Functional Nucleic Acid-Based Biosensors: Progress and Future Directions
A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosensor Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 237
Special Issue Editors
Interests: development and clinical application of portable in vitro diagnostic devices; design and biomedical application of PROTAC molecules (PhD candidates are preferred); in vivo imaging probes based on functional nucleic acids and gene editing technologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Functional nucleic acids (FNAs), including aptamers, DNAzymes and ribozymes, have emerged as powerful tools in biosensing due to their high specificity, programmability and adaptability. These molecules can selectively bind targets or catalyze reactions, enabling the detection of diverse analytes, from small molecules to proteins and cells. The motivation for this Special Issue stems from the rapid advancements in FNA engineering, nanotechnology integration and their expanding applications in medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring and food safety. However, challenges such as stability, sensitivity and real-world applicability persist. This collection aims to consolidate recent breakthroughs, address existing limitations and propose innovative strategies to propel FNA-based biosensors toward practical deployment.
The Special Issue focuses on the design, development and application of FNA-based biosensors. Key areas include the following:
- Molecular Recognition: Advances in aptamer/enzyme selection, modification and stabilization for enhanced target binding.
- Signal Transduction: Integration with electrochemical, optical and microfluidic platforms for amplified detection.
- Nanotechnology Synergy: Use of nanoparticles, quantum dots or hydrogels to improve sensitivity and portability.
- Multiplexing and High-Throughput Systems: Strategies for simultaneous detection of multiple targets.
- Clinical and Environmental Applications: Case studies in disease diagnostics (e.g., cancer and infectious diseases), pathogen detection and pollutant sensing.
- Challenges and Solutions: Overcoming issues like non-specific binding, reagent stability and cost-effectiveness.
Contributions should align with original research, reviews or perspectives on the following:
- Novel FNA designs or hybridization strategies.
- Innovative detection mechanisms or device architectures.
- Comparative studies evaluating performance against traditional methods.
- Proof-of-concept applications in real-world settings.
- Theoretical modeling or computational tools for biosensor optimization.
This Special Issue seeks to bridge foundational research and translational efforts, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to unlock the full potential of FNA-based biosensors.
Dr. Jingjing Zhang
Dr. Jiayin Zhan
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-blind 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
- functional nucleic acids (FNAs)
- aptamers
- DNAzymes/ribozymes
- biosensors
- molecular recognition
- signal amplification
- nanomaterials (e.g., nanoparticles, quantum dots)
- electrochemical sensing
- optical sensing (e.g., fluorescence, colorimetry)
- point-of-care diagnostics
- environmental monitoring
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