Unlocking the Potential of Field Effect Transistor (FET) Biosensors: A Perspective on Methodological Advances in Computational and Molecular Biology

Abstract

Field‐effect transistor (FET)‐based sensors are increasingly gaining relevance in diagnostic, healthcare, and environmental monitoring applications. A FET operates by transducing chemical interactions between a surface‐immobilized bioreceptor and the target analyte into a detectable electrical signal. FET biosensors can detect and monitor molecules (i.e., biomarkers, small molecules, viruses, bacterias) present in liquid samples, making a “liquid gate” configuration of FETs the most suitable approach. However, this FET architecture presents dimensional constraints that affect bioreceptors’ stability and immobilization in the liquid phase. To overcome these limitations, herein, a combination of computational and molecular biology techniques for improving bioreceptors' applicability in biosensing is proposed. This results in the optimized and problem‐tailored protein receptors for specific FET biosensors applications, thus enhancing their overall performance. The interplay between the computational and experimental approaches will represent a ground‐breaking solution for the development of next‐generation biosensors.

iSERS: from nanotag design to protein assays and ex vivo imaging

“…Besides iSERS, various immunoassay platforms based on colourimetry 38 and fluorescence 39 as well as electrochemical 40 and field-effect transistor (FET) 41,42 sensors have been developed. These have been effectively deployed in the diagnostic field.…”

Label‐Free Metal‐Oxide Transistor Biosensors for Metabolite Detection in Human Saliva

“…Recent years have witnessed a renewed interest in the use of field-effect transistor (FET) as the active biosensing element for highly sensitive biological detection. [62,63,74,75] To this end, metal-oxide transistors offer flexible surface chemistry for monitoring various biomolecules [61,64] and offer an alternative sensing platform for POCT due to their good performance and potentially low cost. [76][77][78][79] Despite the recent rapid progress, however, reports on TFT-based biosensors for the non-invasive detection of UA and Vit-D3 metabolites, remain scarce.…”

Bio-Interface Analysis and Detection of Aβ using GaN HEMT-based Biosensor

“…TBI can be better diagnosed and managed with early and point-of-care detection which requires an ultrasensitive biosensing platform with high precision, resolution, and specificity useful in diagnosis. Field effect transistors (FETs) show promise for biosensing applications as there is no requirement for optical components to convert the surface binding phenomenon into a readable signal in contrast to the existing metods like protein assays [38][39][40][41] The primary platform has been silicon-based sensors because of their maturity, low cost, and vast experience base with chemical treatments on silicon oxide or glass 38 Due to its higher operating temperature, increased chemical inertness in basic and acidic solutions, and capacity to emit blue and ultraviolet light that may be utilized for fluorescence detection of certain bio species, GaN-based semiconductors have generated attention as alternatives to silicon and are thought to have several potential applications in the realm of biosensors due to the presence of high sheet carrier density (n s ) near the heterostructure interface 38,41,42 It is very sensitive to the adsorption of analytes as the 2DEG channel of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs is located extremely near the surface and is strongly influenced by the target analytes 38,41,42 GaN HEMTs offer good biocompatibility, stable material properties, and high sensitivity for biosensing applications 38,41,42 The density of carriers in the channel changes when external conditions change such as biomolecules interacting with the gate region 38,41,42 This leads to an alteration in the drain current used as a sensing parameter. The biosensor built on GaN HEMTs has a high sensitivity to immobilized biomolecules making GaN HEMT-based biosensors an excellent choice for Aβ detection in TBI patients and its progression toward AD.…”