Advances in Miniaturized Optical Components for Biosensing

A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374). This special issue belongs to the section "Optical and Photonic Biosensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 December 2026 | Viewed by 1143

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Information Science and Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
Interests: integrated optics; VCSEL; surface plasmon resonance; low-loss bent optical waveguides

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Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
Interests: flexible and wearable biosensors; digital circuit design; MEMS

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is dedicated to the design, fabrication, and application of miniaturized optical components that are pivotal to the development of next-generation biosensors, but it is not limited to these areas. We invite contributions focusing on key innovations in areas such as VCSEL-based sensing schemes, advanced on-chip photonic structures, novel SPR transducers, and flexible optical platforms. This Special Issue aims to showcase how advancements in these fundamental components enhance biosensor performance in terms of sensitivity, compactness, and versatility. Original research and review articles on the development and characterization of these micro-optical elements are welcome.

Dr. Lichao Zhang
Dr. Xuguang Sun
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • on-chip photonics
  • VCSEL-based biosensing
  • surface plasmon resonance (SPR)
  • low-loss bent optical waveguides
  • flexible and wearable biosensors
  • miniaturized optical systems

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 3696 KB  
Article
Real-Time Monitoring of Microbial Contamination and Stress Biomarkers with Liquid Crystal-Based Immunosensors for Food Safety Assessment
by Maria Simone Soares, Andreia C. M. Rodrigues, Sílvia. F. S. Pires, Amadeu M. V. M. Soares, Ana P. L. Costa, Jan Nedoma, Pedro L. Almeida, Nuno Santos and Carlos Marques
Biosensors 2026, 16(1), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios16010059 - 13 Jan 2026
Viewed by 840
Abstract
Aquaculture is a crucial global food production sector that faces challenges in water quality management, food safety, and stress-related health concerns in aquatic species. Cortisol, a key stress biomarker in fish, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination in bivalve mollusks are [...] Read more.
Aquaculture is a crucial global food production sector that faces challenges in water quality management, food safety, and stress-related health concerns in aquatic species. Cortisol, a key stress biomarker in fish, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination in bivalve mollusks are critical indicators that require sensitive and real-time detection methods. Liquid crystal (LC)-based immunosensors have emerged as a promising solution for detecting biological analytes due to their high sensitivity, rapid response, and label-free optical detection capabilities. Therefore, this study explores the development and application of LC-based immunosensors for the detection of cortisol in artificial and real recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) samples, as well as E. coli in real contaminated water and clam samples during the depuration processes of bivalve mollusks. The biosensors exhibited the capacity to detect cortisol with a response time in seconds and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.1 ng/mL. Furthermore, they demonstrated specificity to cortisol when tested against different interfering substances, including testosterone, glucose, and cholesterol. Furthermore, it was possible to correlate cortisol concentrations in different filtration stages and track E. coli contamination during depuration. The results confirm the feasibility of LC-based immunosensors as a user-friendly, portable, and efficient diagnostic tool for aquaculture applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Miniaturized Optical Components for Biosensing)
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