Biosensing

Introduction

Biosensing is a method that uses biological reactions or affinity interactions between biological substances to selectively detect the chemical components of biological samples or systems and provides information about the production process. Due to its good selectivity and strong specificity, it plays an increasingly important role in the fields of medicine, biology, environmental monitoring and fermentation industry. As important tools for biosensing, nanozymes often possess unique physicochemical properties, including high enzymatic activity, stability and good biocompatibility, which endow them with promising applications in biosensing. With the extensive exploration of biosensing schemes, nanozymes have been successfully designed to detect ions, small molecules, nucleic acids, proteins, biomarkers, viruses, etc.

Applications

Nanozymes can be used in biosensing mainly including the detection of following types.

• Detection of ions. Nanozymes can be used to detect heavy metal ions in daily food and drinking water, such as copper ions, silver ions, mercury ions, lead ions, etc. Nanozymes can also be used to detect fluoride ions in toothpaste samples. In addition, nanozymes can also be used to detect non-metal ions such as cyanide ions.
• Detection of molecules. Nanozyme-based colorimetric detection strategies are widely used to detect H₂O₂ molecules. Nanozymes can also achieve the detection of glucose when combining glucose oxidase by using their peroxidase-like ability. In addition to the above-mentioned molecules, nanozymes can also be used to detect other molecules such as glutathione, dopamine, urea, ascorbic acid, carredilol, phosphates, heparin, etc.
• Detection of nucleic acids. Nanozymes can also be used to detect nucleic acids. For example, they can be used for colorimetric detection of single-nucleotide polymorphisms, sequence-specific nucleic acids, protein aptamers, etc. Nanozymes can also be used to effectively distinguish single-stranded DNA and double-stranded DNA and detect DNA hybridization. Among them, gold nanoparticles with glucose oxidase-like activity and graphene are widely used.
• Detection of proteins. Nanozymes can be used for immunological detection of proteins such as antigens and antibodies. In addition, the nanozyme-based colorimetric sensing platform also enables quantitative detection of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which plays an important role in biological nerve conduction. Nanozymes can also be used for immunological detection of integrin GPIIb/IIIa on human erythroleukemia cell line, human prostate surface antigen, etc.
• Detection of biomarkers. Nanozymes can also be used for the detection of biomarkers. They can detect cancer cells, which is important for cancer diagnosis. In addition, some antigens, such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), have been considered important cancer biomarkers. Nanozymes can achieve rapid and sensitive detection of these antigens. Besides, nanozymes can be used to detect other macromolecule biomarkers (e.g., acid phosphatase (ACP) for prostate cancer and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) for breast cancer) and small molecule biomarkers (e.g., sarcosine for prostate cancer and uric acid).
• Detection of viruses. In addition to the above, nanozymes can also be used to detect viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza virus, Ebola virus (EboV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1), novel coronavirus (COVID-19), etc.

Alfa Chemistry can offer a wide variety of nanozymes, which have a promising future in biosensing. They can be used to detect ions, small molecules, nucleic acids, proteins, biomarkers, viruses, etc. We will offer the most suitable nanozymes according to customer's detailed requirements. At the same time, we also offer product customization. If you have any questions or needs, please don't hesitate to contact us. Alfa Chemistry will provide you with the most professional service.

Please kindly note that our products and services are for research use only.