Mechanistic Challenges and Advantages of Biosensor Miniaturization into the Nanoscale

Abstract

Over the past few decades, there has been tremendous interest in developing biosensing systems that combine high sensitivity and specificity with rapid sample-to-answer times, portability, low-cost operation, and ease-of-use. Miniaturizing the biosensor dimensions into the nanoscale has been identified as a strategy for addressing the functional requirements of point-of-care and wearable biosensors. However, it is important to consider that decreasing the critical dimensions of biosensing elements impacts the two most important performance metrics of biosensors: limit-of-detection and response time. Miniaturization into the nanoscale enhances signal-to-noise-ratio by increasing the signal density (signal/geometric surface area) and reducing background signals. However, there is a trade-off between the enhanced signal transduction efficiency and the longer time it takes to collect target analytes on sensor surfaces due to the increase in mass transport times. By carefully considering the signal transduction mechanisms and reaction-transport kinetics governing different classes of biosensors, it is possible to develop structure-level and device-level strategies for leveraging miniaturization toward creating biosensors that combine low limit-of-detection with rapid response times.

Integrated Electrochemical Biosensors for Detection of Waterborne Pathogens in Low-Resource Settings

“…LoC biosensor devices can be produced using cost-effective polymers such as plastics and thin-layer metal electrodes [52]. This already reduces the cost of device production, further reduced with miniaturization, which is a common advantage of electrochemical biosensors [53,54]. Due to miniaturization and low-energy requirements, a significant amount of research has been dedicated to the development of cheap and disposable energy sources for these devices.…”

Miniaturisation of a peptide-based electrochemical protease activity sensor using platinum microelectrodes

“…24,25 In addition, miniaturised technologies offer advantages for biosensor design such as integrated high fidelity manufacturing with lower manufacturing costs per sensor, the ability to work with small quantities of materials and samples and ease of multiplexed measurement options. 26,27 Despite these strong drivers for the development of miniaturised SAM-based electrochemical systems for biosensors for the detection of proteases, although some examples of in vitro and/or in vivo microelectrode use in biosensing are found in the literature, [28][29][30][31] there has been little focus on the comparison of macro-and microelectrodes, especially those that are SAM-based.…”

2D simulation of a microfluidic biosensor for CRP detection into a rotating micro-channel

“…From a more fundamental point of view, the reduction of dimensions leads to the predominance of the surface effect, which has several advantages like the rise of the thermal transfers [5] and the trapping of molecules of interest [6]. Those advantages has brought a special emphasis on the development of immunoassays for various biosensors applications [7]. In general, most of the immunoassay systems implicate the same kinetics of the specific binding of analytes and immobilized ligands, in which the concentration of the binding complex analytesligands on the reaction surface plays a key role [8].…”