Graphene (GN), a single layer two-dimensional structure nanomaterial, exhibits exceptional physical, electrical and chemical properties that lead to many applications from electronics to biomedicine. The unique parameters of GN, notably its considerable electron mobility, thermal conductivity, high surface area and electrical conductivity, are bringing heightened attention into biomedical applications. This study assesses the recent advances in GN-based biosensors and its derivatives in different areas to focus on glucose sensing, DNA sensing, drug and gene delivery, cancer therapy and other related biomedical applications (electrochemical sensors, tissue engineering, haemoglobin and cholesterol sensing), together with a brief discussion on challenges and future perspectives in this rapidly developing field. † Graphite powders are initially oxidised by chemical modification to be dispersed in solution † Large-scale production for bulk applications, i.e. supercapacitors, composite materials † Serious structural defects epitaxial growth † A conversion of SiC substrate to GN via sublimation of silicon atoms on the surface † Done at very high temperature (∼1300°C) † Accessibility is limited due to high-end equipment CVD growth GN † Most promising, inexpensive and feasible method for single-layer GN synthesis † Using transition metal (Ni, Cu, Si) substrates † Can be scaled up for large area GN production for practical applications IET Circuits Devices Syst., pp. 1-12 2 This is an open