APHRODITE: A Compact Lab-on-Chip Biosensor for the Real-Time Analysis of Salivary Biomarkers in Space Missions.

One of the main challenges to be faced in deep space missions is to protect the health and ensure the maximum efficiency of the crew by preparing methods of prevention and in situ diagnosis. Indeed, the hostile environment causes important health problems, ranging from muscle atrophy, osteopenia, and immunological and metabolic alterations due to microgravity, to an increased risk of cancer caused by exposure to radiation. It is, therefore, necessary to provide new methods for the real-time measurement of biomarkers suitable for deepening our knowledge of the effects of space flight on the balance of the immune system and for allowing the monitoring of the astronaut's health during long-term missions.

Microfluidic-Based Non-Invasive Wearable Biosensors for Real-Time Monitoring of Sweat Biomarkers.

Wearable biosensors are attracting great interest thanks to their high potential for providing clinical-diagnostic information in real time, exploiting non-invasive sampling of biofluids. In this context, sweat has been demonstrated to contain physiologically relevant biomarkers, even if it has not been exhaustively exploited till now. This biofluid has started to gain attention thanks to the applications offered by wearable biosensors, as it is easily collectable and can be used for continuous monitoring of some parameters.

Smartphone-Based Chemiluminescence Glucose Biosensor Employing a Peroxidase-Mimicking, Guanosine-Based Self-Assembled Hydrogel.

Chemiluminescence is widely used for hydrogen peroxide detection, mainly exploiting the highly sensitive peroxidase-luminol-HO system. Hydrogen peroxide plays an important role in several physiological and pathological processes and is produced by oxidases, thus providing a straightforward way to quantify these enzymes and their substrates. Recently, biomolecular self-assembled materials obtained by guanosine and its derivatives and displaying peroxidase enzyme-like catalytic activity have received great interest for hydrogen peroxide biosensing.

Smartphone-based 3D-printed electrochemiluminescence enzyme biosensor for reagentless glucose quantification in real matrices.

Three-dimensional (3D) printed electrochemical devices are increasingly used in point-of-need and point-of-care testing. They show several advantages such as simple fabrication, low cost, fast response, and excellent selectivity and sensitivity in small sample volumes. However, there are only a few examples of analytical devices combining 3D-printed electrodes with electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection, an electrochemical detection principle widely employed in clinical chemistry analysis.

AstroBio-CubeSat: A lab-in-space for chemiluminescence-based astrobiology experiments.

Space exploration is facing a new era in view of the planned missions to the Moon and Mars. The development and the in-flight validation of new technologies, including analytical and diagnostic platforms, is pivotal for exploring and inhabiting these extreme environments. In this context, biosensors and lab-on-chip devices can play an important role in many situations, such as the analysis of biological samples for assessing the impact of deep space conditions on man and other biological systems, environmental and food safety monitoring, and the search of molecular indicators of past or present life in extra-terrestrial environments.

An Origami Paper-Based Biosensor for Allergen Detection by Chemiluminescence Immunoassay on Magnetic Microbeads.

Food allergies are adverse health effects that arise from specific immune responses, occurring upon exposure to given foods, even if present in traces. Egg allergy is one of the most common food allergies, mainly caused by egg white proteins, with ovalbumin being the most abundant. As allergens can also be present in foodstuff due to unintended contamination, there is a need for analytical tools that are able to rapidly detect allergens in food products at the point-of-use.

Luminescent Aptamer-Based Bioassays for Sensitive Detection of Food Allergens.

The presence of hidden allergens in food products, often due to unintended contamination along the food supply chain (production, transformation, processing, and transport), has raised the urgent need for rapid and reliable analytical methods for detecting trace levels of such species in food products. Indeed, food allergens represent a high-risk factor for allergic subjects due to potentially life-threatening adverse reactions. Portable biosensors based on immunoassays have already been developed as rapid, sensitive, selective, and low-cost analytical platforms that can replace analyses with traditional bench-top instrumentation.

Bioluminescence Sensing in 3D Spherical Microtissues for Multiple Bioactivity Analysis of Environmental Samples.

The development of predictive sensing tools able to provide rapid information on the different bioactivities of a sample is of pivotal importance, not only to monitor environmental toxicants, but also to understand their mechanisms of action on diverse molecular pathways. This mechanistic understanding is highly important for the characterization of toxicological hazards, and for the risk assessment of chemicals and environmental samples such as surface waters and effluents. Prompted by this need, we developed and optimized a straightforward bioluminescent multiplexed assay which enables the measurement of four bioactivities, selected for their relevance from a toxicological perspective, in bioluminescent microtissues.

Combining elemental and immunochemical analyses to characterize diagenetic alteration patterns in ancient skeletal remains.

Bones and teeth are biological archives, but their structure and composition are subjected to alteration overtime due to biological and chemical degradation postmortem, influenced by burial environment and conditions. Nevertheless, organic fraction preservation is mandatory for several archeometric analyses and applications. The mutual protection between biomineral and organic fractions in bones and teeth may lead to a limited diagenetic alteration, promoting a better conservation of the organic fraction.

Portable light detectors for bioluminescence biosensing applications: A comprehensive review from the analytical chemist's perspective.

Bioluminescence, that is the emission of light in living organisms, has been extensively explored and applied for diverse bioanalytical applications, spanning from molecular imaging to biosensing. The unprecedented technological evolution of portable light detectors opened new possibilities to implement bioluminescence detection into miniaturized devices. We are witnessing a number of applications, including DNA sequencing, reporter gene assays, DNA amplification for point-of care and point-of need analyses relying on BL.

Smartphone-Based Chemiluminescent Origami µPAD for the Rapid Assessment of Glucose Blood Levels.

Microfluidic paper analytical devices (µPADs) represent one of the most appealing trends in the development of simple and inexpensive analytical systems for diagnostic applications at the point of care (POC). Herein, we describe a smartphone-based origami µPAD for the quantitative determination of glucose in blood samples based on the glucose oxidase-catalyzed oxidation of glucose leading to hydrogen peroxide, which is then detected by means of the luminol/hexacyanoferrate(III) chemiluminescent (CL) system. By exploiting the foldable µPAD format, a two-step analytical procedure has been implemented.

A Smartphone-Based Chemosensor to Evaluate Antioxidants in Agri-Food Matrices by In Situ AuNP Formation.

In recent years, there has been a continuously growing interest in antioxidants by both customers and food industry. The beneficial health effects of antioxidants led to their widespread use in fortified functional foods, as dietary supplements and as preservatives. A variety of analytical methods are available to evaluate the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of food extracts and beverages.

Paper-Based Immunosensors with Bio-Chemiluminescence Detection.

Since the introduction of paper-based analytical devices as potential diagnostic platforms a few decades ago, huge efforts have been made in this field to develop systems suitable for meeting the requirements for the point-of-care (POC) approach. Considerable progress has been achieved in the adaptation of existing analysis methods to a paper-based format, especially considering the chemiluminescent (CL)-immunoassays-based techniques. The implementation of biospecific assays with CL detection and paper-based technology represents an ideal solution for the development of portable analytical devices for on-site applications, since the peculiarities of these features create a unique combination for fitting the POC purposes.

Smartphone biosensor for point-of-need chemiluminescence detection of ochratoxin A in wine and coffee.

Exposure to mycotoxins, which may contaminate food and feed commodities, represents a serious health risk for consumers. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the most abundant and toxic mycotoxins, thus specific regulations for fixing its maximum admissible levels in foodstuff have been established. Lateral Flow ImmunoAssay (LFIA)-based devices have been proposed as screening tools to avoid OTA contamination along the whole food chain.

Bioluminescence goes portable: recent advances in whole-cell and cell-free bioluminescence biosensors.

Recent advancements in synthetic biology, organic chemistry, and computational models have allowed the application of bioluminescence in several fields, ranging from well established methods for detecting microbial contamination to in vivo imaging to track cancer and stem cells, from cell-based assays to optogenetics. Moreover, thanks to recent technological progress in miniaturized and sensitive light detectors, such as photodiodes and imaging sensors, it is possible to implement laboratory-based assays, such as cell-based and enzymatic assays, into portable analytical devices for point-of-care and on-site applications. This review highlights some recent advances in the development of whole-cell and cell-free bioluminescence biosensors with a glance on current challenges and different strategies that have been used to turn bioassays into biosensors with the required analytical performance.

Selective chemiluminescent TURN-ON quantitative bioassay and imaging of intracellular hydrogen peroxide in human living cells.

Hydrogen peroxide is an unavoidable by-product of cell metabolism, but when it is not properly managed by the body it can lead to several pathologies (e.g., premature aging, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer).

A challenge in biosensors: Is it better to measure a photon or an electron for ultrasensitive detection?

Biosensor development exploiting various transduction principles is characterized by a strong competition to reach high detectability, portability and robustness. Nevertheless, a literature-based comparison is not possible, as different conditions are employed in each paper. Herein, we aim at evaluating which measurement, photons or electrons, yields better biosensor performance.

Precision medicine, bioanalytics and nanomaterials: toward a new generation of personalized portable diagnostics.

The customization of disease treatment focused on genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors of individual patients, including tailored medical decisions and treatments, is identified as precision medicine. This approach involves the combination of various aspects such as the collection and processing of a large amount of data, the selection of optimized and personalized drug dosage for each patient and the development of selective and reliable analytical tools for the monitoring of clinical, genetic and environmental parameters. In this context, miniaturized, compact and ultrasensitive bioanalytical devices play a crucial role for achieving the goals of personalized medicine.

Peptides from Cauliflower By-Products, Obtained by an Efficient, Ecosustainable, and Semi-Industrial Method, Exert Protective Effects on Endothelial Function.

The large amount of cauliflower industry waste represents an unexplored source of bioactive compounds. In this work, peptide hydrolysates from cauliflower leaves were characterized by combined bioanalytical approaches. Twelve peptide fractions were studied to evaluate unexplored biological activities by effect-based cellular bioassays.

Chemiluminescence-based biosensor for monitoring astronauts' health status during space missions: Results from the International Space Station.

During space missions, real-time monitoring of astronauts' health status is of crucial importance and therefore there is a strong demand for simple analytical devices that astronauts can use to perform clinical chemistry analyses directly onboard. As part of the "IN SITU Bioanalysis" project, we designed a biosensor for analysing salivary levels of cortisol in astronauts, a marker of chronic stress. The biosensor is based on the Lateral Flow Immunoassay (LFIA) approach coupled with chemiluminescence (CL) detection and comprises a 3D-printed plastic cartridge containing a sealed fluidic element with the LFIA strip, in which the flow of sample and reagents is activated by pressing buttons on the cartridge and sustained by exploiting capillary forces.

Integrated chemiluminescence-based lab-on-chip for detection of life markers in extraterrestrial environments.

The detection of life markers is a high priority task in the exploration of the Solar System. Biochips performing in-situ multiplex immunoassays are a very promising approach alternative to gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. As part of the PLEIADES project, we present the development of a chemiluminescence-based, highly integrated analytical platform for the detection of biomarkers outside of the Earth.

Miniaturized Biosensors to Preserve and Monitor Cultural Heritage: from Medical to Conservation Diagnosis.

The point-of-care testing concept has been exploited to design and develop portable and cheap bioanalytical systems that can be used on-site by conservators. These systems employ lateral flow immunoassays to simultaneously detect two proteins (ovalbumin and collagen) in artworks. For an in-depth study on the application of these portable biosensors, both chemiluminescent and colorimetric detections were developed and compared in terms of sensitivity and feasibility.

Advanced biosensors for monitoring astronauts' health during long-duration space missions.

Long-duration space missions pose important health concerns for astronauts, especially regarding the adverse effects of microgravity and exposure to high-energy cosmic rays. The long-term maintenance of crew health and performance mainly relies on prevention, early diagnoses, condition management, and medical interventions in situ. In-flight biosensor diagnostic devices and medical procedures must use few resources and operate in a microgravity environment, which complicates the collection and management of biological samples.

B-mode ultrasound examination of canine mammary gland neoplastic lesions of small size (diameter < 2 cm).

Ultrasonography is a valuable tool for the evaluation of neoplastic lesions in the dog and there is a growing interest in the use of this technique for the stadiation of canine mammary tumours. An accurate assessment of small sized nodules facilitates the stadiation of the mammary lesions and helps the clinician in the choice of the most indicated surgical therapy. The aim of this study was to identify those ultrasound criteria that may be useful in discriminating between benign and malignant lesions of small size (diameter smaller than 2 cm).