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A biosensor is a device for the detection of an analyte that combines a biological component with a physicochemical detector component.
It consists of 3 parts:
- the sensitive biological element (biological material (eg. tissue, microorganisms, organelles, cell receptors, enzymes, antibodies, nucleic acids etc), a biologically derived material or biomimic) The sensitive elements can be created by biological engineering.
- the transducer in between (associates both components)
- the detector element (works in a physicochemical way; optical, electrochemical, thermometric, piezoelectric or magnetic.)
Arrays of many different detector molecules have been applied in so called electronic nose devices, where the pattern of responce from the detectors is used to fingerprint a substance.
A canary in a cage, as used by miners to warn of gas could be considered a biosensor. Many of todays biosensor applications are similar, in that they use organisms which respond to toxins at a much lower level than us to warn us of their presence. Such devices can be used both in environmental monitoring and in water treatment facilities.
Applications
- Remote sensing of airborne bacteria.
- Glucose monitoring in diabetes patients
- Detection of pathogens
- Determining levels of toxins before and after bioremediation.
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