Biosensors can be thought of as any device which is capable of sensing an analyte (e.g. a molecule or compound) or certain condition (e.g. pH or temperature) through the use of a biological component (Turner, 2013). One example of this would be a canary in a coal mine, where in the presence of carbon monoxide, the canary dies. A perhaps less morbid and advanced biosensor example are those which have been developed by synthetic biologists. These types of biosensors tend to use genetic circuits in whole cells, or cell-free systems, which can detect the presence of a particular target analyte or condition and produce a response (Slomovic et al., 2015).
Why are Biosensors Useful?
What Problems do Biosensor Developers Face?
The Sensynova Framework: A Modular and Multicellular Biosensor Development Framework
References:
Turner, A. P. F., 2013, Biosensors: sense and sensibility, Chem. Soc. Rev., DOI: 10.1039/C3CS35528D
Slomovic, S., Pardee, K., and Collins, J. J., 2015, Synthetic biology devices for in vitro and in vivo diagnostics, PNAS, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1508521112
