Biomaterials for Biosensing Applications

Volume 7 • Issue 2 • 1000e124 J Anal Bioanal Tech ISSN: 2155-9872 JABT, an open access journal Biosensors are finding diverse applications and gradually becoming an integral part in a variety of analytical applications such as; clinical diagnosis, environmental monitoring, etc. since the introduction of glucose biosensors by Clark and Lyons in 1960 [1]. This was followed by the inception of the first enzyme-based glucose sensor developed by Updike and Hicks in 1967. Since then, extensive researches have been done towards biosensor designing due to its specificity, fast detection time, and high selectivity to detect analytes (DNA/RNA, proteins, cells), within the miniaturized settings [2]. A biosensor typically consists of a transducer in combination with a biologically active molecule that converts the biochemical response into a quantifiable signal. In general, a biosensor is comprised of three basic components viz. (i) a detector, (ii) a transducer, and (ii) a signal processor. The transducer can be electrochemical, optical, acoustic, or calorimetric type depending upon the diagnosis and the physiochemical character of the analyte [3]. Biosensors have been broadly studied based on various detection principles such as; conductometric, amperometric, potentiometric, and voltameteric [4]. The selection of the biomaterial for designing a biosensing element is an important issue. Among these, enzymes [5], DNA/RNA [6], aptamers [7,8], antibodies [9], receptors [10], organelles [11] and animal cells/tissues [12] have been extensively utilized to develop various types of sensing systems. Studies have been reported on glucose biosensors [13], sensors for cancer detection [14,15], sensors for detection of various drugs such as kanamycin [16], daunomycin [17], and acetaminophen [18] using different types of biomaterials.