Biosensor What is a Biosensor?

Biosensors combine the selectivity of biology with the processing power of modern microelectronics and optoelectronics to offer powerful new analytical tools with major applications in medicine, environmental diagnostics and the food and processing industries. What is a Biosensor? (1) The term biosensor has been applied to devices either (1) used to monitor living systems, or (2) incorporating biotic elements. The consensus, however, is that the term should be reserved for use in the context of a sensor incorporating …

…sensors that are capable of direct in situ monitoring of biopharmaceuticals in industrial bioprocesses. Biosensors for multiple components: *<Tab/>Li JK, Asali EC, Humphrey AE, Horvath JJ. Monitoring cell concentration and activity by multiple excitation fluorometry. Biotechnol Prog. 1991 Jan-Feb;7(1):21-7. Provides an example of using metabolic fluorophores (produced by the cells during the process) to monitor fermentations. The measured fluorescence signals are compared with cell concentration, protein concentration, and cellular activity.