BIOSENSORS

ABSTRACT:
A Biosensor is an analytical device used for the detection of analyte that combines a
biological component with a physicochemical detector. The main requirements for a
biosensor approach to be valuable in terms of research and commercial applications. A
common example of a commercial biosensor is a blood glucose biosensor. A biosensor has a
wide range of applications in different fields like medicinal, industrial, environmental,
military and drug development (in which nano biosensors are used). Biosensors are powerful
tools aimed at providing selective identification of toxic chemical compound at ultra trace
levels in industrial products. The advantages of biosensors are accuracy in results, minute
detection capability, easy to use, versatile. The durability of a biosensor is it should with
stand repeated usage. It should not effected by variations in the environment like temperature,
PH etc. we have recently known about a new generation of biosensors using DNA
Probes( DNA Biochips).

INTRODUCTION:
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A biosensor is an analytical device that responds to an analyte in an appropriate sample and
interprets its concentration as an electrical signal via a suitable combination of a biological
recognition system and an electrochemical transducer. As a result of recent scientific and
technological progress, such devices are likely to play an increasingly important role in
generating analytical information in all sectors of human endeavour, from medicine to the
military. In particular, biosensors will form the basis of cheap, simple devices for acquiring
chemical information, bringing sophisticated analytical capabilities to the non-specialist and
general public alike. The market opportunities for the rapid exploitation of novel
developments in this sector are substantial. Biosensor research is also likely to have a
significant impact on the development of modern electronics.

BIOSENSORS:
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A biosensor is an analytical device, used for the detection of an analyte, that combines a
biological component with a physicochemical detector.

the sensitive biological element (e.g. tissue, microorganisms, organelles, cell

receptors, enzymes, antibodies, nucleic acids, etc.), a biologically derived material or
biomimetic component that interacts (binds or recognizes) the analyte under study. The
biologically sensitive elements can also be created by biological engineering.

the transducer or the detector element (works in a physicochemical way; optical,

piezoelectric, electrochemical, etc.) that transforms the signal resulting from the interaction of
the analyte with the biological element into another signal (i.e., transduces) that can be more
easily measured and quantified;

biosensor reader device with the associated electronics or signal processors that are
primarily responsible for the display of the results in a user-friendly way. This sometimes
accounts for the most expensive part of the sensor device, however it is possible to generate a
user friendly display that includes transducer and sensitive element

BIOSENSOR SYSTEM
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A biosensor typically consists of a bio-recognition component, biotransducer component,
and electronic system which include a signal amplifier, processor, and display. Transducers
and electronics can be combined, e.g., in CMOS-based microsensor systems. The recognition
component, often called a bioreceptor, uses biomolecules from organisms or receptors
modeled after biological systems to interact with the analyte of interest. This interaction is
measured by the biotransducer which outputs a measurable signal proportional to the
presence of the target analyte in the sample. The general aim of the design of a biosensor is to
enable quick, convenient testing at the point of concern or care where the sample was
procured.

TYPES OF BIOSENSORS
BASED ON TRANSDUCERS:
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A biotransducer is the recognition-transduction component of a biosensor system. It consists

of two intimately coupled parts; a bio-recognition layer and a physicochemical transducer,
which acting together converts a biochemical signal to an electronic or optical signal. The
bio-recognition layer typically contains an enzyme or another binding protein such
as antibody. However, oligonucleotide sequences, sub-cellular fragments such as organelles
(e.g. mitochondria) and receptor carrying fragments (e.g. cell wall), single whole cells, small
numbers of cells on synthetic scaffolds, or thin slices of animal or plant tissues, may also
comprise the bio-recognition layer. It gives the biosensor selectivity and specificity. The
physicochemical transducer is typically in intimate and controlled contact with the
recognition layer. As a result of the presence and biochemical action of the analyte (target of
interest), a physico-chemical change is produced within the biorecognition layer that is
measured by the physicochemical transducer producing a signal that is proportionate to the
concentration of the analyte.[1] The physicochemical transducer may be electrochemical,
optical, electronic, gravimetric, pyroelectric or piezoelectric.

ELECTROCHEMICAL BIOTRANSDUCERS:
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Electrochemical biosensors contain a biorecognition element that selectively reacts with the
target analyte and produces an electrical signal that is proportional to the analyte
concentration. In general, there are several approaches that can be used to detect
electrochemical changes during a biorecognition event and these can be classified as follows:
amperometric, potentiometric, impedance, and conductometric.

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OPTICAL BIOTRANSDUCERS:
Optical biotransducers, used in optical biosensors for signal transduction, use photons in
order to collect information about analyte. These are highly sensitive, highly specific, small
in size and cost effective.
The detection mechanism of optical biotransducer depends upon the enzyme system that
converts analyte into products which are either oxidized or reduced at the working electrode.
Evanescent field detection principle is most commonly used in an optical biosensor system as
the transduction principle . This principle is one of the most sensitive detection methods. It
enables the detection of fluorophores exclusively in the close proximity of the optical fiber.

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ELECTRONIC BIOTRANSDUCERS:
Electronic biosensing offers significant advantages over optical, biochemical and biophysical
methods, in terms of high sensitivity and new sensing mechanisms, high spatial resolution for
localized detection, facile integration with standard wafer-scale semiconductor processing
and label-free, real-time detection in a nondestructive manner .
Devices based on field-effect transistors (FETs) have attracted great attention because they
can directly translate the interactions between target biological molecules and the FET
surface into readable electrical signals. In a FET, current flows along the channel which is
connected to the source and the drain. The channel conductance between the source and the
drain is switched on and off by gate electrode that is capacitively coupled through a thin
dielectric layer.
In FET-based biosensors, the channel is in direct contact with the environment, and this gives
better control over the surface charge. This improves the sensitivity of surface FET-based
biosensors as biological events occurring at the channel surface could result in the surface
potential variation of the semiconductor channel and then modulate the channel conductance.
In addition to ease of on-chip integration of device arrays and the cost-effective device
fabrication, the surface ultrasensitivity of FET-based biosensors makes it an attractive
alternative to existing biosensor technologies.

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GRAVIMETRIC BIOTRANSDUCERS:
Gravimetric biosensors use the basic principle of a response to a change in mass. Most
gravimetric biosensors use thin piezoelectric quartz crystals, either as resonating crystals
(QCM), or as bulk/surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices. In the majority of these the mass
response is inversely proportional to the crystal thickness. Thin polymer films are also used
in which biomolecules can be added to the surface with known surface mass. Acoustic
waves can be projected to the thin film to produce an oscillatory device, which then follows
an equation that is nearly identical to the Sauerbrey equation used in the QCM
method. Biomolecules, such as proteins or antibodies can bind and its change in mass gives a
measureable signal proportional to the presence of the target analyte in the sample.

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PYROELECTRIC BIOTRANSDUCERS:
Pyroelectric biosensors generate an electrical current as a result of a temperature change. This
differential induces apolarization in the substance, producing a dipole moment in the
direction of the temperature gradient. The result is a net voltage across the material. This net
voltage can be calculated by the following equation.

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where V = Votage = angular frequency of the modulated incident P = pyroelectric
coefficient L = film thickness = film dielectric constant A = area of film r = resistance of the
film C = capacitance of the film E = electrical time constant of the detector output

WORKING PRINCIPLE OF BIOSENSORS:

Biosensors are operated based on the principle of signal transduction. These components
include a bio-recognition element, a biotransducer and an electronic system composed of a
display, processor and amplifier.
The bio-recognition element, essentially a bioreceptor, is allowed to interact with a specific
analyte. The transducer measures this interaction and outputs a signal. The intensity of the

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signal output is proportional to the concentration of the analyte. The signal is then amplified
and processed by the electronic system.

APPLICATIONS:
There are many potential applications of biosensors of various types. The main requirements
for a biosensor approach to be valuable in terms of research and commercial applications are
the identification of a target molecule, availability of a suitable biological recognition
element, and the potential for disposable portable detection systems to be preferred to
sensitive laboratory based techniques in some situations. Some examples are given below:

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Glucose monitoring in diabetes patients .

Other medical health related targets.

Environmental applications e.g. the detection of pesticides and river water

contaminants such as heavy metal ions.

Remote sensing of airborne bacteria e.g. in counter-bioterrorist activities.

Detection of pathogens.

Determining levels of toxic substances before and after bioremediation.

Detection and determining of organophosphate.

Routine analytical measurement of folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 and pantothenic
acid as an alternative to microbiological assay.

Determination of drug residues in food, such as antibiotics and growth promoters,

particularly meat and honey.

Drug discovery and evaluation of biological activity of new compounds.

Protein engineering in biosensors.

Detection of toxic metabolites such as mycotoxins.

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ADVANTAGES OF BIOSENSORS:
The key benefits of biosensors include the following:

Rapid and continuous measurement.

High specificity.

Very less usage of reagents required for calibration.

Fast response time.

Ability to measure non-polar molecules that cannot be estimated by other

conventional devices.

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DISADVANTAGES OF BIOSENSORS:

They can not be steam sterilized.

They react with the product.
They are over sensitive.

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CONCLUSION:
Biosensors play a successful role in environmental analysis and in process control. Examples
include the analysis of pesticides and herbicides in aquatic samples. In environmental
analysis, the advantage of immediate on-site analysis is of great advantage when attempting
to ascertain the extent of pollution, for example, a lake. Laboratory based techniques required
that samples be obtained over a wide area in order to delineate the area of contamination.

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REFERENCES:
www.seminartopics.com
www.seminarsonly.com
www.wikipedia.com
www.google.co.in

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