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Advanced Nanomaterial-Based Sensors for Biomedical Applications

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A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanosensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2022) | Viewed by 19801

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kai Wu

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Guest Editor

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, USA
Interests: magnetic nanomaterials; spintronic devices; point-of-care; magnetic imaging; magnetic biosensors; micromagnetic simulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Jinming Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Interests: magnetic thin films; magnetic nanoparticles; giant magnetoresistance; magnetic tunnel junction; spintronic materials; magnetic biosensors; magnetic hyperthermia and drug delivery; micromagnetic simulations

Dr. Diqing Su

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Interests: flexible biosensors; magnetic biosensors; micromagnetic simulation; magnetic nanowires; cell detection; magnetic nanoparticles; biomarker detection; neural sensing and stimulation; magnetic domain walls; granular magnetic sensors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advanced nanomaterials, with unique physicochemical properties that differ from those of bulk materials, are ideal hosts for many novel applications. The past decade has seen unprecedented growth in applying advanced nanomaterials in biosensing and biomedical applications. With the ease of synthesis and facile surface functionalization, nanomaterials such as nanoparticles, quantum dots, nanowires, nanotubes, nanoribbons, nanographene, etc. have been widely and successfully applied as nanosensors in disease diagnosis, drug delivery, medical imaging, and implants. Today, nanosensors, with a comparable size to biomolecules and biological systems, are finding more and more new application prospects in the industry and non-industry areas.

Meanwhile, researchers are exploring the limitations and possibilities of applying advanced nanosensors in different applications. The concerns associated with their applications such as cytotoxicity, biocompatibility, the risk of engineered nanomaterials to the environment, and human health also require attention.

The aim of this Special Issue is to present high-quality original research articles, methods, opinions, perspectives, and reviews on the frontiers of nanosensors for biosensing and biomedical applications. Original, high-quality contributions from both academia and industry are welcomed. Topics may include but are not limited to:

Magnetic, mechanical, and optical nanodevices and nanosensors for biomedical applications;
Cytotoxicity and biocompatibility of nanomaterials and nanosensors;
Nanomaterials such as nanowires, nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanoflakes, quantum dots, nanoribbons, and nanographene for biosensing and biomedical applications.

Dr. Kai Wu
Dr. Jinming Liu
Dr. Diqing Su
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

nanomaterial
nanosensor
disease diagnosis
drug delivery
imaging
biosensing

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 948 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Brewing Process on the Profile of Biogenic Amines in Craft Beers

by Renato L. Gil, Célia M. P. G. Amorim, Henrique G. Amorim, Maria da Conceição B. S. M. Montenegro and Alberto N. Araújo

Sensors 2023, 23(1), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23010343 - 29 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1671

Abstract

The evaluation of the biogenic amines (BAs) profile of different types of craft beers is herein presented. A previously developed and validated analytical method based on ion-pair chromatography coupled with potentiometric detection was used to determine the presence of 10 BAs. Good analytical features were obtained for all amines regarding linearity (R² values from 0.9873 ± 0.0015 to 0.9973 ± 0.0015), intra- and inter-day precision (RSD lower than 6.9% and 9.7% for beer samples, respectively), and accuracy (recovery between 83.2–108.9%). Detection and quantification limits range from 9.3 to 60.5 and from 31.1 to 202.3 µg L⁻¹, respectively. The validated method was applied to the analysis of four ale beers and one lager craft beer. Ethylamine, spermidine, spermine, and tyramine were detected in all analyzed samples while methylamine and phenylethylamine were not detected. Overall, pale ale beers had a significantly higher total content of BAs than those found in wheat pale and dark samples. A general least square regression model showed a good correlation between the total content of BAs and the brewing process, especially for Plato degree, mashing, and fermentation temperatures. Knowledge about the type of ingredients and manufacturing processes that contribute to higher concentrations of these compounds is crucial to ensuring consumer safety. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanomaterial-Based Sensors for Biomedical Applications)

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14 pages, 1910 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Distinguishing Nanoparticle Aggregation from Viscosity Changes in MPS/MSB Detection of Biomarkers

by Dhrubo Jyoti, Scott W. Gordon-Wylie, Daniel B. Reeves, Keith D. Paulsen and John B. Weaver

Sensors 2022, 22(17), 6690; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22176690 - 4 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1793

Abstract

Magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS) in the Brownian relaxation regime, also termed magnetic spectroscopy of Brownian motion (MSB), can detect and quantitate very low, sub-nanomolar concentrations of molecular biomarkers. MPS/MSB uses the harmonics of the magnetization induced by a small, low-frequency oscillating magnetic field to provide quantitative information about the magnetic nanoparticles’ (mNPs’) microenvironment. A key application uses antibody-coated mNPs to produce biomarker-mediated aggregation that can be detected using MPS/MSB. However, relaxation changes can also be caused by viscosity changes. To address this challenge, we propose a metric that can distinguish between aggregation and viscosity. Viscosity changes scale the MPS/MSB harmonic ratios with a constant multiplier across all applied field frequencies. The change in viscosity is exactly equal to the multiplier with generality, avoiding the need to understand the signal explicitly. This simple scaling relationship is violated when particles aggregate. Instead, a separate multiplier must be used for each frequency. The standard deviation of the multipliers over frequency defines a metric isolating viscosity (zero standard deviation) from aggregation (non-zero standard deviation). It increases monotonically with biomarker concentration. We modeled aggregation and simulated the MPS/MSB signal changes resulting from aggregation and viscosity changes. MPS/MSB signal changes were also measured experimentally using 100 nm iron-oxide mNPs in solutions with different viscosities (modulated by glycerol concentration) and with different levels of aggregation (modulated by concanavalin A linker concentrations). Experimental and simulation results confirmed that viscosity changes produced small changes in the standard deviation and aggregation produced larger values of standard deviation. This work overcomes a key barrier to using MPS/MSB to detect biomarkers in vivo with variable tissue viscosity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanomaterial-Based Sensors for Biomedical Applications)

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13 pages, 1974 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Smartphone-Based Device for Colorimetric Detection of MicroRNA Biomarkers Using Nanoparticle-Based Assay

by Tushar Krishnan, Hsin-Neng Wang and Tuan Vo-Dinh

Sensors 2021, 21(23), 8044; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21238044 - 1 Dec 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4551

Abstract

The detection of microRNAs (miRNAs) is emerging as a clinically important tool for the non-invasive detection of a wide variety of diseases ranging from cancers and cardiovascular illnesses to infectious diseases. Over the years, miRNA detection schemes have become accessible to clinicians, but they still require sophisticated and bulky laboratory equipment and trained personnel to operate. The exceptional computing ability and ease of use of modern smartphones coupled with fieldable optical detection technologies can provide a useful and portable alternative to these laboratory systems. Herein, we present the development of a smartphone-based device called Krometriks, which is capable of simple and rapid colorimetric detection of microRNA (miRNAs) using a nanoparticle-based assay. The device consists of a smartphone, a 3D printed accessory, and a custom-built dedicated mobile app. We illustrate the utility of Krometriks for the detection of an important miRNA disease biomarker, miR-21, using a nanoplasmonics-based assay developed by our group. We show that Krometriks can detect miRNA down to nanomolar concentrations with detection results comparable to a laboratory-based benchtop spectrophotometer. With slight changes to the accessory design, Krometriks can be made compatible with different types of smartphone models and specifications. Thus, the Krometriks device offers a practical colorimetric platform that has the potential to provide accessible and affordable miRNA diagnostics for point-of-care and field applications in low-resource settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanomaterial-Based Sensors for Biomedical Applications)

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12 pages, 3560 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Direct Effect of Magnetic Tape^® on Pain and Lower-Extremity Blood Flow in Subjects with Low-Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial

by Francisco Selva-Sarzo, Samuel Fernández-Carnero, Rob Sillevis, Héctor Hernández-Garcés, Josep-Carles Benitez-Martinez and Juan-Nicolás Cuenca-Zaldívar

Sensors 2021, 21(19), 6517; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21196517 - 29 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4775

Abstract

Low-back pain has a high impact on the world population, and solutions are in demand. The behavior of specific physiological processes has been modified using magnetic fields, whether for pain relief, bone consolidation, or improvement of vascularization. The use of tape with magnetic properties could help in these cases. A double-blind randomized clinical trial was designed to use Magnetic Tape^® versus placebo Kinesio tape. Blood flow variables were evaluated using pulsed power Doppler ultrasound. Resistance index, pulsatility index, systolic velocity, and diastolic velocity were measured. The pressure pain threshold was measured using algometry in 22 subjects. The results reveal significant differences between the groups for the pulsation index variable (8.06 [5.16, 20.16] in Magnetic Tape^® versus 5.50 [4.56, 6.64] in Kinesio tape) and lower (0.98 [0.92, 1.02] for Magnetic Tape^® versus 0.99 [0.95, 1.01] for Kinesio tape) in the resistance index variable. The pressure pain threshold variable presented significant differences at multiple levels. The application of Magnetic Tape^® causes immediate effects on blood flow and pain and could be a technique of choice for pain modulation. Further studies would be necessary. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanomaterial-Based Sensors for Biomedical Applications)

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16 pages, 5442 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multiplex Detection of Magnetic Beads Using Offset Field Dependent Frequency Mixing Magnetic Detection

by Ali Mohammad Pourshahidi, Stefan Achtsnicht, Mrinal Murali Nambipareechee, Andreas Offenhäusser and Hans-Joachim Krause

Sensors 2021, 21(17), 5859; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21175859 - 31 Aug 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2308

Abstract

Magnetic immunoassays employing Frequency Mixing Magnetic Detection (FMMD) have recently become increasingly popular for quantitative detection of various analytes. Simultaneous analysis of a sample for two or more targets is desirable in order to reduce the sample amount, save consumables, and save time. We show that different types of magnetic beads can be distinguished according to their frequency mixing response to a two-frequency magnetic excitation at different static magnetic offset fields. We recorded the offset field dependent FMMD response of two different particle types at frequencies f₁ + n⋅f₂, n = 1, 2, 3, 4 with f₁ = 30.8 kHz and f₂ = 63 Hz. Their signals were clearly distinguishable by the locations of the extremes and zeros of their responses. Binary mixtures of the two particle types were prepared with different mixing ratios. The mixture samples were analyzed by determining the best linear combination of the two pure constituents that best resembled the measured signals of the mixtures. Using a quadratic programming algorithm, the mixing ratios could be determined with an accuracy of greater than 14%. If each particle type is functionalized with a different antibody, multiplex detection of two different analytes becomes feasible. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanomaterial-Based Sensors for Biomedical Applications)

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Review

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19 pages, 2745 KiB

Open AccessReview

Giant Magnetoresistance Biosensors for Food Safety Applications

by Shuang Liang, Phanatchakorn Sutham, Kai Wu, Kumar Mallikarjunan and Jian-Ping Wang

Sensors 2022, 22(15), 5663; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22155663 - 28 Jul 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3405

Abstract

Nowadays, the increasing number of foodborne disease outbreaks around the globe has aroused the wide attention of the food industry and regulators. During food production, processing, storage, and transportation, microorganisms may grow and secrete toxins as well as other harmful substances. These kinds of food contamination from microbiological and chemical sources can seriously endanger human health. The traditional detection methods such as cell culture and colony counting cannot meet the requirements of rapid detection due to some intrinsic shortcomings, such as being time-consuming, laborious, and requiring expensive instrumentation or a central laboratory. In the past decade, efforts have been made to develop rapid, sensitive, and easy-to-use detection platforms for on-site food safety regulation. Herein, we review one type of promising biosensing platform that may revolutionize the current food surveillance approaches, the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) biosensors. Benefiting from the advances of nanotechnology, hundreds to thousands of GMR biosensors can be integrated into a fingernail-sized area, allowing the higher throughput screening of food samples at a lower cost. In addition, combined with on-chip microfluidic channels and filtration function, this type of GMR biosensing system can be fully automatic, and less operator training is required. Furthermore, the compact-sized GMR biosensor platforms could be further extended to related food contamination and the field screening of other pathogen targets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanomaterial-Based Sensors for Biomedical Applications)

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