Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
12.1
6.2
Journals
Biosensors
Special Issues
Terahertz Biophotonics: Advancing Biosensing Technologies
share announcement

Terahertz Biophotonics: Advancing Biosensing Technologies

A Special Issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374) belonging to the section "Optical and Photonic Biosensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 January 2027 | Viewed by 987

Editors

Prof. Dr. Yiwen Sun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Medical Photonics Innovation Institute, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: terahertz biophotonics; terahertz functional devices; space medical detection
Prof. Dr. Junle Qu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Medical Photonics Innovation Institute, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: biomedical optical imaging; phototherapy; nanobiophotonics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Terahertz (THz) biophotonics has emerged as a transformative frontier at the interface of photonics, biomedicine, and materials science, offering label-free, non-ionizing, and high-sensitivity detection capabilities for probing biomolecular dynamics, cellular activities, and tissue microstructures. This Special Issue aims to extend the scope of terahertz spectroscopy-based biosensing into the broader domain of terahertz biophotonics, with a particular emphasis on innovative sensing platforms, advanced photonic devices, and emerging applications in disease diagnosis, drug monitoring, and precision medicine.

We invite contributions encompassing, but not limited to, the development of metamaterial-assisted THz biosensors, microfluidic integration, THz near-field imaging, quantum cascade laser-based sensing systems, machine learning-enhanced spectral analysis, and in vitro/in-vivo biological detection. Fundamental studies exploring THz–biomolecule interaction mechanisms, as well as translational research bridging laboratory innovations with clinical utilities, are particularly welcome.

By bringing together cutting-edge research across physics, engineering, and life sciences, this Special Issue seeks to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and accelerate the translation of THz biophotonics technologies from proof-of-concept to practical biosensing solutions.

Prof. Dr. Yiwen Sun
Prof. Dr. Junle Qu
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biosensors is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2200 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

  • terahertz biophotonics
  • terahertz biosensing
  • metamaterial-assisted sensing
  • label-free detection
  • biomedical diagnostics
  • THz–biomolecule interaction
  • terahertz imaging

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

15 pages, 6411 KB  
Article
Low-Cost Self-Driven Liquid Biosensor Based on Metamaterials for Glioblastoma-Related Sample Detection
by Kanglong Chen, Minghui Du, Peiyuan Sun, Pei Yang and Xiaojun Wu
Biosensors 2026, 16(9), 476; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios16090476 - 30 Aug 2026
Viewed by 347
Abstract
A self-driven terahertz metamaterial liquid biosensor composed of channel-structured metamaterials and a quartz microcavity is proposed for glioblastoma sample detection. The device transports liquid samples via capillary force. The permittivity (εeff) of liquid suspensions is comprehensively analyzed to provide theoretical [...] Read more.
A self-driven terahertz metamaterial liquid biosensor composed of channel-structured metamaterials and a quartz microcavity is proposed for glioblastoma sample detection. The device transports liquid samples via capillary force. The permittivity (εeff) of liquid suspensions is comprehensively analyzed to provide theoretical support for the detection. For suspensions with the same contents, εeff decreases with increasing concentration, while under the same concentration condition, εeff decreases as particle size grows. An electric dipole resonance is excited at ~1.54 THz with theoretical sensitivity ≥ 242 GHz/RIU (where RIU denotes refractive index unit). For the same type of cell discrimination, the frequencies of the biosensor’s feature peaks shift from ~1.14, ~1.18, and ~1.20 THz with the rise in cell concentration of glioblastoma stem cell (GSC) suspension from 4 × 105, 6 × 105 to 8 × 105 cells/mL, respectively. In addition, the GSC, U87 and U251—whose average diameters increase in that order—tested at the same concentration of 4 × 105 cells/mL lead to feature peak shifts from ~1.14, ~1.17, and ~1.20 THz. Clear THz differences exist between healthy and patient serum, with peaks at 1.18 and 1.19 THz. The sensor effectively distinguishes cell suspensions but has limited serum discrimination capacity. The sensor retains cell morphology, requires little pretreatment, and is low-cost and fast for rapid glioblastoma clinical screening. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Terahertz Biophotonics: Advancing Biosensing Technologies)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

37 pages, 18816 KB  
Review
Research Progress of Terahertz Technology in Microbiology
by Ding Cao, Ruibing Dong, Guangyou Fang and Xuequan Chen
Biosensors 2026, 16(9), 515; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios16090515 - 11 Sep 2026
Viewed by 255
Abstract
Microorganisms are ubiquitous in nature, and microbial activities are closely intertwined with the entire life cycle system and human life. Developing novel technologies for the detection, characterization and manipulation of microorganisms promotes their applications in clinical, environmental and industrial areas. Over the last [...] Read more.
Microorganisms are ubiquitous in nature, and microbial activities are closely intertwined with the entire life cycle system and human life. Developing novel technologies for the detection, characterization and manipulation of microorganisms promotes their applications in clinical, environmental and industrial areas. Over the last two decades, terahertz (THz) technology has emerged as a new optical tool for microbiology. The great potential originates from the unique advantages of THz waves including the high sensitivity to water and inter-/intra-molecular motions, the non-invasive and label-free detecting scheme, and their low photon energy. THz waves have been utilized as a stimulus to alter microbial functions or as a sensing approach for quantitative measurement and qualitative differentiation. This review specifically focuses on recent research progress of THz technology applied in the field of microbiology, including two major parts of THz biological effects and the microbial detection applications. At the end of this paper, we summarize the research progress and discuss the challenges currently faced by THz technology in microbiology, along with potential solutions. We also provide a perspective on future development directions. This review aims to build a bridge between THz photonics and microbiology, promoting both fundamental research and application development in this interdisciplinary field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Terahertz Biophotonics: Advancing Biosensing Technologies)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop