Biosensors and Microfluidic Biosensors: From Fabrication to Application

Abstract

Biosensors are ubiquitous in a variety of disciplines, such as biochemical, electrochemical, agricultural, and biomedical areas. They can integrate various point-of-care applications, such as in the food, healthcare, environmental monitoring, water quality, forensics, drug development, and biological domains. Multiple strategies have been employed to develop and fabricate miniaturized biosensors, including design, optimization, characterization, and testing. In view of their interactions with high-affinity biomolecules, they find application in the sensitive detection of analytes, even in small sample volumes. Among the many developed techniques, microfluidics have been widely explored; these use fluid mechanics to operate miniaturized biosensors. The currently used commercial devices are bulky, slow in operation, expensive, and require human intervention; thus, it is difficult to automate, integrate, and miniaturize the existing conventional devices for multi-faceted applications. Microfluidic biosensors have the advantages of mobility, operational transparency, controllability, and stability with a small reaction volume for sensing. This review addresses biosensor technologies, including the design, classification, advances, and challenges in microfluidic-based biosensors. The value chain for developing miniaturized microfluidic-based biosensor devices is critically discussed, including fabrication and other associated protocols for application in various point-of-care testing applications.

Nanostructures in Biosensors: Development and Applications

“…In 1962, Montalvo and Guilbault reported the first potentiometric urease enzyme sensor for the detection of the ammonium ion activity due to the enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis [4]. Another fascinating work was presented by Opitz and Lubbers with the development of the optical biosensor for the detection of alcohol in 1975, which made the field of sensors very remarkable and rapid developments in this area continued [5]. One year later, Clemens et al developed an electrochemical glucose biosensor for a bedside type of artificial bedside pancreas as a prominent work in the field of biotechnology [6].…”

“…One year later, Clemens et al developed an electrochemical glucose biosensor for a bedside type of artificial bedside pancreas as a prominent work in the field of biotechnology [6]. At the beginning of the twentieth century, researchers at the University of Cambridge found a pen-sized detector for monitoring blood sugar levels [5]. In the light of ongoing research, different biosensors have been developed by integrating nanostructures for the selective detection of specific analytes.…”

Recent Advancements in Nanobiosensors: Current Trends, Challenges, Applications, and Future Scope

“…In 1962, the electrode proposed by Clark [ 81 ] is known as the first generation of nanobiosensor, and this is based on oxygen dependence. In our earlier work, we have reported in detail about the three generations of nanobiosensor [ 22 ]. Table 3 summarizes the evolution pathway of nanomaterials and biosensors that have undergone different development phases over the years.…”

“…At the same time, the transducer transmutes a biorecognition signal into a measurable electrical signal, which specifies the existence of a biochemical or biological objective. The analyte-bioreceptor interactions are proportional to the electrical or optical signals generated by the transducers, which can be linked to the smartphone via a cloud database to access and store the real-time data, which can be numerical, graphical, or tabular in nature [ 22 ].…”

All-fiber biological detection microfluidic chip based on space division and wavelength division multiplexing technologies

“…1–4 The combination of microfluidic technology with immunoassay 5,6 and electrochemical 7,8 and optical sensing methods can meet the needs of high-throughput and rapid detection of biomarkers. 9,10 Among them, the microfluidic chip required for immunoassay and electrochemical methods is a spatial microfluidic chip. The overall size of the chip is generally on the order of centimeters or millimeters, and the microfluidic channel first needs to be constructed with a silica substrate or polymer and then integrated with a detection unit.…”