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Dear Colleagues,

Biologically inspired sensing technologies are defined as detection techniques that draw inspiration from biological mechanisms and principles to provide high sensitivity and the selective detection of target analytes. This detection technology includes biomimetic approaches that imitate biological systems such as enzymes, antibodies, nucleic acids, and cells based on novel materials, nanotechnology, and microfabrication techniques. The upcoming Special Issue will present novel detection platforms for diverse applications that leverage natural sensing mechanisms, including specific receptors, enzymes, and signal transduction pathways.

The scope of this Special Issue includes the design, fabrication, and characterization of biosensors for the rapid and accurate detection of disease markers, pathogens, and biomarkers, using biomimetic-inspired biosensing strategies. The covered categories encompass medical diagnostics for various diseases, environmental monitoring for the detection of pollutants, toxins, and contaminants in air, water, and soil, and biosensing technologies for food safety inspections, targeting foodborne pathogens and allergenic substances.

Dr. Moonil Kim
Guest Editor

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Keywords

biologically inspired
biomimetic
sensor
nanotechnology
bioreceptors
enzymes
antibodies
nucleic acids
cells

Published Papers (1 paper)

Research

15 pages, 3183 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Single-Cell Detection of Erwinia amylovora Using Bio-Functionalized SIS Sensor

by Ui Jin Lee, Yunkwang Oh, Oh Seok Kwon, Jeong Mee Park, Hyun Mo Cho, Dong Hyung Kim and Moonil Kim

Sensors 2023, 23(17), 7400; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23177400 - 24 Aug 2023

Viewed by 1312

Abstract

Herein, we developed a bio-functionalized solution-immersed silicon (SIS) sensor at the single-cell level to identify Erwinia amylovora (E. amylovora), a highly infectious bacterial pathogen responsible for fire blight, which is notorious for its rapid spread and destructive impact on apple and pear orchards. This method allows for ultra-sensitive measurements without pre-amplification or labeling compared to conventional methods. To detect a single cell of E. amylovora, we used Lipopolysaccharide Transporter E (LptE), which is involved in the assembly of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at the surface of the outer membrane of E. amylovora, as a capture agent. We confirmed that LptE interacts with E. amylovora via LPS through in-house ELISA analysis, then used it to construct the sensor chip by immobilizing the capture molecule on the sensor surface modified with 3′-Aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) and glutaraldehyde (GA). The LptE-based SIS sensor exhibited the sensitive and specific detection of the target bacterial cell in real time. The dose–response curve shows a linearity (R² > 0.992) with wide dynamic ranges from 1 to 10⁷ cells/mL for the target bacterial pathogen. The sensor showed the value change (dΨ) of approximately 0.008° for growing overlayer thickness induced from a single-cell E. amylovora, while no change in the control bacterial cell (Bacillus subtilis) was observed, or negligible change, if any. Furthermore, the bacterial sensor demonstrated a potential for the continuous detection of E. amylovora through simple surface regeneration, enabling its reusability. Taken together, our system has the potential to be applied in fields where early symptoms are not observed and where single-cell or ultra-sensitive detection is required, such as plant bacterial pathogen detection, foodborne pathogen monitoring and analysis, and pathogenic microbial diagnosis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biologically Inspired Sensing Technologies)

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