Optical Biosensors: Advances and New Perspectives

A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374). This special issue belongs to the section "Optical and Photonic Biosensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 4446

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Imaging Core Facility, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
Interests: light and electron microscopy; single molecule and nanoparticle imaging

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Interests: single molecule imaging; super-resolution imaging; single particle tracking; advanced optical microscopy; spectroscopy systems development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Optical biosensors have revolutionized the field of biosensing by enabling non-invasive and real-time monitoring of biomolecules and their interactions through the imaging of both fluorescent and nonfluorescent optical probes. Optical biosensors have numerous applications in the fields of medicine, food safety, environmental monitoring, and drug discovery. However, there is still a significant need to improve the sensitivity, specificity, and stability of these biosensors.

This Special Issue of Biosensors, entitled “Optical Biosensors: Advances and New Perspectives”, aims to present the latest research findings, novel approaches, and future directions in the field of optical biosensors. We welcome contributions from researchers working on the development of novel optical biosensors, including but not limited to plasmonic, fluorescent, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and label-free sensors. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

  • Novel materials and fabrication techniques for optical biosensors;
  • Development of plasmonic and photonic structures for optical biosensors;
  • Signal amplification strategies for enhancing the sensitivity of optical biosensors;
  • Integration of optical biosensors with microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip systems;
  • Advances in optical biosensor instrumentation and data analysis;
  • Applications of optical biosensors in healthcare, environmental monitoring, and food safety;
  • New perspectives on the future of optical biosensors.

We aim to present a comprehensive overview of the recent advances and challenges in the field of optical biosensors. This Special Issue will provide a valuable resource for researchers, engineers, and clinicians interested in developing and applying optical biosensors in various applications. We look forward to your contributions.

Dr. Kuangcai Chen
Dr. Bin Dong
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plasmonic sensors
  • fluorescent sensors
  • surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors
  • label-free sensors
  • microfluidics
  • multi-parametric sensing
  • multi-target sensing
  • instrumentation
  • data analysis
  • materials development

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 4493 KiB  
Article
Baseline Raman Spectral Fingerprints of Zebrafish Embryos and Larvae
by Isabel Oliveira Abreu, Cláudia Teixeira, Rui Vilarinho, A. Cristina S. Rocha, Joaquim Agostinho Moreira, Luís Oliva-Teles, Laura Guimarães and António Paulo Carvalho
Biosensors 2024, 14(11), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios14110538 - 6 Nov 2024
Viewed by 541
Abstract
As a highly sensitive vibrational technique, Raman spectroscopy (RS) can provide valuable chemical and molecular data useful to characterise animal cell types, tissues and organs. As a label-free, rapid detection method, RS has been considered a valuable asset in forensics, biology and medicine. [...] Read more.
As a highly sensitive vibrational technique, Raman spectroscopy (RS) can provide valuable chemical and molecular data useful to characterise animal cell types, tissues and organs. As a label-free, rapid detection method, RS has been considered a valuable asset in forensics, biology and medicine. The technique has been applied to zebrafish for various purposes, including physiological, biochemical or bioaccumulation analyses. The available data point out its potential for the early diagnosis of detrimental effects elicited by toxicant exposure. Nevertheless, no baseline spectra are available for zebrafish embryos and larvae that could allow for suitable planning of toxicological assessments, comparison with toxicant-elicited spectra or mechanistic understanding of biochemical and physiological responses to the exposures. With this in mind, this work carried out a baseline characterisation of Raman spectra of zebrafish embryos and larvae throughout early development. Raman spectra were recorded from the iris, forebrain, melanocytes, heart, muscle and swim bladder between 24 and 168 h post-fertilisation. A chemometrics approach, based on partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), was used to obtain a Raman characterisation of each tissue or organ. In total, 117 Raman bands were identified, of which 24 were well represented and, thus, retained in the data analysed. Only three bands were found to be common to all organs and tissues. The PLS-DA provided a tentative Raman spectral fingerprint typical of each tissue or organ, reflecting the ongoing developmental dynamics. The bands showed frequencies previously assigned to collagen, cholesterol, various essential amino acids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Biosensors: Advances and New Perspectives)
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14 pages, 4871 KiB  
Article
Gold Nanorod Density-Dependent Label-Free Bacteria Sensing on a Flake-like 3D Graphene-Based Device by SERS
by Md Imran Hossain, Sitansu Sekhar Nanda, Sooheon Cho, Bom Lee, Bum Jun Kim, Jae-Young Choi and Dong Kee Yi
Biosensors 2023, 13(11), 962; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios13110962 - 30 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3138
Abstract
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an effective technique for biosensing, enabling label-free detection of biomolecules with enhanced sensitivity. There is a tremendous probability of signal failure in Raman frequencies because of the scattering of the Raman radiation in liquids, effective SERS improvement is [...] Read more.
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an effective technique for biosensing, enabling label-free detection of biomolecules with enhanced sensitivity. There is a tremendous probability of signal failure in Raman frequencies because of the scattering of the Raman radiation in liquids, effective SERS improvement is required to reduce this issue when considering liquid specimens. We examined a liquid bacterial sample, investigating the electrostatic interactions of the bacterial samples with gold nanorods (AuNRs) and graphene. We established a voltage-gated 3D graphene functionalized with an AuNR-based device on the silicon substrate for SERS measurements when the applied voltage ranges from 0 to 3 V. Moreover, AuNRs density-susceptible bacterial sample analysis with varied concentrations of bacterial samples has also been described. Using bacterial SERS analysis, the bacterial components amide II (1555–1565 cm−1) and amide III (1250–1350 cm−1) have been discovered for both bacteria, Gram-positive, Listeria monocytogenes and Gram-negative, Salmonella typhi. Our fabricated device affords an interesting label-free, rapid, and reproducible bacterial sample analysis based on the density of the AuNRs when functionalizing flake-like 3D graphene, which can help facilitate label-free bacteria sensing platforms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Biosensors: Advances and New Perspectives)
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