Biosensors for Single-Molecule Detection

Dear Colleagues,

The development of sensing platforms able to qualitatively and quantitatively report on certain substances or events of interest, with special attention to those used in biomedical applications, is one of the most quickly emerging and active fields of current multidisciplinary research, with important and appealing challenges to tackle. The detection capacity of biosensors is based on changes that certain species or processes of biological importance produce in multiple signals.

Commonly, one of the key requirements for the application of biosensors for biomedical applications, especially in prognosis, is the capacity to detect very low amounts of or changes in the biomolecular target in order to understand processes at the molecular level, such as biomolecular interactions and functions. Moreover, detecting low amounts of certain biomolecules in an early stage implies dealing with the intrinsic heterogeneity of individual molecules or events. Novel techniques, with sensitivity down to individual molecules, such as atomic force microscopy, single-molecule fluorescence, and molecular tweezers, among others, have paved the way to the field of single-molecule biosensing. Likewise, nanotechnology has opened up numerous possibilities for the design of novel sensors, based on molecular interactions and analyte receptors, to be incorporated into nanosystems. Certain strategies, such as quantum confinement and the enhancement of luminescence emissions due to surface effects, have increased the sensitivity of new biosensors, allowing us to go beyond the detection of a few individual molecules.

This Special Issue is dedicated to novel and cutting-edge advances in the field of biosensing with molecular resolution using different analyte targets and techniques. The Special Issue aims to highlight studies that design and employ tools for biosensing, with a particular focus on following individual events in order to develop applications for rare and heterogeneous molecular events that could be detected in vivo or in cellulo and on liquid biopsies for advanced diagnosis and personalized treatment.

Dr. Emilio García Fernández
Dr. Juan Antonio González Vera
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biosensors is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• biosensors
• individual molecules
• single-molecule
• single molecule spectroscopy
• FRET
• biomolecular interactions
• atomic force microscopy
• fluorescent biosensors
• optical tweezers
• magnetic tweezers
• nanosensors
• nanotechnology.