Applications of Nanomaterials in Biosensing: Current Trends and Future Prospects

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to innovations in nanotechnology and spectroscopy, the development of biosensor technology has seen considerable advances. In recent decades, the scientific community’s focus on biomolecule imaging and detection has significantly increased; as a result, novel techniques that improve sensitivity and spatial resolution have been developed, enabling biomolecules to be more accurately characterized at the nanoscale. A range of nanomaterial based-analytical techniques are currently used, each presenting unique benefits and challenges. However, achieving nondestructive, label-free nanoscale biomolecular imaging or detection under ambient conditions and in real time remains a major challenge. Nanomaterials have attracted considerable interest in the field of biosensing due to their distinctive properties, including their high surface area, increased reactivity, and adjustable physical and chemical characteristics. These properties are particularly effective for enhancing the sensitivity, selectivity, and overall performance of biosensors. Additionally, optical nanomaterials are becoming more widely used in biosensors because of their distinctive capacity to interact with light in sensitive ways, facilitating the accurate detection of biomolecules even at low concentrations. Their high sensitivity, real-time detection, label-free sensing, and capacity to multiplex numerous biomarkers at once are particularly relevant in this field. These nanomaterials can improve biosensor performance by taking advantage of characteristics such as light scattering, fluorescence, and surface plasmon resonance. Their distinct optical characteristics make them appropriate for use in environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, and other domains requiring accurate and effective biomolecule detection. Label-free spectroscopy techniques that utilize optical nanomaterials, such as optical spectroscopy, fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy, are highly valued when noninvasiveness is essential, particularly when studying delicate systems in their natural state. These spectroscopic methods are popular due to their ability to detect biomolecules without the need for labels or modifications.

The current Topic invites papers related to the use of nanomaterials in various spectroscopy-based detection applications. Particular fields of interest for this Topic include the following:

• Nanomaterials, including quantum dots, carbon, and metamaterials; 
• Plasmonic material characterization; 
• Optical spectroscopy characterization (UV, IR, Raman, fluorescence); 
• Biomolecule characterization; 
• Biosensors; 
• Plasmonic materials; 
• Raman and SERS spectroscopy; 
• Fluorescence spectroscopy.

Full research papers, brief communications, or reviews related to the keywords mentioned above are all acceptable forms of contribution.

Dr. Kundan Sivashanmugan
Dr. Xianming Kong
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Applied Nano applnano	-	-	2020	25.4 Days	CHF 1000	Submit
Biosensors biosensors	4.9	6.6	2011	18.9 Days	CHF 2200	Submit
Materials materials	3.1	5.8	2008	13.9 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Nanomaterials nanomaterials	4.4	8.5	2010	14.1 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Chemosensors chemosensors	3.7	5.0	2013	20.1 Days	CHF 2000	Submit
Applied Biosciences applbiosci	-	-	2022	19.1 Days	CHF 1000	Submit
Laboratories laboratories	-	-	2024	15.0 days *	CHF 1000	Submit

* Median value for all MDPI journals in the second half of 2024.

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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All Applied Nano Biosensors Materials Nanomaterials Chemosensors Applied Biosciences Laboratories

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Open AccessArticle

On the Possibility of Fluorescent Capture Immunoassays on a Contact Lens

by Kundan Sivashanmugan, E. Albert Reece and Joseph R. Lakowicz

Biosensors 2025, 15(5), 326; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios15050326 - 20 May 2025

Abstract

Blood samples and testing are routine in healthcare. Presently, there is a growing interest in using tear samples in place of blood. Tear samples can be obtained non-invasively and collection does not require the skills of a trained phlebotomist. Red blood cells and [...] Read more.

Blood samples and testing are routine in healthcare. Presently, there is a growing interest in using tear samples in place of blood. Tear samples can be obtained non-invasively and collection does not require the skills of a trained phlebotomist. Red blood cells and other cells are not present in tears, which avoids centrifugation. Importantly, basal tear samples contain most of the biomarkers present in blood. The difficulty is the small volume of basal tears, which is about 7 μL in each eye. Any contact with the eye results in additional reflex tears with a different chemical composition. The small tear samples are collected with capillary tubes and then sent out for amplified assays, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results are not available for several days or a week and, therefore, are less useful in an ophthalmology office. We propose the use of a contact lens that contains bound antibodies for fluorescence immunoassays. The lenses could be removed from the patient for point-of-care measurements at the bedside. To prove that this concept is possible, we performed a three-layer protein capture assay that mimics an immunoassay. For convenience, we used lysozyme (Lys), which spontaneously coats silicon hydrogel (SiHG) contact lenses (CL). Anti-lysozyme IgG was the second layer captured, with anti-lysozyme considered to be the target biomarker. The third layer was rhodamine or Alexa Fluor-labeled Ab against the IgG Fc region, considered to be the detection antibody. The multiple protein layers were stable and did not wash off the SiHG lenses. These results strongly suggest the contact lens can be used for capture immunoassays for a wide variety of biomarkers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Applications of Nanomaterials in Biosensing: Current Trends and Future Prospects)

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