1. Biosensors
Anthony Carr
Brett Gobe
Ben LaPierre

2. What are biosensors?
 Detectors based on selective molecular
components of plants or animals.
 Modern Biosensors evolved from 2 different
disciplines
 Molecular Biology
 Information Technology.
 Offers a wide variety of applications.
 Medical
 Environmental
 Military / Law Enforcement

4. Evolution of the Medical
Biosensor
 Mid 1950’s - Leland C Clark invents an
electrode that measures dissolved oxygen in
the blood of patients undergoing surgery.
 He surrounded a platinum electrode and
reference electrode with a plastic membrane
permeable to gases. The voltage differential
measured between the two gave the rate at
which the oxygen was being diffused.

5.  Clark extended this electrode idea to include glucose
sensors.
 However these never made their way into routine patient
care. This was due to flaws in accuracy when clots
formed around the electrode.

6. Required Characteristics
 Sensitivity  Utility
 Low detection limits  Field portability
 Cost  Ruggedness
 Simplicity  Reproducibility
 Reliability  Ease of calibration
 Speed  Stability
 Accuracy  Room for
 Precision improvement

7. Biosensors
 Combine a biological compound with a
transducer
 What is a transducer?

9. Flow Injection Analysis
(FIA)
 What is FIA?

10. Uses of Biosensors
 Environmental Monitoring
 Military
 Law Enforcement
 Medical

11. Present Applications of
Biosensors
 Medical Care (both clinical and
laboratory use)
 The determination of food quality
 The detection of environmental
pollutants
 Industrial Process Control

12. Applications (cont’d.)
 Biosensors in process control will be able to measure
materials in the process flow of temperature, pressure
and the acidity readings.
 The development of biosensors in industry can
improve manufacturing techniques, which would allow
for a wider range of sensing molecules to be
produced at a cheaper rate.
 In the field of medicine, tumor cells are used as a
biosensor to monitor chemotherapeutic drug
susceptibilities.
 Biosensors also play a role in the manufacturing of
pharmaceuticals and replacement organs such as an
artificial pancreas for diabetics.

13.  It is found that biosensors are widely used in
environmental testing by using a “flow-
through” system to monitor wastewater (a
flow-through system includes instruments
using surface plasmon resonance).
 These censors are not only restricted to the
use of molecules. Rather living
microorganisms such as bacteria can be used
to detect substances such as vitamin B12.
 Conclusively, biosensors play a part in the
field of medicine, environmental quality, and
industry mainly by identifying material and the
degree of concentration present.

14. QUESTIONS?