Climate change is a profound crisis that affects every
aspect of
life, including public health. Changes in environmental conditions
can promote the spread of pathogens and the development of new mutants
and strains. Early detection is essential in managing and controlling
this spread and improving overall health outcomes. This perspective
article introduces basic biosensing concepts and various biosensors,
including electrochemical, optical, mass-based, nano biosensors, and
single-molecule biosensors, as important sustainability and public
health preventive tools. The discussion also includes how the sustainability
of a biosensor is crucial to minimizing environmental impacts and
ensuring the long-term availability of vital technologies and resources
for healthcare, environmental monitoring, and beyond. One promising
avenue for pathogen screening could be the electrical detection of
biomolecules at the single-molecule level, and some recent developments
based on single-molecule bioelectronics using the Scanning Tunneling
Microscopy-assisted break junctions (STM-BJ) technique are shown here.
Using this technique, biomolecules can be detected with high sensitivity,
eliminating the need for amplification and cell culture steps, thereby
enhancing speed and efficiency. Furthermore, the STM-BJ technique
demonstrates exceptional specificity, accurately detects single-base
mismatches, and exhibits a detection limit essentially at the level
of individual biomolecules. Finally, a case is made here for sustainable
biosensors, how they can help, the paradigm shift needed to achieve
them, and some potential applications.