Recent Advances and Challenges in Development of Whole Cell Biosensors
A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosensor and Bioelectronic Devices".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 38
Special Issue Editors
Interests: microbial cells; yeast; S. cerevisiae; cell signaling; stress response; intracellular communication; mitochondrial (dys)function; metabolism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: signal processing; signal; image and video coding; pattern recognition; multidimensional signal processing; electronics for biosensing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: electrochemical and optical sensors; biotechnology; electrochemistry; lab-on-chip devices; flexible and stretchable; video and image processing; computer vision; machine learning; programming; optimization
Interests: cellular and molecular biotechnologies; whole cell biosensors; yeast; S. cerevisiae; cell immobilization; cellular and organismal stress responses
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Whole cell biosensors (WCBs) have emerged as powerful analytical tools for environmental monitoring, healthcare diagnostics, pharmaceutical screening, and synthetic biology applications. These living sensor platforms, leveraging the biological recognition capacities of microbial or eukaryotic cells, offer remarkable advantages in selectivity, adaptability, and cost-effectiveness. However, despite notable progress in genetic engineering, materials interfacing, and electrochemical transduction, critical challenges remain in terms of long-term stability, response time, multiplexed detection, and standardization for real-world deployment.
This Special Issue, "Recent Advances and Challenges in Development of Whole Cell Biosensors", aims to present cutting-edge research and comprehensive reviews addressing both fundamental innovations and translational barriers in the field.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, novel strategies for cell immobilization, synthetic and natural biorecognition design, transduction technologies (optical, electrochemical, and hybrid), and applications across agriculture, toxicology, and biomedical diagnostics. Contributions exploring machine learning-based signal interpretation, microfluidic integration, IoT-enabled sensing platforms, wireless biosensor networks, and regulatory perspectives are also encouraged.
Led by a multidisciplinary team of Guest Editors with expertise in microbial biosensing, bioelectrochemistry, stress signalling pathways, and sensor electronics, IoT-based systems and signal processing, this Special Issue welcomes submissions that bridge biology, materials science, and engineering to advance the next generation of whole cell biosensing platforms.
Dr. Nicoletta Guaragnella
Dr. Cataldo Guaragnella
Dr. Ehtisham Wahid
Dr. Ohiemi Benjamin Ocheja
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. 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
- whole cell biosensors
- electrochemical biosensors
- microbial sensing
- cell immobilization
- stress-responsive elements
- bioelectrochemistry
- environmental diagnostics
- synthetic biology
- real-time monitoring
- biosensor stability
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.
