The LOD paradox: When lower isn't always better in biosensor research and development.

Biosensor research has long focused on achieving the lowest possible Limits of Detection (LOD), driving significant advances in sensitivity and opening up new possibilities in analysis. However, this intense focus on low LODs may not always meet the practical needs or suit the actual uses of these devices. While technological improvements are impressive, they can sometimes overlook important factors such as detection range, ease of use, and market readiness, which are vital for biosensors to be effective in real-world applications.

Ionic liquid-reinforced Hydroxyapatite@nano-TiO as a green platform for Immuno-electrochemical sensing applications.

In contemporary society, developing dependable point-of-care (POC) biosensors for the timely detection of cancer markers is crucial. Among various sensor types, screen-printed electrode (SPE)-based sensors, particularly electrochemical ones, stand out as promising candidates for POC applications. Despite ongoing efforts to create numerous SPE-based sensors, there is a continuous pursuit to enhance their sensitivity and analytical capabilities.

Discarded CHO cells as a valuable source of bioactive peptides for sustainable biotechnological applications.

Repurposing discarded cells stands as a groundbreaking paradigm shift in sustainable biotechnology, with profound implications across diverse industrial sectors. Our study proposes a transformative concept by harnessing histone proteins from discarded CHO cells to produce bioactive peptides. We systematically isolated and hydrolyzed histones using Trypsin and Neutrase enzymes, optimizing reaction conditions.

Laser-printed paper ELISA and hydroxyapatite immobilization for colorimetric congenital anomalies screening in saliva.

Background: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a fetal protein that can indicate congenital anomalies such as Down syndrome and spinal canal blockage when detected at abnormal levels in pregnant women. Current AFP detection methods rely on invasive blood or serum samples, which require sophisticated equipment. From the many solutions proposed, colorimetric paper-based assays excel in point-of-care settings.

Navigating the development of silver nanoparticles based food analysis through the power of artificial intelligence.

In the ongoing pursuit of enhancing food safety and quality through advanced technologies, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) stand out for their antimicrobial properties. Despite being overshadowed by other nanoparticles in food sensing applications, AgNPs possess inherent qualities that make them effective tools for rapid and selective contaminant detection in food matrices. This review aims to reinvigorate the interest in AgNPs in the food industry, emphasizing their sensing mechanism and the transformative potential of integrating them with artificial intelligence (AI) for enhanced food safety monitoring.

Dual Chromatic Laser-Printed Microfluidic Paper-Based Analytical Device (μPAD) for the Detection of Atrazine in Water.

Water pollution caused by pesticides is a significant threat to the environment and human health. Silver and gold nanoparticle (AgNPs, AuNPs)-based biosensors are affordable tools, ideal for environmental monitoring. Microfluidic paper-based devices (μPADs) are a promising approach for on-site testing, but few studies have explored the use of laser printing (LP) for μPAD-based biosensors.

Emerging trends in nanomaterial design for the development of point-of-care platforms and practical applications.

Nanomaterials and nanotechnology offer promising opportunities in point-of-care (POC) diagnostics and therapeutics due to their unique physical and chemical properties. POC platforms aim to provide rapid and portable diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities at the site of patient care, offering cost-effective solutions. Incorporating nanomaterials with distinct optical, electrical, and magnetic properties can revolutionize the POC industry, significantly enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of diagnostic and theragnostic devices.

Design of Polymeric Surfaces as Platforms for Streamlined Cancer Diagnostics in Liquid Biopsies.

Minimally invasive approaches for cancer diagnosis are an integral step in the quest to improve cancer survival. Liquid biopsies such as blood samples are matrices explored to extract valuable information about the tumor and its state through various indicators, such as proteins, peptides, tumor DNA, or circulating tumor cells. Although these markers are scarce, making their isolation and detection in complex matrices challenging, the development in polymer chemistry producing interesting structures, including molecularly imprinted polymers, branched polymers, nanopolymer composites, and hybrids, allowed the development of enhanced platforms with impressive performance for liquid biopsies analysis.

Magnetic Nanoparticle-Based Electrochemical Sensing Platform Using Ferrocene-Labelled Peptide Nucleic Acid for the Early Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer.

Diagnostic biomarkers based on epigenetic changes such as DNA methylation are promising tools for early cancer diagnosis. However, there are significant difficulties in directly and specifically detecting methylated DNA regions. Here, we report an electrochemical sensing system based on magnetic nanoparticles that enable a quantitative and selective analysis of the methylated septin9 (mSEPT9) gene, which is considered a diagnostic marker in early stage colorectal cancer (CRC).

Combination of LC-Q-TOF-MS/MS, network pharmacology, and nanoemulsion approaches identifies active compounds of two Artemisia species responsible for tackling early diabetes-related metabolic complications in the liver.

Introduction: The chronicity of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) imparts various damages resulting in metabolic dysfunction and diseases involving inflammation and oxidative stress. The use of plant extracts is of high interest in complementary medicine. Yet, extracts are multicomponent mixtures, and difficult to pinpoint their exact mechanism.

Nano-Scaled Materials and Polymer Integration in Biosensing Tools.

The evolution of biosensors and diagnostic devices has been thriving in its ability to provide reliable tools with simplified operation steps. These evolutions have paved the way for further advances in sensing materials, strategies, and device structures. Polymeric composite materials can be formed into nanostructures and networks of different types, including hydrogels, vesicles, dendrimers, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP), etc.

Artemisia alleviates AGE-induced liver complications via MAPK and RAGE signaling pathways modulation: a combinatorial study.

Artemisia herba-alba (AHA) is a traditionally used plant to treat various diseases, including diabetes and metabolic dysfunctions. Plant extracts are generally explored empirically without a deeper assessment of their mechanism of action. Here, we describe a combinatorial study of biochemical, molecular, and bioinformatic (metabolite-protein pharmacology network) analyses to elucidate the mechanism of action of AHA and shed light on its multilevel effects in the treatment of diabetes-related advanced glycation end-products (AGE)-induced liver damages.

Fluorescent bioassay for SARS-CoV-2 detection using polypyrene-g-poly(ε-caprolactone) prepared by simultaneous photoinduced step-growth and ring-opening polymerizations.

The construction of a rapid and easy immunofluorescence bioassay for SARS-CoV-2 detection is described. We report for the first time a novel one-pot synthetic approach for simultaneous photoinduced step-growth polymerization of pyrene (Py) and ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone (PCL) to produce a graft fluorescent copolymer PPy-g-PCL that was conjugated to SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies using EDC/NHS chemistry. The synthesis steps and conjugation products were fully characterized using standard spectral analysis.

Indiscriminate SARS-CoV-2 multivariant detection using magnetic nanoparticle-based electrochemical immunosensing.

The increasing mutation frequency of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the emergence of successive variants have made correct diagnosis hard to perform. Developing efficient and accurate methods to diagnose infected patients is crucial to effectively mitigate the pandemic. Here, we developed an electrochemical immunosensor based on SARS-CoV-2 antibody cocktail-conjugated magnetic nanoparticles for the sensitive and accurate detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants in nasopharyngeal swabs.

Paper-based lateral flow assay using rhodamine B-loaded polymersomes for the colorimetric determination of synthetic cannabinoids in saliva.

Synthetic cannabinoids are one of the many substances of abuse widely spreading in modern society. Medical practitioners and law enforcement alike highly seek portable, efficient, and reliable tools for on-site detection and diagnostics. Here, we propose a colorimetric lateral flow assay (LFA) combined with dye-loaded polymersome to detect the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-073 efficiently.

Simple workflow to repurpose SARS-CoV-2 swab/serum samples for the isolation of cost-effective antibody/antigens for proteotyping applications and diagnosis.

Supply shortage for the development and production of preventive, therapeutic, and diagnosis tools during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important issue affecting the wealthy and poor nations alike. Antibodies and antigens are especially needed for the production of immunological-based testing tools such as point-of-care tests. Here, we propose a simple and quick magnetic nanoparticle (MNP)-based separation/isolation approach for the repurposing of infected human samples to produce specific antibodies and antigen cocktails.

Surface Biomodification of Liposomes and Polymersomes for Efficient Targeted Drug Delivery.

Chemotherapy has seen great progress in the development of performant treatment strategies. Nanovesicles such as liposomes and polymersomes demonstrated great potential in cancer therapy. However, these nanocarriers deliver their content passively, which faces a lot of constraints during blood circulation.

Dye-Loaded Polymersome-Based Lateral Flow Assay: Rational Design of a COVID-19 Testing Platform by Repurposing SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Cocktail and Antigens Obtained from Positive Human Samples.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 continues to be an important threat, especially with the fast transmission rate observed after the discovery of novel mutations. In this perspective, prompt diagnosis requires massive economical and human resources to mitigate the disease. The current study proposes a rational design of a colorimetric lateral flow immunoassay (LFA) based on the repurposing of human samples to produce COVID-19-specific antigens and antibodies in combination with a novel dye-loaded polymersome for naked-eye detection.

Quantitative paper-based dot blot assay for spike protein detection using fuchsine dye-loaded polymersomes.

Real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based assays are the gold standard for virus diagnosis. Point-of-care (POC) technologies have shown great progress during this period. Herein, we propose a novel fuchsine dye-loaded polymersome for a colorimetric paper-based dot blot spike protein diagnostic assay for COVID-19 via smartphone-assisted sensing.

How should diagnostic kits development adapt quickly in COVID 19-like pandemic models? Pros and cons of sensory platforms used in COVID-19 sensing.

As COVID-19 has reached pandemic status and the number of cases continues to grow, widespread availability of diagnostic testing is critical in helping identify and control the emergence of this rapidly spreading and serious illness. However, a lacking in making a quick reaction to the threat and starting early development of diagnostic sensing tools has had an important impact globally. In this regard, here we will review critically the current developed diagnostic tools in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and compare the different types through the discussion of their pros and cons such as nucleic acid detection tests (including PCR and CRISPR), antibody and protein-based diagnosis tests.

pH-bioresponsive poly(ε-caprolactone)-based polymersome for effective drug delivery in cancer and protein glycoxidation prevention.

Artificial nanostructures using polymers to produce polymeric vesicles are inspired by the many intricate structures found in living organisms. Polymersomes are a class of self-assembled vesicles known for their great stability and application in drug delivery. They can be tuned according to their intended use by changing their components and introducing activable block copolymers that transform these polymersomes into smart nanocarriers.

Zinc enhances carnosine inhibitory effect against structural and functional age-related protein alterations in an albumin glycoxidation model.

Age-related complications including protein alterations seen in diabetes and Alzheimer's disease are a major issue due to their accumulation and deleterious effects. This report aims to investigate the effect of zinc supplementation on the anti-glycoxidation activity of carnosine on the in vitro model of albumin-based protein modification. Besides, the therapeutic effect of this combination was tested through the addition of the molecules in tandem (co-treatment) or post initiation (post-treatment) of the protein modification process.

Ultrasensitive covalently-linked Aptasensor for cocaine detection based on electrolytes-induced repulsion/attraction of colloids.

A quick and easy colorimetric sensor based on gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and aptamers for the detection of cocaine was developed. The sensor was named as 'GAPTA' and showed extremely interesting results regarding cocaine detection with a sensitivity to doses of 0.2 nM.

Screen printed electrode-based biosensor functionalized with magnetic cobalt/single-chain antibody fragments for cocaine biosensing in different matrices.

On-site detection of substance abuse is an important approach in the preventive and intervention protocols implementations. It is known that the traditional methods are heavy, time-consuming, and need a high level of logistical requirements. As such, biosensors represent great potential to simplify and improve substance abuse detection.

Nanohybrid carriers: the yin-yang equilibrium between natural and synthetic in biomedicine.

Nanotechnology has seen an outburst in biomedicine applications through the use of nanoparticles of different sources in therapy and diagnostics. The needs of theranostics evolved through the years for the development of tailored treatments. In this regard, nanocarriers have shown a great impact on the field via the use of natural lipidic vesicles for drug delivery.