Exosomes have been gaining attention for early cancer diagnosis owing to their biological functions in cells. Several studies have reported the relevance of exosomes in various diseases, including pancreatic cancer, retroperitoneal fibrosis, obesity, neurodegenerative diseases, and atherosclerosis. Particularly, exosomes are regarded as biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and can be detected in biofluids, such as saliva, urine, peritoneal fluid, and blood. Thus, exosomes are advantageous for cancer liquid biopsies as they overcome the current limitations of cancer tissue biopsies. Several studies have reported methods for exosome isolation, and analysis for cancer diagnosis. However, further clinical trials are still required to determine accurate exosome concentration quantification methods. Recently, various biosensors have been developed to detect exosomal biomarkers, including tumor-derived exosomes, nucleic acids, and proteins. Among these, the exact quantification of tumor-derived exosomes is a serious obstacle to the clinical use of liquid biopsies. Precise detection of exosome concentration is difficult because it requires clinical sample pretreatment. To solve this problem, the use of the nanobiohybrid material-based biosensor provides improved sensitivity and selectivity. The present review will discuss recent progress in exosome biosensors consisting of nanomaterials and biomaterial hybrids for electrochemical, electrical, and optical-based biosensors.

Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) are highly contagious and lethal mosquito-borne viruses. Global warming is steadily increasing the probability of ZIKV and DENV infection, and accurate diagnosis is required to control viral infections worldwide. Recently, research on biosensors for the accurate diagnosis of ZIKV and DENV has been actively conducted. Moreover, biosensor research using DNA nanotechnology is also increasing, and has many advantages compared to the existing diagnostic methods, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). As a bioreceptor, DNA can easily introduce a functional group at the 5′ or 3′ end, and can also be used as a folded structure, such as a DNA aptamer and DNAzyme. Instead of using ZIKV and DENV antibodies, a bioreceptor that specifically binds to viral proteins or nucleic acids has been fabricated and introduced using DNA nanotechnology. Technologies for detecting ZIKV and DENV can be broadly divided into electrochemical, electrical, and optical. In this review, advances in DNA-nanotechnology-based ZIKV and DENV detection biosensors are discussed.

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Cylindrospermopsin (CYN) is a freshwater algal toxin produced during the proliferation of harmful cyanobacteria, known as cyanobacterial algal blooms (cyano-HABs). Recently, the effects of global warming have facilitated the growth of cyano-HABs, leading to their worldwide occurrence and an increase in toxin-related damage to aquatic ecosystems. CYN is known to exhibit strong cell toxicity upon ingestion, inhibiting protein synthesis and glutathione production and, ultimately, leading to cell death. In addition to cell toxicity, CYN exhibits skin toxicity, genotoxicity, and hepatotoxicity. It can also affect other organs, such as the kidneys (causing tubular necrosis), thymus (causing atrophy), and heart (causing pericardial and myocardial hemorrhage). The standard method used for CYN detection to date, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), has several drawbacks: it is complex, time-consuming, and requires trained researchers. Recently, biosensors have been shown to offer numerous advantages, such as their simplicity, portability, and rapidity, making them suitable for onsite applications. Consequently, recent studies have actively explored the latest biosensor-based technologies for CYN detection. This review discusses the recent advances in CYN detection platforms that utilize several types of biosensors.

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