N1 in sera of vaccinated mice

Background

In this work, we report an electrochemical biosensor for the detection of anti-hemagglutinin antibodies against the swine virus H1N1 present in mice sera immunized with mixture of His₆-H1 HA in monomeric and oligomeric form. The oriented immobilization of the recombinant His-tagged hemagglutinin (His₆-H1 HA) consists of: (i) formation of a mixed layer of 4-mercaptobutanol (MBT) and the thiol derivative of dipyrromethene (DPM); (ii) complexation of Cu (II) by DPM; (iii) immobilization of His₆-H1 HA via coordination bonds between Cu (II) sites from DPM–Cu (II) complex and imidazole nitrogen atoms of a histidine tag; (iv) filling free spaces with bovine serum albumin. The interactions between recombinant His₆- H1 HA covalently attached to the electrode surface and the anti-hemagglutinin H1 antibodies present in mice sera were explored with Osteryoung square-wave voltammetry.

Results

This analytical device was able to detect the antibodies present in vaccinated mice sera diluted from 1 × 10⁹ to 1 × 10⁸ fold.

Conclusions

The unprecedented sensitivity of described biosensor is much better than widely use ELISA test and other analytical methods for determination of antibodies against the influenza A viruses. It has been proved that redox active DPM-Cu (II) monolayer is a universal platform suitable for stable and oriented immobilization of any His-tagged sensing elements. Thus, this universal layer could be a base of numerous analytical devices suitable for detection of antibodies against different viruses.

Elastin-like Polypeptide (ELP) Charge Influences Self-Assembly of ELP-mCherry Fusion Proteins

Self-assembly of protein-polymer bioconjugates presents an elegant strategy for controlling nanostructure and orientation of globular proteins in functional materials. Recent work has shown that genetic fusion of globular protein mCherry to an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) yields similar self-assembly behavior to these protein-polymer bioconjugates. In the context of studying protein-polymer bioconjugate self-assembly, the mutability of the ELP sequence allows several different properties of the ELP block to be tuned orthogonally while maintaining consistent polypeptide backbone chemistry. This work uses this ELP sequence tunability in combination with the precise control offered by genetic engineering of an amino acid sequence to generate a library of four novel ELP sequences that are used to study the combined effect of charge and hydrophobicity on ELP-mCherry fusion protein self-assembly. Concentrated solution self-assembly is studied by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and depolarized light scattering (DPLS). These experiments show that fusions containing a negatively charged ELP block do not assemble at all, and fusions with a charge balanced ELP block exhibit a weak propensity for assembly. By comparison, the fusion containing an uncharged ELP block starts to order at 40 wt % in solution and at all concentrations measured has sharper, more intense SAXS peaks than other fusion proteins. These experiments show that charge character of the ELP block is a stronger predictor of self-assembly behavior than the hydrophobicity of the ELP block. Dilute solution small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) on the ELPs alone suggests that all ELPs used in this study (including the uncharged ELP) adopt dilute solution conformations similar to those of traditional polymers, including polyampholytes and polyelectrolytes. Finally, dynamic light scattering studies on ELP-mCherry blends shows that there is no significant complexation between the charged ELPs and mCherry. Therefore, it is proposed that the superior self-assembly of fusion proteins containing uncharged ELP block is due to effective repulsions between charged and uncharged blocks due to local charge correlation effects and, in the case of anionic ELPs, repulsion between like charges within the ELP block.

Label-Free Bioanalyte Detection from Nanometer to Micrometer Dimensions-Molecular Imprinting and QCMs †

Modern diagnostic tools and immunoassay protocols urges direct analyte recognition based on its intrinsic behavior without using any labeling indicator. This not only improves the detection reliability, but also reduces sample preparation time and complexity involved during labeling step. Label-free biosensor devices are capable of monitoring analyte physiochemical properties such as binding sensitivity and selectivity, affinity constants and other dynamics of molecular recognition. The interface of a typical biosensor could range from natural antibodies to synthetic receptors for example molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs). The foremost advantages of using MIPs are their high binding selectivity comparable to natural antibodies, straightforward synthesis in short time, high thermal/chemical stability and compatibility with different transducers. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) resonators are leading acoustic devices that are extensively used for mass-sensitive measurements. Highlight features of QCM devices include low cost fabrication, room temperature operation, and most importantly ability to monitor extremely low mass shifts, thus potentially a universal transducer. The combination of MIPs with quartz QCM has turned out as a prominent sensing system for label-free recognition of diverse bioanalytes. In this article, we shall encompass the potential applications of MIP-QCM sensors exclusively label-free recognition of bacteria and virus species as representative micro and nanosized bioanalytes.

Detection of microalgae superoxide dismutase (SOD) using a GNRs-based resonance light scattering system

A novel and label-free, gold nanorods (GNRs)-based resonance light scattering system assay has been developed for the detection of microalgae superoxide dismutase (SOD). The method relies on the fact that interactions between microalgae SOD and GNRs can emit strong fluorescence signals. The prepared GNRs were well dispersed in the solution and intracellular SOD was extracted from Microcystis aeruginosa; the SOD was then absorbed on the surface of the GNRs. The results demonstrated that the intensity of the fluorescence signals increased at 595 nm with an increase in the SOD concentration, the optimum pH value was concluded to be 7.8, the optimum concentration of inorganic salt Na⁺ ions was 0.2 mol L^-1, and the reaction system was stable for 50 min. This method offers the advantages of higher sensitivity and selectivity in microalgae protein detection and exhibits great potential for biological diagnosis.

New and developing diagnostic technologies for urinary tract infections

Timely and accurate identification and determination of the antimicrobial susceptibility of uropathogens is central to the management of UTIs. Urine dipsticks are fast and amenable to point-of-care testing, but do not have adequate diagnostic accuracy or provide microbiological diagnosis. Urine culture with antimicrobial susceptibility testing takes 2-3 days and requires a clinical laboratory. The common use of empirical antibiotics has contributed to the rise of multidrug-resistant organisms, reducing treatment options and increasing costs. In addition to improved antimicrobial stewardship and the development of new antimicrobials, novel diagnostics are needed for timely microbial identification and determination of antimicrobial susceptibilities. New diagnostic platforms, including nucleic acid tests and mass spectrometry, have been approved for clinical use and have improved the speed and accuracy of pathogen identification from primary cultures. Optimization for direct urine testing would reduce the time to diagnosis, yet these technologies do not provide comprehensive information on antimicrobial susceptibility. Emerging technologies including biosensors, microfluidics, and other integrated platforms could improve UTI diagnosis via direct pathogen detection from urine samples, rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and point-of-care testing. Successful development and implementation of these technologies has the potential to usher in an era of precision medicine to improve patient care and public health.

Emerging microfluidic devices for cancer cells/biomarkers manipulation and detection

Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are active participants in the metastasis process and account for ∼90% of all cancer deaths. As CTCs are admixed with a very large amount of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets in blood, CTCs are very rare, making their isolation, capture, and detection a major technological challenge. Microfluidic technologies have opened-up new opportunities for the screening of blood samples and the detection of CTCs or other important cancer biomarker-proteins. In this study, the authors have reviewed the most recent developments in microfluidic devices for cells/biomarkers manipulation and detection, focusing their attention on immunomagnetic-affinity-based devices, dielectrophoresis-based devices, surface-plasmon-resonance microfluidic sensors, and quantum-dots-based sensors.

Electrical Chips for Biological Point-of-Care Detection

As the future of health care diagnostics moves toward more portable and personalized techniques, there is immense potential to harness the power of electrical signals for biological sensing and diagnostic applications at the point of care. Electrical biochips can be used to both manipulate and sense biological entities, as they can have several inherent advantages, including on-chip sample preparation, label-free detection, reduced cost and complexity, decreased sample volumes, increased portability, and large-scale multiplexing. The advantages of fully integrated electrical biochip platforms are particularly attractive for point-of-care systems. This review summarizes these electrical lab-on-a-chip technologies and highlights opportunities to accelerate the transition from academic publications to commercial success.

Oligonucleotide-based label-free detection with optical microresonators: strategies and challenges

This review targets diversified oligonucleotide-based biodetection techniques, focusing on the use of microresonators of whispering gallery mode (WGM) type as optical biosensors mostly integrated with lab-on-a-chip systems. On-chip and microfluidics combined devices along with optical microresonators provide rapid, robust, reproducible and multiplexed biodetection abilities in considerably small volumes. We present a detailed overview of the studies conducted so far, including biodetection of various oligonucleotide biomarkers as well as deoxyribonucleic acids (DNAs), ribonucleic acids (RNAs) and proteins. We particularly advert to chemical surface modifications for specific and selective biosensing.

Label-Free Biosensing with High Selectivity in Complex Media using Microtoroidal Optical Resonators

Although label-free biosensors comprised of optical microcavities inherently possess the capability of resolving molecular interactions at individual level, this extreme sensitivity restricts their convenience for large scale applications by inducing vulnerability towards non-specific interactions that readily occur within complex media. Therefore, the use of optical microresonators for biosensing is mostly limited within strictly defined laboratory conditions, instead of field applications as early detection of cancer markers in blood, or identification of contamination in food. Here, we propose a novel surface modification strategy suitable for but not limited to optical microresonator based biosensors, enabling highly selective biosensing with considerable sensitivity as well. Using a robust, silane-based surface coating which is simultaneously protein resistant and bioconjugable, we demonstrate that it becomes possible to perform biosensing within complex media, without compromising the sensitivity or reliability of the measurement. Functionalized microtoroids are successfully shown to resist nonspecific interactions, while simultaneously being used as sensitive biological sensors. This strategy could pave the way for important applications in terms of extending the use of state-of-the-art biosensors for solving problems similar to the aforementioned.

Layer-by-layer self-assembly of 2D graphene nanosheets, 3D copper oxide nanoflowers and 0D gold nanoparticles for ultrasensitive electrochemical detection of alpha fetoprotein

In this work, a novel and ultrasensitive label-free electrochemical immunosensor was developed for the quantitative detection of alpha fetoprotein (AFP).

Application of three-dimensional flower-like nanomaterials in the fabrication of sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensors

A novel and ultrasensitive sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor was developed for the quantitative detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in this work.

In situ fabrication of 3D Ag@ZnO nanostructures for microfluidic surface-enhanced Raman scattering systems

In this work, we develop an in situ method to grow highly controllable, sensitive, three-dimensional (3D) surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates via an optothermal effect within microfluidic devices. Implementing this approach, we fabricate SERS substrates composed of Ag@ZnO structures at prescribed locations inside microfluidic channels, sites within which current fabrication of SERS structures has been arduous. Conveniently, properties of the 3D Ag@ZnO nanostructures such as length, packing density, and coverage can also be adjusted by tuning laser irradiation parameters. After exploring the fabrication of the 3D nanostructures, we demonstrate a SERS enhancement factor of up to ∼2×10(6) and investigate the optical properties of the 3D Ag@ZnO structures through finite-difference time-domain simulations. To illustrate the potential value of our technique, low concentrations of biomolecules in the liquid state are detected. Moreover, an integrated cell-trapping function of the 3D Ag@ZnO structures records the surface chemical fingerprint of a living cell. Overall, our optothermal-effect-based fabrication technique offers an effective combination of microfluidics with SERS, resolving problems associated with the fabrication of SERS substrates in microfluidic channels. With its advantages in functionality, simplicity, and sensitivity, the microfluidic-SERS platform presented should be valuable in many biological, biochemical, and biomedical applications.

Transcription factor sensor system for parallel quantification of metabolites on-chip

Steadily growing demands for identification and quantification of cellular metabolites in higher throughput have brought a need for new analytical technologies. Here, we developed a synthetic biological sensor system for quantifying metabolites from biological cell samples. For this, bacterial transcription factors were exploited, which bind to or dissociate from regulatory DNA elements in response to physiological changes in the cellular metabolite concentration range. Representatively, the bacterial pyruvate dehydrogenase (PdhR), trehalose (TreR), and l-arginine (ArgR) repressor proteins were functionalized to detect pyruvate, trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P), and arginine concentration in solution. For each transcription factor the mutual binding behavior between metabolite and DNA, their working range, and othogonality were determined. High-throughput, parallel processing, and automation were achieved through integration of the metabolic sensor system on a microfluidic large-scale integration (mLSI) chip platform. To demonstrate the functionality of the integrated metabolic sensor system, we measured diurnal concentration changes of pyruvate and the plant signaling molecule T6P within cell etxracts of Arabidopsis thaliana rosettes. The transcription factor sensor system is of generic nature and extendable on the microfluidic chip.

Field Effect Transistor Biosensor Using Antigen Binding Fragment for Detecting Tumor Marker in Human Serum

Detection of tumor markers is important for cancer diagnosis. Field-effect transistors (FETs) are a promising method for the label-free detection of trace amounts of biomolecules. However, detection of electrically charged proteins using antibody-immobilized FETs is limited by ionic screening by the large probe molecules adsorbed to the transistor gate surface, reducing sensor responsiveness. Here, we investigated the effect of probe molecule size on the detection of a tumor marker, α-fetoprotein (AFP) using a FET biosensor. We demonstrated that the small receptor antigen binding fragment (Fab), immobilized on a sensing surface as small as 2–3 nm, offers a higher degree of sensitivity and a wider concentration range (100 pg/mL–1 μg/mL) for the FET detection of AFP in buffer solution, compared to the whole antibody. Therefore, the use of a small Fab probe molecule instead of a whole antibody is shown to be effective for improving the sensitivity of AFP detection in FET biosensors. Furthermore, we also demonstrated that a Fab-immobilized FET subjected to a blocking treatment, to avoid non-specific interactions, could sensitively and selectively detect AFP in human serum.

Functionalized MoS(2) nanosheet-based field-effect biosensor for label-free sensitive detection of cancer marker proteins in solution

Label-free MoS(2) nanosheet-based field-effect biosensor detects cancer marker protein Prostate Specific Antigen in real time with high sensitivity and selectivity, exhibiting great potential in point-of-care diagnostics application.

Advances and challenges in biosensor-based diagnosis of infectious diseases

Rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases and timely initiation of appropriate treatment are critical determinants that promote optimal clinical outcomes and general public health. Conventional in vitro diagnostics for infectious diseases are time-consuming and require centralized laboratories, experienced personnel and bulky equipment. Recent advances in biosensor technologies have potential to deliver point-of-care diagnostics that match or surpass conventional standards in regards to time, accuracy and cost. Broadly classified as either label-free or labeled, modern biosensors exploit micro- and nanofabrication technologies and diverse sensing strategies including optical, electrical and mechanical transducers. Despite clinical need, translation of biosensors from research laboratories to clinical applications has remained limited to a few notable examples, such as the glucose sensor. Challenges to be overcome include sample preparation, matrix effects and system integration. We review the advances of biosensors for infectious disease diagnostics and discuss the critical challenges that need to be overcome in order to implement integrated diagnostic biosensors in real world settings.

Enzyme immobilization: an update

Compared to free enzymes in solution, immobilized enzymes are more robust and more resistant to environmental changes. More importantly, the heterogeneity of the immo-bilized enzyme systems allows an easy recovery of both enzymes and products, multiple re-use of enzymes, continuous operation of enzymatic processes, rapid termination of reactions, and greater variety of bioreactor designs. This paper is a review of the recent literatures on enzyme immobilization by various techniques, the need for immobilization and different applications in industry, covering the last two decades. The most recent papers, patents, and reviews on immobilization strategies and application are reviewed.

Multispot, label-free biodetection at a phantom plastic-water interface

Recognizing and quantifying specific biomolecules in aqueous samples are constantly needed in research and diagnostic laboratories. As the typical detection procedures are rather lengthy and involve the use of labeled secondary antibodies or other agents to provide a signal, efforts have been made over the last 10 y to develop alternative label-free methods that enable direct detection. We propose and demonstrate an extremely simple, low-cost, label-free biodetector based on measuring the intensity of light reflected by the interface between a fluid sample and an amorphous fluoropolymer substrate having a refractive index very close to that of water and hosting various antibodies immobilized in spots. Under these index-matching conditions, the amount of light reflected by the interface allows straightforward quantification of the amount of antigen binding to each spot. Using antibodies targeting heterologous immunoglobulins and antigens commonly used as markers for diagnoses of hepatitis B and HIV, we demonstrate the limit of detection of a few picograms per square millimeter of surface-bound molecules. We also show that direct and real-time access to the amount of binding molecules allows the precise extrapolation of adhesion rates, from which the concentrations of antigens in solution can be estimated down to fractions of nanograms per milliliter.