Nanomaterials for Healthcare Biosensing Applications

In recent years, an increasing number of nanomaterials have been explored for their applications in biomedical diagnostics, making their applications in healthcare biosensing a rapidly evolving field. Nanomaterials introduce versatility to the sensing platforms and may even allow mobility between different detection mechanisms. The prospect of a combination of different nanomaterials allows an exploitation of their synergistic additive and novel properties for sensor development. This paper covers more than 290 research works since 2015, elaborating the diverse roles played by various nanomaterials in the biosensing field. Hence, we provide a comprehensive review of the healthcare sensing applications of nanomaterials, covering carbon allotrope-based, inorganic, and organic nanomaterials. These sensing systems are able to detect a wide variety of clinically relevant molecules, like nucleic acids, viruses, bacteria, cancer antigens, pharmaceuticals and narcotic drugs, toxins, contaminants, as well as entire cells in various sensing media, ranging from buffers to more complex environments such as urine, blood or sputum. Thus, the latest advancements reviewed in this paper hold tremendous potential for the application of nanomaterials in the early screening of diseases and point-of-care testing

Developments in nanoparticles for use in biosensors to assess food safety and quality

The following will provide an overview on how advances in nanoparticle technology have contributed towards developing biosensors to screen for safety and quality markers associated with foods. The novel properties of nanoparticles will be described and how such characteristics have been exploited in sensor design will be provided. All the biosensor formats were initially developed for the health care sector to meet the demand for point-of-care diagnostics. As a consequence, research has been directed towards miniaturization thereby reducing the sample volume to nanolitres. However, the needs of the food sector are very different which may ultimately limit commercial application of nanoparticle based nanosensors. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd

Biosensors in occupational safety and health management: A narrative review

A sensor is a device used to gather information registered by some biological, physical or chemical change, and then convert the information into a measurable signal. The first biosensor prototype was conceived more than a century ago, in 1906, but a properly defined biosensor was only developed later in 1956. Some of them have reached the commercial stage and are routinely used in environmental and agricultural applications, and especially, in clinical laboratory and industrial analysis, mostly because it is an economical, simple and efficient instrument for the in situ detection of the bioavailability of a broad range of environmental pollutants. We propose a narrative review, that found 32 papers and aims to discuss the possible uses of biosensors, focusing on their use in the area of occupational safety and health (OSH)

Florida marine biotechnology: research, development and training capabilities to advance science and commerce

The level of activity and interest in “marine biotechnology” among Florida university faculty and allied laboratory scientists is reported in this document. The information will be used to (1) promote networking and collaboration in research and education, (2) inform industry of possible academic partners, (3) identify contacts interested in potential new sources of funding, and (4) assist development of funding for a statewide marine biotechnology research, training and development program. This document is the first of its kind. Institutions of higher learning were given the opportunity to contribute both an overview of campus capabilities and individual faculty Expressions of Scientific Interest. They are listed in the table of contents. (104pp.

Biosensors in occupational safety and health management : a narrative review

A sensor is a device used to gather information registered by some biological, physical or chemical change, and then convert the information into a measurable signal. The first biosensor prototype was conceived more than a century ago, in 1906, but a properly defined biosensor was only developed later in 1956. Some of them have reached the commercial stage and are routinely used in environmental and agricultural applications, and especially, in clinical laboratory and industrial analysis, mostly because it is an economical, simple and efficient instrument for the in situ detection of the bioavailability of a broad range of environmental pollutants. We propose a narrative review, that found 32 papers and aims to discuss the possible uses of biosensors, focusing on their use in the area of occupational safety and health (OSH)

Fully Integrated Biochip Platforms for Advanced Healthcare

Recent advances in microelectronics and biosensors are enabling developments of innovative biochips for advanced healthcare by providing fully integrated platforms for continuous monitoring of a large set of human disease biomarkers. Continuous monitoring of several human metabolites can be addressed by using fully integrated and minimally invasive devices located in the sub-cutis, typically in the peritoneal region. This extends the techniques of continuous monitoring of glucose currently being pursued with diabetic patients. However, several issues have to be considered in order to succeed in developing fully integrated and minimally invasive implantable devices. These innovative devices require a high-degree of integration, minimal invasive surgery, long-term biocompatibility, security and privacy in data transmission, high reliability, high reproducibility, high specificity, low detection limit and high sensitivity. Recent advances in the field have already proposed possible solutions for several of these issues. The aim of the present paper is to present a broad spectrum of recent results and to propose future directions of development in order to obtain fully implantable systems for the continuous monitoring of the human metabolism in advanced healthcare applications

Innovative Biosensing Approaches for Swift Identification of Candida Species, Intrusive Pathogenic Organisms

Candida is the largest genus of medically significant fungi. Although most of its members are commensals, residing harmlessly in human bodies, some are opportunistic and dangerously invasive. These have the ability to cause severe nosocomial candidiasis and candidemia that affect the viscera and bloodstream. A prompt diagnosis will lead to a successful treatment modality. The smart solution of biosensing technologies for rapid and precise detection of Candida species has made remarkable progress. The development of point-of-care (POC) biosensor devices involves sensor precision down to pico-/femtogram level, cost-effectiveness, portability, rapidity, and user-friendliness. However, futuristic diagnostics will depend on exploiting technologies such as multiplexing for high-throughput screening, CRISPR, artificial intelligence (AI), neural networks, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing of medical databases. This review gives an insight into different biosensor technologies designed for the detection of medically significant Candida species, especially Candida albicans and C. auris, and their applications in the medical setting

Field Effect Transistor Nanosensor for Breast Cancer Diagnostics

Silicon nanochannel field effect transistor (FET) biosensors are one of the most promising technologies in the development of highly sensitive and label-free analyte detection for cancer diagnostics. With their exceptional electrical properties and small dimensions, silicon nanochannels are ideally suited for extraordinarily high sensitivity. In fact, the high surface-to-volume ratios of these systems make single molecule detection possible. Further, FET biosensors offer the benefits of high speed, low cost, and high yield manufacturing, without sacrificing the sensitivity typical for traditional optical methods in diagnostics. Top down manufacturing methods leverage advantages in Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technologies, making richly multiplexed sensor arrays a reality. Here, we discuss the fabrication and use of silicon nanochannel FET devices as biosensors for breast cancer diagnosis and monitoring