Biosensors and Research on Their Applications

Abstract

Biosensors are detection devices widely used in fields such as medicine, food safety, and environmental monitoring, integrating biological and chemical principles to efficiently identify and quantify biologically relevant target molecules. Their core structure includes a biorecognition element, a transducer, and a signal processor, all of which work closely together to convert and process biological and chemical signals from target molecules into measurable signals. Biosensors can be categorized in various ways due to differing standards. This review focuses on categorization based on the type of biorecognition element and introduces three primary types of biosensors under this classification. Enzyme sensors excel in detecting biological samples due to the specificity and catalytic abilities of enzymes. Immunosensors employ antigen-antibody reactions for high-sensitivity detection. Nucleic acid sensors, relying on base complementarity, are useful for pathogen detection and genomic analysis. The transducers in these biosensors utilize methods such as electrochemical and optical techniques for signal conversion and amplification, improving detection precision and response speed. This paper provides application examples of different types of biosensors. At last, the paper addresses current challenges in biosensor development and discusses potential optimization directions to provide theoretical guidance for the design and practical applications of biosensors.