12^th Euro Biosensors & Bioelectronics Congress

Biosensors

The term “biosensor” is short for “biological sensor.” A biosensor is an analytical device which converts a biological response into an electrical signal. The device is made up of a transducer and a biological element that may be an enzyme, an antibody or a nucleic acid. The bio element interacts with the analyte being tested and the biological response is converted into an electrical signal by the transducer. Electrochemical biosensors are normally based on enzymatic catalysis of a reaction that produces or consumes electrons (such enzymes are rightly called redox enzymes). Amperometric biosensors are self-contained integrated devices based on the measurement of the current resulting from the oxidation or reduction of an electro active biological element providing specific quantitative analytical information. They generally have response times, dynamic ranges and sensitivities similar to the potentiometric biosensors. A potentiometric biosensor can be defined as a device incorporating a biological sensing element connected to an electrochemical potential transducer. Potentiometric biosensors usually rely on a biochemical reaction leading to simpler chemical specie and its subsequent electrochemical detection. The analytical signal generated by a potentiometric biosensor is an electrical potential. An electrochemical biosensor is a self-contained integrated device, which is capable of providing specific quantitative or semi-quantitative analytical information using a biological recognition element (biochemical receptor) which is retained in direct spatial contact with an electrochemical transduction element.