Application of biosensors in cancers, an overview

Application of Fluorescence- and Bioluminescence-Based Biosensors in Cancer Drug Discovery

Recent advances in drug discovery have established biosensors as indispensable tools, particularly valued for their precision, sensitivity, and real-time monitoring capabilities. The review begins with a brief overview of cancer drug discovery, underscoring the pivotal role of biosensors in advancing cancer research. Various types of biosensors employed in cancer drug discovery are then explored, with particular emphasis on fluorescence- and bioluminescence-based technologies such as FRET, TR-FRET, BRET, NanoBRET, and NanoBiT. These biosensors have enabled breakthrough discoveries, including the identification of Celastrol as a novel YAP-TEAD inhibitor through NanoBiT-based screening, and the development of TR-FRET assays that successfully identified Ro-31-8220 as a SMAD4R361H/SMAD3 interaction inducer. The integration of biosensors in high throughput screening and validation for cancer drug compounds is examined, highlighting successful applications such as the development of LATS biosensors that revealed VEGFR as an upstream regulator of the Hippo signaling pathway. Real-time monitoring of cellular responses through biosensors has yielded invaluable insights into cancer cell signaling pathways, as demonstrated by NanoBRET assays detecting RAF dimerization and HiBiT systems monitoring protein degradation dynamics. The review addresses challenges linked to biosensor applications, such as maintaining stability in complex tumor microenvironments and achieving consistent sensitivity in HTS applications. Emerging trends are discussed, including integrating artificial intelligence and advanced nanomaterials for enhanced biosensor performance. In conclusion, this review offers a comprehensive analysis of fluorescence- and bioluminescence-based biosensor applications in the dynamic cancer drug discovery field, presenting quantitative evidence of their impact and highlighting their potential to revolutionize targeted cancer treatments.

Virus-like particle encapsulation of functional proteins: advances and applications

Proteins face several challenges in biomedicine, including issues with antibody production, degradation by proteases, rapid clearance by the kidneys, and short half-lives. To address these problems, various nano delivery systems have been developed, with virus-like particles (VLPs) emerging as a leading solution. VLPs, which are self-assembled protein complexes, offer effective encapsulation and transport of proteins. They provide enhanced stability, extended circulation time, preserved biological activity, improved targeting for therapies or imaging, and reduced side effects due to minimized systemic exposure. This review explores various methods for encapsulating proteins within VLPs. It assesses the benefits and limitations of each method and their applications in imaging, therapeutic enzyme delivery, vaccines, immunotherapy, nanoreactors, and biosensors. Future advancements in VLPs will depend on improving packaging methods, controlling protein loading, optimizing assembly techniques, and enhancing capsid design. The review also discusses current challenges and proposes solutions to advance the use of VLPs in various applications.

An updated review on the development of a nanomaterial-based field-effect transistor-type biosensors to detect exosomes for cancer diagnosis

Cancer, a life-threatening genetic disease caused by abnormalities in normal cell growth regulatory functions, poses a significant challenge that current medical technologies cannot fully overcome. The current desired breakthrough is to diagnose cancer as early as possible and increase survival rates through treatments tailored to the prognosis and appropriate follow-up. From a perspective that reflects this contemporary paradigm of cancer diagnostics, exosomes are emerging as promising biomarkers. Exosomes, serving as mobile biological information repositories of cancer cells, have been known to create a microtumor environment in surrounding cells, and significant insight into the clinical significance of cancer diagnosis targeting them has been reported. Therefore, there are growing interests in constructing a system that enables continuous screening with a focus on patient-friendly and flexible diagnosis, aiming to improve cancer screening rates through exosome detection. This review focuses on a proposed exosome-embedded biological information-detecting platform employing a field-effect transistor (FET)-based biosensor that leverages portability, cost-effectiveness, and rapidity to minimize the stages of sacrifice attributable to cancer. The FET-applied biosensing technique, stemming from variations in an electric field, is considered an early detection system, offering high sensitivity and a prompt response frequency for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of biomolecules. Hence, an in-depth discussion was conducted on the understanding of various exosome-based cancer biomarkers and the clinical significance of recent studies on FET-based biosensors applying them.

Electrochemical biosensors for early diagnosis of glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive and life-threatening neurological malignancy of predominant astrocyte origin. This type of neoplasm can develop in either the brain or the spine and is also known as glioblastoma multiforme. Although current diagnostic methods such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) facilitate tumor location, these approaches are unable to assess disease severity. Furthermore, interpretation of imaging studies requires significant expertise which can have substantial inter-observer variability, thus challenging diagnosis and potentially delaying treatment. In contrast, biosensing systems offer a promising alternative to these traditional approaches. These technologies can continuously monitor specific molecules, providing valuable real-time data on treatment response, and could significantly improve patient outcomes. Among various types of biosensors, electrochemical systems are preferred over other types, as they do not require expensive or complex equipment or procedures and can be made with readily available materials and methods. Moreover, electrochemical biosensors can detect very small amounts of analytes with high accuracy and specificity by using various signal amplification strategies and recognition elements. Considering the advantages of electrochemical biosensors compared to other biosensing methods, we aim to highlight the potential application(s) of these sensors for GBM theranostics. The review's innovative insights are expected to antecede the development of novel biosensors and associated diagnostic platforms, ultimately restructuring GBM detection strategies.

Paper-Based Analytical Devices for Cancer Liquid Biopsy

Liquid biopsies have caused a significant revolution in cancer diagnosis, and the use of point of care (PoC) platforms has the potential to bring liquid biopsy-based cancer detection closer to patients. These platforms provide rapid and on-site analysis by reducing the time between sample collection and results output. The aim of this tutorial content is to provide readers an in-depth understanding regarding the choice of the ideal sensing platform suitable for specific cancer-related biomarkers.

Solution-Induced Degradation of the Silicon Nanobelt Field-Effect Transistor Biosensors

Field-effect transistor (FET)-based biosensors are powerful analytical tools for detecting trace-specific biomolecules in diverse sample matrices, especially in the realms of pandemics and infectious diseases. The primary concern in applying these biosensors is their stability, a factor directly impacting the accuracy and reliability of sensing over extended durations. The risk of biosensor degradation is substantial, potentially jeopardizing the sensitivity and selectivity and leading to inaccurate readings, including the possibility of false positives or negatives. This paper delves into the documented degradation of silicon nanobelt FET (NBFET) biosensors induced by buffer solutions. The results highlight a positive correlation between immersion time and the threshold voltage of NBFET devices. Secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis demonstrates a gradual increase in sodium and potassium ion concentrations within the silicon as immersion days progress. This outcome is ascribed to the nanobelt's exposure to the buffer solution during the biosensing period, enabling ion penetration from the buffer into the silicon. This study emphasizes the critical need to address buffer-solution-induced degradation to ensure the long-term stability and performance of FET-based biosensors in practical applications.