Single Molecule Detection on Biosensors

Dear Colleagues,

One of the most active fields of multidisciplinary research involves the rational design and development of analytical platforms to report qualitatively and quantitatively on certain substances or events of interest, with special relevance for those used in biomedical applications. Biosensors are systems designed to report on certain species or events of biological importance, by providing a quantitative signal that may be of varied nature.

The application of biosensors for biomedical purposes, especially in prognosis, often requires to detect very low amounts or variations of the analytical targets. Therefore, important analytical figures characterizing the response of biosensors are the limits of detection and quantification. In this sense, the capability of working with individual molecules has paved the way towards a deeper understading of molecular events, with special attention being paid to biomolecular interactions and function. Novel techniques, with sensitivity down to individual molecules, such as atomic force microscopy, single-molecule fluorescence, or molecular tweezers, have opened up the field of single-molecule biosensing.

Clear examples of single-molecule biosensors can be found in aptamers, as individual molecules capable of reporting the presence and ultimately quantifying the levels of the target molecule. Likewise, nanotechnology has opened up a myriad of possibilities in the design of novel sensors, based on molecular interactions of the analyte and receptors incorporated in the nanosystems. Quantum confinement and photoluminescence emission enhancement due to surface effects have increased the sensitivity of the proposed sensors, going beyond the detection of a few individual molecules.

In this Special Issue, novel advances in the field of biosensing with molecular resolution will be gathered, with an open orientation in terms of techniques employed or analytes to be tackled. The Special Issue will cover from ultra-sensitive, in vitro analytical nano-platforms to in vivo probing biomolecular interactions with nanometer resolution. The issue aims to congregate recent tools for biosensing, with special attention to the following individual events: watching enzymes at work in their natural environment, probing protein-protein interactions, and detecting conformational changes to develop applications for rare molecular events that could be detected in vivo or in cellulo, or in liquid biopsies for advanced diagnosis and personalized treatments.

Dr. Angel Orte
Dr. José Manuel Paredes
Dr. Emilio García Fernández
Guest Editors

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• individual molecules 
• single molecule spectroscopy 
• FRET
• aptamers 
• atomic force microscopy 
• fluorescent biosensors
• optical tweezers 
• magnetic tweezers 
• nanosensors 
• nanotechnology