Sense and fibrelity: next generation optical biosensors

Abstract

Biosensors now play a vital and essential role in medicine, industry and the environment, providing routine analysis, crucial monitoring, and early detection of problems and crisis points. Biosensors are increasingly finding applications in homeland security, as well as in bio/pharmaceutical research. The market for biosensors is forecast to swell to £5.7 billion in 2007, with an annual growth rate of around 10 per cent [1], as new techniques address the issues of accuracy, response time, ease of use and cost, which currently determine specific implementation in different sectors