Pub Date : 2025-07-18DOI: 10.1016/j.snr.2025.100360
Mukesh Thapa, Yun Seok Heo
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by impaired glucose regulation due to insufficient insulin secretion or cellular resistance to insulin. Although insulin is the primary regulatory molecule, glucose remains the most monitored biomarker despite its high variability. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), a more stable marker with a longer half-life, provides a comprehensive assessment of long-term glycemic control. Simultaneous measurement of HbA1c and insulin would offer enhanced insight for DM management. In this study, we present a label-free electrochemical biosensor capable of simultaneously quantifying HbA1c and insulin using a single drop of blood. The device integrates dual screen-printed carbon electrodes functionalized with palladium nanostructures (PdNS), allowing covalent immobilization of anti-HbA1c and anti-insulin antibodies on WE1 and WE2, respectively. Upon incubation with a pretreated blood sample and introduction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) serving as the measuring solution, amperometric signals were generated: oxidation of the heme group in HbA1c at WE1, and suppression of current at WE2 due to insulin interference. All concentrations were quantified based on current responses to the measuring solution. The biosensor demonstrated excellent analytical performance, including high sensitivity (R2 > 0.96), selectivity (>95 %), long-term stability (>95 % over 120 days), and operational efficiency, as confirmed through standard and whole blood sample analysis. This is the first disposable point-of-care (POC) device that enables dual detection of HbA1c and insulin on a single chip, offering a practical and comprehensive tool for real-time DM monitoring and personalized disease management.
{"title":"Palladium nanostructure-based label-free electrochemical biosensors for HbA1c and insulin measurement","authors":"Mukesh Thapa, Yun Seok Heo","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100360","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100360","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by impaired glucose regulation due to insufficient insulin secretion or cellular resistance to insulin. Although insulin is the primary regulatory molecule, glucose remains the most monitored biomarker despite its high variability. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), a more stable marker with a longer half-life, provides a comprehensive assessment of long-term glycemic control. Simultaneous measurement of HbA1c and insulin would offer enhanced insight for DM management. In this study, we present a label-free electrochemical biosensor capable of simultaneously quantifying HbA1c and insulin using a single drop of blood. The device integrates dual screen-printed carbon electrodes functionalized with palladium nanostructures (PdNS), allowing covalent immobilization of anti-HbA1c and anti-insulin antibodies on WE1 and WE2, respectively. Upon incubation with a pretreated blood sample and introduction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) serving as the measuring solution, amperometric signals were generated: oxidation of the heme group in HbA1c at WE1, and suppression of current at WE2 due to insulin interference. All concentrations were quantified based on current responses to the measuring solution. The biosensor demonstrated excellent analytical performance, including high sensitivity (R<sup>2</sup> > 0.96), selectivity (>95 %), long-term stability (>95 % over 120 days), and operational efficiency, as confirmed through standard and whole blood sample analysis. This is the first disposable point-of-care (POC) device that enables dual detection of HbA1c and insulin on a single chip, offering a practical and comprehensive tool for real-time DM monitoring and personalized disease management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100360"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144687045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-07-14DOI: 10.1016/j.snr.2025.100361
Xinying Wu , Xingyu Zhao , Weiliang Chen , Qinghua Chen , Linghai Kong , Peiyao Li
Diabetes is characterized by chronic hyperglycemia, a condition resulting from insufficient or impaired insulin secretion and utilization. As the global prevalence of diabetes continues to rise, Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) technology has emerged as a key solution. The flexible electrode design and ‘‘24/7′’ coverage of CGM systems address the discomfort associated with traditional Blood Glucose Monitoring (BGM), reducing the need for frequent fingertip punctures and improving patient compliance. The shift from BGM to CGM technology can be attributed to significant advancements in electrode design, material selection, and sensor performance. This paper reviews recent advancements in CGM systems, focusing on the principles of the four sensor generations, core sensing technologies, outer membrane design, and key performance indicators. Finally, this paper provides a summary and outlook on future research directions in CGM sensors development.
{"title":"A systematic review of continuous glucose monitoring sensors: principles, core technologies and performance evaluation","authors":"Xinying Wu , Xingyu Zhao , Weiliang Chen , Qinghua Chen , Linghai Kong , Peiyao Li","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100361","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100361","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Diabetes is characterized by chronic hyperglycemia, a condition resulting from insufficient or impaired insulin secretion and utilization. As the global prevalence of diabetes continues to rise, Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) technology has emerged as a key solution. The flexible electrode design and ‘‘24/7′’ coverage of CGM systems address the discomfort associated with traditional Blood Glucose Monitoring (BGM), reducing the need for frequent fingertip punctures and improving patient compliance. The shift from BGM to CGM technology can be attributed to significant advancements in electrode design, material selection, and sensor performance. This paper reviews recent advancements in CGM systems, focusing on the principles of the four sensor generations, core sensing technologies, outer membrane design, and key performance indicators. Finally, this paper provides a summary and outlook on future research directions in CGM sensors development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100361"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144652990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The chemosensor, 2-(10-hydroxybenzo [h]quinolin-9-yl) quinazolin-4(3H)-one (SP55) was successfully synthesized in a two-step synthesis reaction and confirmed through characterisation techniques like NMR spectroscopy, FT-IR, and HR-MS. For the optical experiments, the ligands were solubilized with a solvent mixture of (8:2) acetonitrile and water, whereas the cation salts were dissolved in water. The absorption studies ensure sensitivity only to Ru3+, Ir3+, Th4+, and uranyl nitrate (UO22+), compared to other cations. The absorption and emission tests indicated that the emission intensified on adding Ru3+, Ir3+, Th4+, and uranyl nitrate (UO22+) ions with blue shift and absorption also intensified but with red shift The limit of detection (LoD) was 0.44 nM for Ru3+, 2.35 nM for Ir3+, 1.64 nM for Th4+, and 1.99 nM for UO22+. The complex formation between the sensor and metals was confirmed using FT-IR, HR-MS, Job's plot, DFT, and 1H NMR titration analyses. Furthermore, we used the SP55 chemosensor to detect Ru3+, Ir3+, Th4+, and uranyl nitrate (UO22+) in environmental water samples.
{"title":"A multi-sensing quinazoline-derived fluorescent sensor for selective detection of Ru3+, Ir3+, Th4+, and UO22+ with environmental applications","authors":"Prakash Seenu , Nandhini Karthikeyan , Namrata Priyadharshini Hota , Saravanan Enbanathan , Sathiyanarayanan Kulathu Iyer","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100357","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100357","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The chemosensor, 2-(10-hydroxybenzo [h]quinolin-9-yl) quinazolin-4(3H)-one (SP55) was successfully synthesized in a two-step synthesis reaction and confirmed through characterisation techniques like NMR spectroscopy, FT-IR, and HR-MS. For the optical experiments, the ligands were solubilized with a solvent mixture of (8:2) acetonitrile and water, whereas the cation salts were dissolved in water. The absorption studies ensure sensitivity only to Ru3+, Ir3+, Th4+, and uranyl nitrate (UO22+), compared to other cations. The absorption and emission tests indicated that the emission intensified on adding Ru<sup>3+</sup>, Ir<sup>3+</sup>, Th<sup>4+</sup>, and uranyl nitrate (UO<sub>2</sub><sup>2+</sup>) ions with blue shift and absorption also intensified but with red shift The limit of detection (LoD) was 0.44 nM for Ru<sup>3+</sup>, 2.35 nM for Ir<sup>3+</sup>, 1.64 nM for Th<sup>4+</sup>, and 1.99 nM for UO<sub>2</sub><sup>2+</sup>. The complex formation between the sensor and metals was confirmed using FT-IR, HR-MS, Job's plot, DFT, and <sup>1</sup>H NMR titration analyses. Furthermore, we used the SP55 chemosensor to detect Ru<sup>3+</sup>, Ir<sup>3+</sup>, Th<sup>4+</sup>, and uranyl nitrate (UO<sub>2</sub><sup>2+</sup>) in environmental water samples.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100357"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144597532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-07-03DOI: 10.1016/j.snr.2025.100359
F. Vivaldi , F. Torrini , F. Spiaggia , F. Di Francesco , M. Minunni
Affinity receptors have played a pivotal role in advancing bioanalysis, primarily for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, thanks to their high selectivity toward target molecules, which enables their use in complex biofluids. While antibodies remain the gold standard, ongoing research has explored alternative receptors with improved stability, reduced size, and enhanced performance in bioanalytical and clinical applications. This works traces the evolution of affinity receptors from classical antibodies to emerging biomimetic and synthetic alternatives, including affibodies, nanobodies, aptamers, and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). We highlight their molecular features, advantages, and limitations, emphasizing their use as part of the molecular toolbox for bioanalytical assay development and biosensing. Overall, the continuous diversification of affinity binders reflects the dynamic nature of this field, where the optimal receptor remains context dependent. For this reason, the research into new binders to complement or eventually replace antibodies that, for the moment, remain the choice for high-throughput applications, is still ongoing.
{"title":"Exploring affinity receptors in bioanalysis: from natural binders to biomimetics","authors":"F. Vivaldi , F. Torrini , F. Spiaggia , F. Di Francesco , M. Minunni","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100359","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100359","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Affinity receptors have played a pivotal role in advancing bioanalysis, primarily for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, thanks to their high selectivity toward target molecules, which enables their use in complex biofluids. While antibodies remain the gold standard, ongoing research has explored alternative receptors with improved stability, reduced size, and enhanced performance in bioanalytical and clinical applications. This works traces the evolution of affinity receptors from classical antibodies to emerging biomimetic and synthetic alternatives, including affibodies, nanobodies, aptamers, and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). We highlight their molecular features, advantages, and limitations, emphasizing their use as part of the molecular toolbox for bioanalytical assay development and biosensing. Overall, the continuous diversification of affinity binders reflects the dynamic nature of this field, where the optimal receptor remains context dependent. For this reason, the research into new binders to complement or eventually replace antibodies that, for the moment, remain the choice for high-throughput applications, is still ongoing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100359"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144570862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.snr.2025.100358
Salma Nur Zakiyyah , Irkham , Karina Salsabiila Putri Sima , Clianta Yudin Kharismasari , Mengzhen Xi , Shabarni Gaffar , Mehmet Ozsoz , Francesco Paolucci , Giovanni Valenti , Yeni Wahyuni Hartati
Nucleic acids serve as specific, selective, and sensitive components in molecular diagnostics, offering efficient and high-precision results. Unlike DNA, RNA expression reflects real-time cellular activity, allowing for the monitoring of disease progression, treatment response, or environmental influences. This makes RNA a superior biomarker due to its ability to enable early disease detection, provide higher specificity, allow non-invasive sampling, and offer high sensitivity for low-abundance targets. RNA-based biosensor innovations hold significant potential for detecting genetic diseases, such as cancer, and preventing viral infections. Electrochemical biosensors have become a fast and efficient alternative to gold-standard diagnostic methods, offering simplicity, rapid response, and suitability for clinical use, including point-of-care applications. Recent advancements have integrated the CRISPR-Cas13a system with electrochemical biosensors to enhance RNA detection sensitivity and specificity. The CRISPR-Cas system, an adaptive immune mechanism in bacteria, has been widely utilized for diagnostics. Cas13a is superior to other Cas proteins for RNA detection due to its high specificity, inherent signal amplification, and ability to detect low-abundance RNA without requiring reverse transcription or amplification steps. This review summarized recent progression of CRISPR/Cas 13a and its combination with electrochemical technique, including electrochemiluminescence (ECL) and photoelectrochemical (PEC) methods. The principles and advantages of CRISPR/Cas13a, electrochemical, ECL, and PEC technique for RNA detection are described. In electrochemical-based biosensors, Cas13a recognizes and binds to the target ssRNA, triggering its trans-cleavage activity, which indiscriminately cuts nearby RNA reporters. This process alters the electrochemical signal, enabling selective and sensitive RNA detection. Finally, several examples of CRISPR/Cas13a-based electrochemical biosensors are discussed, highlighting their potential as molecular diagnostic tools for RNA detection and emphasizing their advantages in sensitivity, specificity, and rapid detection capabilities.
Pub Date : 2025-06-30DOI: 10.1016/j.snr.2025.100356
Jinsik Yoon , Kibeom Kim , Junghyun Bae , Wook Park
Multifarious detection and response mechanisms have been introduced and implemented because responsive materials, particularly hydrogel polymers, adopt certain transformations by external reactions and recover their original appearance. Heterogeneous structures are usually fabricated to obtain responsive hydrogels. In addition, component frame gradation methods have been applied to overcome the limitations of material composition. In this study, we present versatile responsive hydrogel structures that perform as sensor or actuator. The structures are fabricated using a defocusing maskless photolithography system with an objective lens, and consist of a single hydrogel-retained polymeric crosslinking density gradient. The hydrogel structures immersed in anhydrous hygroscopic solutions fail to swell, thereby maintaining their curved shapes. The solutions, improperly stored and left unattended, naturally absorb ambient moisture, and the resulting increase in water content enhances water–polymer interactions proportionally. This enhanced interaction induces swelling of the hydrogel, leading to curvature changes, enabling the structure to function as a sensor for detecting changes in liquid composition. By utilizing the structure, a change in moisture content of approximately 3% is easily verified without mechanical assistance. In contrast, temperature-dependent property changes in ethanol solutions with minimal water content predominantly affect solution–polymer interactions rather than polymer–polymer interactions. Reversible structural responses of the hydrogel are analyzed under repeated thermal cycling, and actuators such as a gripper and walking robot operating via thermal switching are successfully developed.
{"title":"Moisture-thermo dual-responsive hydrogel structure for liquid composition change detection and programmed actuation via vertical crosslinking gradient based defocusing photolithography","authors":"Jinsik Yoon , Kibeom Kim , Junghyun Bae , Wook Park","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100356","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100356","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Multifarious detection and response mechanisms have been introduced and implemented because responsive materials, particularly hydrogel polymers, adopt certain transformations by external reactions and recover their original appearance. Heterogeneous structures are usually fabricated to obtain responsive hydrogels. In addition, component frame gradation methods have been applied to overcome the limitations of material composition. In this study, we present versatile responsive hydrogel structures that perform as sensor or actuator. The structures are fabricated using a defocusing maskless photolithography system with an objective lens, and consist of a single hydrogel-retained polymeric crosslinking density gradient. The hydrogel structures immersed in anhydrous hygroscopic solutions fail to swell, thereby maintaining their curved shapes. The solutions, improperly stored and left unattended, naturally absorb ambient moisture, and the resulting increase in water content enhances water–polymer interactions proportionally. This enhanced interaction induces swelling of the hydrogel, leading to curvature changes, enabling the structure to function as a sensor for detecting changes in liquid composition. By utilizing the structure, a change in moisture content of approximately 3% is easily verified without mechanical assistance. In contrast, temperature-dependent property changes in ethanol solutions with minimal water content predominantly affect solution–polymer interactions rather than polymer–polymer interactions. Reversible structural responses of the hydrogel are analyzed under repeated thermal cycling, and actuators such as a gripper and walking robot operating via thermal switching are successfully developed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100356"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144548422","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-24DOI: 10.1016/j.snr.2025.100355
Yingping Luo , Tongtong Lai , Yi Tang , Linhui Xie , Jingyan Zhang , Peiyao Chen , Jiancai Tang , Qiang Su , Qiao Liu
Though considerable efforts are focusing on the development of different types of sensors for platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) determination, few of these approaches can achieve cost-effective, rapid, and sensitive detecting PDGF-BB by naked eye. Herein, we developed a novel, cost-effective, label-free and robust sensor based on split aptamer recognition and proximity-induced formation of G-quadruplex DNAzyme for rapid and visual detection of PDGF-BB. The two segments of constructed sensor, termed as split aptazyme (SA), were separated in the absence of PDGF-BB, but effectively assemble after binding the target to form DNAzyme structure that could catalyze the H2O2-mediated oxidation of 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid, generating a dark green color within 5 min which could be observed by naked eye. Notably, the SA demonstrated here showed a wide linear response to PDGF-BB from 0 to 500 nM in bio-samples with a limit of detection as low as 0.7 nM. Therefore, we believe that such an approach should be readily applicable for on-site visual detection of PDGF-BB for cancer monitoring and diagnosis. The newly developed SA strategy also offers attractive universal sensing platforms for rapid and visual detection of other protein biomarkers that only have one binding site.
{"title":"Cost-effective and label-free split aptamer constructs for rapid and visual detection of PDGF-BB protein","authors":"Yingping Luo , Tongtong Lai , Yi Tang , Linhui Xie , Jingyan Zhang , Peiyao Chen , Jiancai Tang , Qiang Su , Qiao Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100355","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100355","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Though considerable efforts are focusing on the development of different types of sensors for platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) determination, few of these approaches can achieve cost-effective, rapid, and sensitive detecting PDGF-BB by naked eye. Herein, we developed a novel, cost-effective, label-free and robust sensor based on split aptamer recognition and proximity-induced formation of G-quadruplex DNAzyme for rapid and visual detection of PDGF-BB. The two segments of constructed sensor, termed as split aptazyme (SA), were separated in the absence of PDGF-BB, but effectively assemble after binding the target to form DNAzyme structure that could catalyze the H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>-mediated oxidation of 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid, generating a dark green color within 5 min which could be observed by naked eye. Notably, the SA demonstrated here showed a wide linear response to PDGF-BB from 0 to 500 nM in bio-samples with a limit of detection as low as 0.7 nM. Therefore, we believe that such an approach should be readily applicable for on-site visual detection of PDGF-BB for cancer monitoring and diagnosis. The newly developed SA strategy also offers attractive universal sensing platforms for rapid and visual detection of other protein biomarkers that only have one binding site.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100355"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144502144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Delayed treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) can result in severe complications, including cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, and kidney failure, emphasizing the critical importance of early and accurate detection. Key biomarkers for DM diagnosis and monitoring include glucose, insulin, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and glycated albumin (GHSA), which are typically measured using techniques like chromatography, electrophoresis, and immunoassays. While these methods offer high accuracy and reliability, their application is often limited by the need for sophisticated instrumentation, high operational costs, and lengthy analysis times, making them less suitable for point-of-care diagnostics. As an alternative, Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) have emerged as a promising solution due to their exceptional specificity in biomarker recognition, mimicking the selective binding properties of natural antibodies. MIPs-based electrochemical sensors offer significant advantages, including high stability, selectivity, reproducibility, and cost-effectiveness, making them highly suitable for rapid and portable biomarker detection. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in MIPs-based electrochemical sensors for DM biomarker detection, emphasizing various synthesis strategies, including bulk polymerization, surface polymerization, electropolymerization, and cooling polymerization. Furthermore, key factors influencing sensor performance, such as functional monomers, crosslinkers, and initiators, are discussed. The continued development of MIPs-based electrochemical sensors holds great potential for enhancing the accessibility and efficiency of DM biomarker detection, with ongoing research paving the way for their integration into point-of-care diagnostic platforms.
{"title":"Molecularly imprinted polymer technology for electrochemical detection of diabetes-related biomarkers","authors":"Launa Silky Karenindra Rokhmat , Irkham , Serly Zuliska , Adisyahputra , Yohanes Susanto Ridwan , Retna Putri Fauzia , Putra Rafli Ramdani , Yeni Wahyuni Hartati","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100353","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100353","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Delayed treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) can result in severe complications, including cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, and kidney failure, emphasizing the critical importance of early and accurate detection. Key biomarkers for DM diagnosis and monitoring include glucose, insulin, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and glycated albumin (GHSA), which are typically measured using techniques like chromatography, electrophoresis, and immunoassays. While these methods offer high accuracy and reliability, their application is often limited by the need for sophisticated instrumentation, high operational costs, and lengthy analysis times, making them less suitable for point-of-care diagnostics. As an alternative, Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) have emerged as a promising solution due to their exceptional specificity in biomarker recognition, mimicking the selective binding properties of natural antibodies. MIPs-based electrochemical sensors offer significant advantages, including high stability, selectivity, reproducibility, and cost-effectiveness, making them highly suitable for rapid and portable biomarker detection. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in MIPs-based electrochemical sensors for DM biomarker detection, emphasizing various synthesis strategies, including bulk polymerization, surface polymerization, electropolymerization, and cooling polymerization. Furthermore, key factors influencing sensor performance, such as functional monomers, crosslinkers, and initiators, are discussed. The continued development of MIPs-based electrochemical sensors holds great potential for enhancing the accessibility and efficiency of DM biomarker detection, with ongoing research paving the way for their integration into point-of-care diagnostic platforms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100353"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144471258","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-19DOI: 10.1016/j.snr.2025.100354
Vi T. Nguyen , Clifford Anderson , Karen S. Anderson , Jennifer Blain Christen
Liquid assays, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), are difficult to implement in point-of-care microfluidic devices because bubbles often form. We present a reaction chamber design called same-depth inlet outlet (SDIO), which was found to reduce the instances of bubble formation by an average of 92.2 % across different flow rates when compared to traditional designs. We designed the fabrication process using xurography, laser cutting, and lamination techniques, which enable rapid and low-cost prototyping. The fabrication methods were evaluated for nuclease contamination, and best practices to reduce nucleases during and after chip assembly are detailed. Our technique, using a combination of ethanol rinses and ultraviolet-C light radiation, was found to reduce RNases up to tenfold. Different materials were tested for microfluidic compatibility with LAMP assay reagents by making chips that realistically emulate final surface areas and volumes. A variation in performance was found among different adhesives, where the best fluorescence ratio between positive and negative reactions was 4.63. Our microfluidic design was validated by amplifying a spiked RT-LAMP assay with SARS-CoV-2 primers in the reaction chambers. The overall findings aim to facilitate early-stage development and prototyping of microfluidic devices with consistent and reliable results.
{"title":"Design, fabrication, and decontamination of low-cost microfluidics for nucleic acid amplification","authors":"Vi T. Nguyen , Clifford Anderson , Karen S. Anderson , Jennifer Blain Christen","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100354","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100354","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Liquid assays, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), are difficult to implement in point-of-care microfluidic devices because bubbles often form. We present a reaction chamber design called same-depth inlet outlet (SDIO), which was found to reduce the instances of bubble formation by an average of 92.2 % across different flow rates when compared to traditional designs. We designed the fabrication process using xurography, laser cutting, and lamination techniques, which enable rapid and low-cost prototyping. The fabrication methods were evaluated for nuclease contamination, and best practices to reduce nucleases during and after chip assembly are detailed. Our technique, using a combination of ethanol rinses and ultraviolet-C light radiation, was found to reduce RNases up to tenfold. Different materials were tested for microfluidic compatibility with LAMP assay reagents by making chips that realistically emulate final surface areas and volumes. A variation in performance was found among different adhesives, where the best fluorescence ratio between positive and negative reactions was 4.63. Our microfluidic design was validated by amplifying a spiked RT-LAMP assay with SARS-CoV-2 primers in the reaction chambers. The overall findings aim to facilitate early-stage development and prototyping of microfluidic devices with consistent and reliable results.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100354"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144828274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-16DOI: 10.1016/j.snr.2025.100349
C. Celesti , D. Iannazzo , C. Gugliandolo , V. Zammuto , L. Calabrese , P. Trifilò , L. Legnani , M.A. Chiacchio , G. Neri
A simple, fast and cost-effective electrochemical approach is here reported for the selective and quantitative detection of arsenic (III) ions in water starting from bacteria derived bioactive compounds. The exopolysaccharide (EPS B3–15) produced by the thermophilic, heavy metal tolerant Bacillus licheniformis B3–15, and the biosurfactant obtained from Bacillus horneckiae SBP3 (BS- SBP3) were used as sensitive elements for the electrochemical detection of As3+ due to their known recognition abilities towards this toxic ion, their thermophilic properties and stability in harsh conditions. The covalent functionalization of screen-printed gold electrodes (SPGE) with these bioactive compounds demonstrated to be advantageous to selectively detect As3+ in contaminated waters. Electrochemical measurements, performed for the developed sensors SPGE-EPS-B3–15 and SPGE-BS- SBP3, at the normal range of pH in surface water systems (6.5–8.5) demonstrated a higher sensitivity towards As3+ with respect to the bare electrode, also in the presence of other competing ions, such as Al3+, Bi3+, Ni2+ and Pb2+,with very low limits of detection (0.19 nM for SPGE-EPS-B3–15 and 0.03 nM for SPGE-BS- SBP3), which are below the legal limits for these heavy metal ions in drinking water (10 μg/L). The reported sensitivity was 1.8 µA nM−1cm−2 for SPGE-EPS-B3–15 and 17.5 µA nM−1cm−2 for SPGE-BS- SBP3. The preferred detection abilities of the chosen bioactive compounds towards As3+ ions have been also confirmed by complete conformational analysis, using a combination of Molecular Dynamics (MD) and Density Functional Theory (DFT) studies.
{"title":"Bacteria derived bioactive compounds: A valuable tool for the electrochemical detection of arsenic (III) ions in contaminated water","authors":"C. Celesti , D. Iannazzo , C. Gugliandolo , V. Zammuto , L. Calabrese , P. Trifilò , L. Legnani , M.A. Chiacchio , G. Neri","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100349","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100349","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A simple, fast and cost-effective electrochemical approach is here reported for the selective and quantitative detection of arsenic (III) ions in water starting from bacteria derived bioactive compounds<em>.</em> The exopolysaccharide (EPS B3–15) produced by the thermophilic, heavy metal tolerant <em>Bacillus licheniformis</em> B3–15, and the biosurfactant obtained from <em>Bacillus horneckiae</em> SBP3 (BS- SBP3) were used as sensitive elements for the electrochemical detection of As<sup>3+</sup> due to their known recognition abilities towards this toxic ion, their thermophilic properties and stability in harsh conditions. The covalent functionalization of screen-printed gold electrodes (SPGE) with these bioactive compounds demonstrated to be advantageous to selectively detect As<sup>3+</sup> in contaminated waters. Electrochemical measurements, performed for the developed sensors SPGE-EPS-B3–15 and SPGE-BS- SBP3, at the normal range of pH in surface water systems (6.5–8.5) demonstrated a higher sensitivity towards As<sup>3+</sup> with respect to the bare electrode, also in the presence of other competing ions, such as Al<sup>3+</sup>, Bi<sup>3+</sup>, Ni<sup>2+</sup> and Pb<sup>2+</sup>,with very low limits of detection (0.19 nM for SPGE-EPS-B3–15 and 0.03 nM for SPGE-BS- SBP3), which are below the legal limits for these heavy metal ions in drinking water (10 μg/L). The reported sensitivity was 1.8 µA nM<sup>−1</sup>cm<sup>−2</sup> for SPGE-EPS-B3–15 and 17.5 µA nM<sup>−1</sup>cm<sup>−2</sup> for SPGE-BS- SBP3. The preferred detection abilities of the chosen bioactive compounds towards As<sup>3+</sup> ions have been also confirmed by complete conformational analysis, using a combination of Molecular Dynamics (MD) and Density Functional Theory (DFT) studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100349"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144321729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}