Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a label-free detection method which has emerged during the last two decades as a suitable and reliable platform in clinical analysis for biomolecular interactions. The technique makes it possible to measure interactions in real-time with high sensitivity and without the need of labels. This review article discusses a wide range of applications in optical-based sensors using either surface plasmon resonance (SPR) or surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRI). Here we summarize the principles, provide examples, and illustrate the utility of SPR and SPRI through example applications from the biomedical, proteomics, genomics and bioengineering fields. In addition, SPR signal amplification strategies and surface functionalization are covered in the review.

Enzyme-based biosensing devices have been extensively developed over the last few decades, and have proven to be innovative techniques in the qualitative and quantitative analysis of a variety of target substrates over a wide range of applications. Distinct advantages that enzyme-based biosensors provide, such as high sensitivity and specificity, portability, cost-effectiveness, and the possibilities for miniaturization and point-of-care diagnostic testing make them more and more attractive for research focused on clinical analysis, food safety control, or disease monitoring purposes. Therefore, this review article investigates the operating principle of enzymatic biosensors utilizing electrochemical, optical, thermistor, and piezoelectric measurement techniques and their applications in the literature, as well as approaches in improving the use of enzymes for biosensors.

In recent years there has been great progress in applying FET-type biosensors for highly sensitive biological detection. Among them, the ISFET (ion-sensitive field-effect transistor) is one of the most intriguing approaches in electrical biosensing technology. Here, we review some of the main advances in this field over the past few years, explore its application prospects, and discuss the main issues, approaches, and challenges, with the aim of stimulating a broader interest in developing ISFET-based biosensors and extending their applications for reliable and sensitive analysis of various biomolecules such as DNA, proteins, enzymes, and cells.

Hoang Hiep Nguyen, and Moonil Kim. Applied Science and Convergence Technology 2017;26:157-63. https://doi.org/10.5757/ASCT.2017.26.6.157

A bioelectronic nose, an intelligent chemical sensor array system coupled with bio-receptors to identify gases and vapours, resembles mammalian olfaction by which many vertebrates can sniff out volatile organic compounds (VOCs) sensitively and specifically even at very low concentrations. Olfaction is undertaken by the olfactory system, which detects odorants that are inhaled through the nose where they come into contact with the olfactory epithelium containing olfactory receptors (ORs). Because of its ability to mimic biological olfaction, a bio-inspired electronic nose has been used to detect a variety of important compounds in complex environments. Recently, biosensor systems have been introduced that combine nanoelectronic technology and olfactory receptors themselves as a source of capturing elements for biosensing. In this article, we will present the latest advances in bioelectronic nose technology mimicking the olfactory system, including biological recognition elements, emerging detection systems, production and immobilization of sensing elements on sensor surface, and applications of bioelectronic noses. Furthermore, current research trends and future challenges in this field will be discussed.

Validation of long-term DNA stability and integrity are essential for the use of DNA in data storage applications. Because of this, we evaluated the plasmid-based DNA data storage in a manner that preserves DNA stability and integrity. A document consisting of 2046 words was encoded with DNA sequences using Perl script, and the encoded DNA sequences were synthesized for information storage. The DNA comprised a total of 22 chemically synthesized DNA fragments with 400 nucleotides each, which were incorporated into a plasmid vector. A long-term DNA stability study demonstrated that 3-year stored plasmid containing text information showed DNA stability at controlled conditions of −20 °C. The plasmid DNA under accelerated aging conditions (AAC) up to 65 °C for 20 days, which corresponds to approximately 20 years of storage at −20 °C, also exhibited no significant differences in DNA stability compared to newly produced plasmid. Also, the 3-year old plasmid stored at −20 °C and the AAC-tested plasmid stored up to 65 °C for 20 days had functional integrity and nucleotide integrity comparable to control sample, thereby allowing for retrieval of the original error-free text data. Finally, the nucleotides were sequenced, and then decoded to retrieve the original data, thereby allowing us to read the text with 100% accuracy, and amplify the DNA with a simple and quick bacterial transformation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on examining the long-term stability and integrity of plasmid-based DNA data storage. Taken together, our results indicate that plasmid DNA data storage can be useful for long-term archival storage to recover the source text in a reproducible and accountable manner.