With the world's population aging, higher demands are being placed on the development and research of biomedical sensors. The development of medical sensing technology can better prevent, detect, and treat various diseases, and it plays a vital role in addressing disease challenges as an important part of the healthcare system.The key to the development of healthcare systems lies in the application of advanced functional biomaterials and the research and development of new technologies to create intelligent, miniaturized, reliable, low-cost, multifunctional, and highly efficient biomedical sensors that can continuously monitor and detect the state and function of the human body in real time, ensuring timely detection of diseases and prompt treatment under uninterrupted observation.Definition of a biosensor. A biosensor is a device that utilizes immobilized biomolecules combined with a transducer to detect environmental chemicals inside or outside an organism, as well as the specific interactions and responses between these chemicals. The key components of a biosensor are mainly twofold: one is the molecular recognition component derived from biological tissues, molecules, and individual cells; this part constitutes the signal generation and reception of the biosensor. The other part is the hardware component of the instrument, primarily used for the conversion between physical signals, with detection elements mainly consisting of optical and electrochemical components.
With the development of science and technology, new materials, new principles, and new technologies are constantly emerging. In particular, the emergence of biochip technology and microelectromechanical systems has enabled biosensors to gradually develop into microsystems for processing and biological detection, characterized by miniaturization, intelligence, integration, and chip-based architecture. Working principle of biomedical sensors. The working principle of biosensors is as follows: the substance to be detected combines with bioactive materials through diffusion. After specific molecular recognition, a chemical or physical reaction occurs, generating a series of information. The corresponding chemical or physical transducer converts this information into processable and quantifiable electrical signals. These electrical signals are then output through a signal processing system, enabling the detection of relevant information about the analyte.
Biomedical sensors can detect the interactions between biological macromolecules in real time. By dynamically observing the binding and dissociation relationships between antibodies and antigens, the affinity of antibodies can be accurately calculated, which is crucial for understanding monoclonal antibodies and for the targeted screening of monoclonal antibodies with application potential.
Clinical Applications. Biomedical sensors can be used to detect clinically significant substances such as lactate, blood glucose, and glutamine. Monitoring blood drug concentrations in patients shifts treatment from experience-based to science-based approaches, providing guidance for clinical testing. Scientific methods of detection can significantly reduce drug toxicity and inhibit its onset.Currently, glucose detection in the blood widely utilizes glucose enzyme sensors, which have gained public acceptance. Lactate analyzers, as the most successful commercially available enzyme sensor, can detect the levels of lactic acid metabolites produced by continuous muscle activity, making them of practical significance.
(2) Applications in the biomedical field. In the process of drug production using bioengineering technology, biosensors are used to monitor the biochemical reaction characteristics at different times, enabling timely data acquisition and monitoring of bioengineered products to ensure their quality. Biosensors have played a significant role in the research and development of cancer drugs. Currently, in cancer drug research, cancer cells from patients are extracted and cultured, and various drugs are applied to the cells. Biosensors are used to observe the cancer cells' responses to each drug, allowing for the selection of the most suitable and effective treatment.
Timely understanding of one's physical condition and obtaining health information are fundamental measures for disease prevention. Proactive prevention and early diagnosis are crucial for systemic disease prevention. Biomedical sensors, as a new type of medical device, can obtain this information in a timely manner. For seriously ill patients, patients with chronic diseases, and workers in hazardous occupations, the real-time monitoring of their vital bodily characteristics using wearable or wireless implantable sensors is particularly important.
The development of the medical field is closely related to the development of biosensors. Real-time monitoring and screening of patients using biosensors are becoming increasingly important. Telemedicine, disposable sensors, and remote consultation services will gradually expand with the increasing demand for home care. These factors determine that the future development direction of biomedical sensors will be characterized by low cost, low power consumption, intelligence, miniaturization, multifunctionality, remote power supply, non-destructive testing, and wireless transmission.
