Electrochemical biosensors: a nexus for precision medicine

Aspirin nanosensors

Aspirin, a widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), plays a crucial role in the prevention and treatment of various cardiovascular and inflammatory conditions, including its significant application in stroke management. The accurate detection of aspirin in biological and environmental samples is essential for ensuring therapeutic efficacy and safety, particularly in patients at risk of stroke. This review aims to introduce and discuss the recent advancements in aspirin nanosensor technology, highlighting innovative approaches that enhance detection sensitivity and specificity. Traditional methods of aspirin detection often face limitations, including lengthy analysis times, the need for complex sample preparation, and insufficient sensitivity for trace detection. In contrast, the development of nanosensors has emerged as a promising solution, leveraging the unique properties of nanomaterials to facilitate rapid, reliable, and sensitive detection of aspirin. From a neuropharmaceutical perspective, the role of aspirin extends beyond its anti-inflammatory properties, as it also influences neurovascular health and may modulate neuroinflammatory processes associated with stroke. This review synthesizes current research findings, explores the mechanisms underlying nanosensor functionality, and addresses the challenges and future directions in the field of aspirin detection. By providing a comprehensive overview of cutting-edge research on aspirin nanosensors, this study underscores the importance of advancing detection technologies to improve patient outcomes, particularly in stroke prevention and management, and ensure effective therapeutic monitoring, while emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary approaches that integrate neuropharmaceutical insights to enhance the understanding of aspirin's multifaceted role in neuroprotection and its implications for stroke therapy.

Research Progress of Electrochemical Biosensors for Diseases Detection in China: A Review

Disease diagnosis is not only related to individual health but is also a crucial part of public health prevention. Electrochemical biosensors combine the high sensitivity of electrochemical methods with the inherent high selectivity of biological components, offering advantages such as excellent sensitivity, fast response time, and low cost. The generated electrical signals have a linear relationship with the target analyte, allowing for identification and concentration detection. This has become a very attractive technology. This review offers a summary of recent advancements in electrochemical biosensor research for disease diagnosis in China. It systematically categorizes and summarizes biosensors developed in China for detecting cancer, infectious diseases, inflammation, and neurodegenerative disorders. Additionally, the review delves into the fundamental working principles, classifications, materials, preparation techniques, and other critical aspects of electrochemical biosensors. Finally, it addresses the key challenges impeding the advancement of electrochemical biosensors in China and examines promising future directions for their development.

Microneedle technology for enhanced topical treatment of skin infections

Skin infections caused by microbes such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses often lead to aberrant skin functions and appearance, eventually evolving into a significant risk to human health. Among different drug administration paradigms for skin infections, microneedles (MNs) have demonstrated superiority mainly because of their merits in enhancing drug delivery efficiency and reducing microbial resistance. Also, integrating biosensing functionality to MNs offers point-of-care wearable medical devices for analyzing specific pathogens, disease status, and drug pharmacokinetics, thus providing personalized therapy for skin infections. Herein, we do a timely update on the development of MN technology in skin infection management, with a special focus on how to devise MNs for personalized antimicrobial therapy. Notably, the advantages of state-of-the-art MNs for treating skin infections are pointed out, which include hijacking sequential drug transport barriers to enhance drug delivery efficiency and delivering various therapeutics (e.g., antibiotics, antimicrobial peptides, photosensitizers, metals, sonosensitizers, nanoenzyme, living bacteria, poly ionic liquid, and nanomoter). In addition, the nanoenzyme-based multimodal antimicrobial therapy is highlighted in addressing intractable infectious wounds. Furthermore, the MN-based biosensors used to identify pathogen types, track disease status, and quantify antibiotic concentrations are summarized. The limitations of antimicrobial MNs toward clinical translation are offered regarding large-scale production, quality control, and policy guidance. Finally, the future development of biosensing MNs with easy-to-use and intelligent properties and MN-based wearable drug delivery for home-based therapy are prospected. We hope this review will provide valuable guidance for future development in MN-mediated topical treatment of skin infections.

Electrochemical methods for evaluation of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies: A review

Biopharmaceuticals are complex pharmaceutical drug products produced by biotechnology in living systems. Small changes in the production process can induce differences in the structure of the active ingredient, which may have a strong impact on its pharmacological properties. Therefore, quality assurance of biopharmaceuticals results in a high analytical effort. Strict quality and stability monitoring of potentially critical quality attributes (CQAs) is required. Electrochemical methods have been contributing to the expansion of sensors and biosensors due to their advantages, such as cost-effectiveness and easy operation. Here, we discuss the recent developments in sensors and biosensors using electrochemical techniques employed for the determination of biopharmaceuticals, namely monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and fragments of mAbs. In the frame of this information, this review aims to critically address electrochemical sensors and biosensors for the analysis of biopharmaceuticals reported since 2016. Electrochemical bio(sensors) development has been mainly based on gold and aptamers, respectively, as the most used electrode material and biorecognition element. Also, Bevacizumab (BEVA) was the main therapeutic mAb detected and 69% of the works described a (bio)sensor) that can be applied to therapeutic drug monitoring.

Self-powered biomedical devices: biology, materials, and their interfaces

Integrating biomedical electronic devices holds profound promise for advancements in healthcare and enhancing individuals' quality of life. However, the persistent challenges associated with the traditional batteries' limited lifespan and bulkiness hinder these devices' long-term functionality and consistent power supply. Here, we delve into the biology and material interfaces in self-powered medical devices by summarizing the intrinsic electric demands in humans, analyzing material and biological mechanisms for electricity generation and storage, and discussing the pathways toward self-chargeable powering. As a result, the current challenges in material designs and biological integrations emerged to shape the future directions in advancing self-powered medical devices. This paper calls on the community to integrate biology and material science to develop self-powering medical devices and improve their clinical prospects.

Recent progress of black phosphorene from preparation to diversified bio-/chemo-nanosensors and their challenges and opportunities for comprehensive health

The introduction of comprehensive health, related to human living environment and mental state, helps people to improve human health literacy and accept scientific health guidance. The unique structure and properties of black phosphorene (BP) provide potential opportunities for rapid development and versatile applications of high-performance sensors serving comprehensive health. The review begins with the preparation from bulk black phosphorous crystals via transforming requirements of phosphorous allotropes and BP nanosheets via preparative strategies using both "top-down" and "bottom-up" methods. Then the diversified modification of BP and versatile fabrication of diversified bio-/chemo-nanosensors for sensitive detection of analytes are discussed. Besides, the challenges including the preparation of BP, diversified modification, devices for improving performance defects and chemo-/bio-nanosensors for enhancing performance are outlined together with potential opportunities for the BP preparation and applications in comprehensive health from agricultural environments, food safety, personal life, physical and mental life, and finally to medical care.

Recent advances in sustainable nature-based functional materials for biomedical sensor technologies

The lightweight, low-density, and low-cost natural polymers like cellulose, chitosan, and silk have good chemical and biodegradable properties due to their individually unique structural and functional elements. However, the mechanical properties of these polymers differ from each other. In this scenario, chitosan lacks good mechanical properties than cellulose and silk. The synthesis of nano natural polymer and reinforcement with suitable chemical compounds as the development of nanocomposite gives them promising multidisciplinary applications. Many kinds of research are already published with innovative bio-derived polymeric functional materials (Bd-PFM) applications. Most research interest is carried out on health concerns. Lots of attention has been paid to biomedical applications of Bd-PFM as biosensors. This review aims to provide a glimpse of the nanostructures Bd-PFM biosensors.

A label-free electrochemical biosensor based on a bimetallic organic framework for the detection of carbohydrate antigen 19-9

Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) is an important marker for pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer and other tumors, and its rapid and stable detection is the basis for early diagnosis and treatment. In this paper, a label-free electrochemical immunosensor for the sensitive detection of CA19-9 has been developed. First, the synthesis of two novel core-shell bimetallic nanomaterials, namely Ce-MOF-on-Fe-MOF and Fe-MOF-on-Ce-MOF, was accomplished using the MOF-on-MOF approach. The poor electrical conductivity of MOF materials was addressed by incorporating polyethylenimide (PEI) functionalized rGO with Ce-MOF-on-Fe-MOF and Fe-MOF-on-Ce-MOF nanomaterials. Simultaneously, toluidine blue (Tb) was employed as a redox probe and physically adsorbed onto the synthesized materials, resulting in the formation of two nanomaterials: rGO@Ce-MOF-on-Fe-MOF@Tb and rGO@Fe-MOF-on-Ce-MOF@Tb. The fundamental characterization reveals that the sensing performance of the rGO@Ce-MOF-on-Fe-MOF@TB-based immune sensor surpasses that of the rGO@Fe-MOF-on-Ce-MOF@TB-based immune sensor, which is attributed to the fact that, unlike the interlayer-constrained structure of Fe-MOF-on-Ce-MOF, in Ce-MOF-on-Fe-MOF, Ce-MOF penetrates into Fe-MOF to form a heterogeneous structure due to the relatively large pore size of Fe-MOF, which better combines the excellent biocompatibility and strong anchoring effect of Fe MOFs on antibodies, as well as the high electrochemical activity and conductivity of Ce-MOF, to enhance sensing performance. The proposed label-free immunosensor based on rGO@Ce-MOF-on-Fe-MOF@Tb has a wide linear range (1-100 000 mU mL-1), a low detection limit (0.34 mU mL-1), good stability, reproducibility, and repeatability, and satisfactory applicability, which provides a potential platform for clinical applications.

Recent Advancements in the Application of Circulating Tumor DNA as Biomarkers for Early Detection of Cancers

Early detection of cancer is vital for increasing patient survivability chances. The three major techniques used to diagnose cancers are instrumental examination, tissue biopsy, and tumor biomarker detection. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has gained much attention in recent years due to advantages over traditional technology, such as high sensitivity, high specificity, and noninvasive nature. Through the mechanism of apoptosis, necrosis, and circulating exosome release in tumor cells, ctDNA can spread throughout the circulatory system and carry modifications such as methylations, mutations, gene rearrangements, and microsatellite instability. Traditional gene-detection technology struggles to achieve real-time, low-cost, and portable ctDNA measurement, whereas electrochemical biosensors offer low cost, high specificity alongside sensitivity, and portability for the detection of ctDNA. Therefore, this review focuses on describing the recent advancements in ctDNA biomarkers for various cancer types and biosensor developments for real-time, noninvasive, and rapid ctDNA detection. Further in the review, ctDNA sensors are also discussed in regards to their selections of probes for receptors based on the electrode surface recognition elements.

Sensing, Imaging, and Therapeutic Strategies Endowing by Conjugate Polymers for Precision Medicine

Conjugated polymers (CPs) have promising applications in biomedical fields, such as disease monitoring, real-time imaging diagnosis, and disease treatment. As a promising luminescent material with tunable emission, high brightness and excellent stability, CPs are widely used as fluorescent probes in biological detection and imaging. Rational molecular design and structural optimization have broadened absorption/emission range of CPs, which are more conductive for disease diagnosis and precision therapy. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the application of CPs, aiming to elucidate their structural and functional relationships. The fluorescence properties of CPs and the mechanism of detection signal amplification are first discussed, followed by an elucidation of their emerging applications in biological detection. Subsequently, CPs-based imaging systems and therapeutic strategies are illustrated systematically. Finally, recent advancements in utilizing CPs as electroactive materials for bioelectronic devices are also investigated. Moreover, the challenges and outlooks of CPs for precision medicine are discussed. Through this systematic review, it is hoped to highlight the frontier progress of CPs and promote new breakthroughs in fundamental research and clinical transformation.

Emerging therapeutic drug monitoring technologies: considerations and opportunities in precision medicine

In recent years, the development of sensor and wearable technologies have led to their increased adoption in clinical and health monitoring settings. One area that is in early, but promising, stages of development is the use of biosensors for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). Traditionally, TDM could only be performed in certified laboratories and was used in specific scenarios to optimize drug dosage based on measurement of plasma/blood drug concentrations. Although TDM has been typically pursued in settings involving medications that are challenging to manage, the basic approach is useful for characterizing drug activity. TDM is based on the idea that there is likely a clear relationship between plasma/blood drug concentration (or concentration in other matrices) and clinical efficacy. However, these relationships may vary across individuals and may be affected by genetic factors, comorbidities, lifestyle, and diet. TDM technologies will be valuable for enabling precision medicine strategies to determine the clinical efficacy of drugs in individuals, as well as optimizing personalized dosing, especially since therapeutic windows may vary inter-individually. In this mini-review, we discuss emerging TDM technologies and their applications, and factors that influence TDM including drug interactions, polypharmacy, and supplement use. We also discuss how using TDM within single subject (N-of-1) and aggregated N-of-1 clinical trial designs provides opportunities to better capture drug response and activity at the individual level. Individualized TDM solutions have the potential to help optimize treatment selection and dosing regimens so that the right drug and right dose may be matched to the right person and in the right context.

Overview of therapeutic drug monitoring and clinical practice

With the rapid development of clinical pharmacy in China, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) has become an essential tool for guiding rational clinical drug use and is widely concerned. TDM is a tool that combines pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic knowledge to optimize personalized drug therapy, which can improve treatment outcomes, reduce drug-drug toxicity, and avoid the risk of developing drug resistance. To effectively implement TDM, accurate and sophisticated analytical methods are required. By researching the literature published in recent years, we summarize the types of commonly monitored drugs, therapeutic windows, and clinical assays and track the trends and hot spots of therapeutic drug monitoring. The purpose is to provide guidelines for clinical blood drug concentration monitoring, to implement individualized drug delivery programs better, to ensure the rational use of drugs for patients, and to provide a reference for the group to carry out related topics in the future.

The 3D Printing of Nanocomposites for Wearable Biosensors: Recent Advances, Challenges, and Prospects

Notably, 3D-printed flexible and wearable biosensors have immense potential to interact with the human body noninvasively for the real-time and continuous health monitoring of physiological parameters. This paper comprehensively reviews the progress in 3D-printed wearable biosensors. The review also explores the incorporation of nanocomposites in 3D printing for biosensors. A detailed analysis of various 3D printing processes for fabricating wearable biosensors is reported. Besides this, recent advances in various 3D-printed wearable biosensors platforms such as sweat sensors, glucose sensors, electrocardiography sensors, electroencephalography sensors, tactile sensors, wearable oximeters, tattoo sensors, and respiratory sensors are discussed. Furthermore, the challenges and prospects associated with 3D-printed wearable biosensors are presented. This review is an invaluable resource for engineers, researchers, and healthcare clinicians, providing insights into the advancements and capabilities of 3D printing in the wearable biosensor domain.

3D Printing of Dietary Products for the Management of Inborn Errors of Intermediary Metabolism in Pediatric Populations

The incidence of Inborn Error of Intermediary Metabolism (IEiM) diseases may be low, yet collectively, they impact approximately 6-10% of the global population, primarily affecting children. Precise treatment doses and strict adherence to prescribed diet and pharmacological treatment regimens are imperative to avert metabolic disturbances in patients. However, the existing dietary and pharmacological products suffer from poor palatability, posing challenges to patient adherence. Furthermore, frequent dose adjustments contingent on age and drug blood levels further complicate treatment. Semi-solid extrusion (SSE) 3D printing technology is currently under assessment as a pioneering method for crafting customized chewable dosage forms, surmounting the primary limitations prevalent in present therapies. This method offers a spectrum of advantages, including the flexibility to tailor patient-specific doses, excipients, and organoleptic properties. These elements are pivotal in ensuring the treatment's efficacy, safety, and adherence. This comprehensive review presents the current landscape of available dietary products, diagnostic methods, therapeutic monitoring, and the latest advancements in SSE technology. It highlights the rationale underpinning their adoption while addressing regulatory aspects imperative for their seamless integration into clinical practice.

A novel strategy for therapeutic drug monitoring: application of biosensors to quantify antimicrobials in biological matrices

Over the past few years, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) has gained practical significance in antimicrobial precision therapy. Yet two categories of mainstream TDM techniques (chromatographic analysis and immunoassays) that are widely adopted nowadays retain certain inherent limitations. The use of biosensors, an innovative strategy for rapid evaluation of antimicrobial concentrations in biological samples, enables the implementation of point-of-care testing (POCT) and continuous monitoring, which may circumvent the constraints of conventional TDM and provide strong technological support for individualized antimicrobial treatment. This comprehensive review summarizes the investigations that have harnessed biosensors to detect antimicrobial drugs in biological matrices, provides insights into the performance and characteristics of each sensing form, and explores the feasibility of translating them into clinical practice. Furthermore, the future trends and obstacles to achieving POCT and continuous monitoring are discussed. More efforts are necessary to address the four key 'appropriateness' challenges to deploy biosensors in clinical practice, paving the way for personalized antimicrobial stewardship.

Imprinted Hydrogel Nanoparticles for Protein Biosensing: A Review

Over the past decade, molecular imprinting (MI) technology has made tremendous progress, and the advancements in nanotechnology have been the major driving force behind the improvement of MI technology. The preparation of nanoscale imprinted materials, i.e., molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (MIP NPs, also commonly called nanoMIPs), opened new horizons in terms of practical applications, including in the field of sensors. Currently, hydrogels are very promising for applications in bioanalytical assays and sensors due to their high biocompatibility and possibility to tune chemical composition, size (microgels, nanogels, etc.), and format (nanostructures, MIP film, fibers, etc.) to prepare optimized analyte-responsive imprinted materials. This review aims to highlight the recent progress on the use of hydrogel MIP NPs for biosensing purposes over the past decade, mainly focusing on their incorporation on sensing devices for detection of a fundamental class of biomolecules, the peptides and proteins. The review begins by directing its focus on the ability of MIPs to replace biological antibodies in (bio)analytical assays and highlight their great potential to face the current demands of chemical sensing in several fields, such as disease diagnosis, food safety, environmental monitoring, among others. After that, we address the general advantages of nanosized MIPs over macro/micro-MIP materials, such as higher affinity toward target analytes and improved binding kinetics. Then, we provide a general overview on hydrogel properties and their great advantages for applications in the field of Sensors, followed by a brief description on current popular routes for synthesis of imprinted hydrogel nanospheres targeting large biomolecules, namely precipitation polymerization and solid-phase synthesis, along with fruitful combination with epitope imprinting as reliable approaches for developing optimized protein-imprinted materials. In the second part of the review, we have provided the state of the art on the application of MIP nanogels for screening macromolecules with sensors having different transduction modes (optical, electrochemical, thermal, etc.) and design formats for single use, reusable, continuous monitoring, and even multiple analyte detection in specialized laboratories or in situ using mobile technology. Finally, we explore aspects about the development of this technology and its applications and discuss areas of future growth.

Selective Aptamer Modification of Au Surfaces in a Microelectrode Sensor Array for Simultaneous Detection of Multiple Analytes

Aptamers have been employed as the biorecognition element in electrochemical aptamer-based (E-AB) biosensors, for the detection of a diverse range of analyte molecules, on electrodes with sizescales ranging from a few microns to several millimeters. Simultaneous detection of multiple different analytes requires the selective modification of multiple electrode surfaces with different aptamers. This process is typically achieved by incubating separate macroscale electrodes in a solution with the desired aptamer, which is unsuitable for microelectrode arrays in which the electrodes are closely spaced. In this work, we selectively modified electrode surfaces with thiolated aptamers of different single-stranded DNA sequences, by successive removal and addition of thiol monolayers. This was achieved by electrodesorption of thiol monolayers using controlled potential, to expose unmodified gold electrodes to be modified with a different thiolated aptamer, thus enabling multiple different aptamers to be used on the surfaces of closely spaced microelectrodes. All aptamers were methylene blue terminated, allowing redox currents to be measured and used to monitor aptamer probe packing density on the electrode surface and the selectivity of the sensors. Here, we demonstrate the microscale E-AB sensor multianalyte detection method using aptamers for target analytes, adenosine triphosphate, dopamine, and serotonin, which can ultimately be applied to perform localized simultaneous detection using electrode arrays.

Functional Fiber Materials to Smart Fiber Devices

The development of fiber materials has accompanied the evolution of human civilization for centuries. Recent advances in materials science and chemistry offered fibers new applications with various functions, including energy harvesting, energy storing, displaying, health monitoring and treating, and computing. The unique one-dimensional shape of fiber devices endows them advantages to work as human-interfaced electronics due to the small size, lightweight, flexibility, and feasibility for integration into large-scale textile systems. In this review, we first present a discussion of the basics of fiber materials and the design principles of fiber devices, followed by a comprehensive analysis on recently developed fiber devices. Finally, we provide the current challenges facing this field and give an outlook on future research directions. With novel fiber devices and new applications continuing to be discovered after two decades of research, we envision that new fiber devices could have an important impact on our life in the near future.

Nanotechnology-Enabled Biosensors: A Review of Fundamentals, Design Principles, Materials, and Applications

Biosensors are modern engineering tools that can be widely used for various technological applications. In the recent past, biosensors have been widely used in a broad application spectrum including industrial process control, the military, environmental monitoring, health care, microbiology, and food quality control. Biosensors are also used specifically for monitoring environmental pollution, detecting toxic elements' presence, the presence of bio-hazardous viruses or bacteria in organic matter, and biomolecule detection in clinical diagnostics. Moreover, deep medical applications such as well-being monitoring, chronic disease treatment, and in vitro medical examination studies such as the screening of infectious diseases for early detection. The scope for expanding the use of biosensors is very high owing to their inherent advantages such as ease of use, scalability, and simple manufacturing process. Biosensor technology is more prevalent as a large-scale, low cost, and enhanced technology in the modern medical field. Integration of nanotechnology with biosensors has shown the development path for the novel sensing mechanisms and biosensors as they enhance the performance and sensing ability of the currently used biosensors. Nanoscale dimensional integration promotes the formulation of biosensors with simple and rapid detection of molecules along with the detection of single biomolecules where they can also be evaluated and analyzed critically. Nanomaterials are used for the manufacturing of nano-biosensors and the nanomaterials commonly used include nanoparticles, nanowires, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), nanorods, and quantum dots (QDs). Nanomaterials possess various advantages such as color tunability, high detection sensitivity, a large surface area, high carrier capacity, high stability, and high thermal and electrical conductivity. The current review focuses on nanotechnology-enabled biosensors, their fundamentals, and architectural design. The review also expands the view on the materials used for fabricating biosensors and the probable applications of nanotechnology-enabled biosensors.

3D designed battery-free wireless origami pressure sensor

A pressure monitoring structure is a very useful element for a wearable device for health monitoring and sports biomechanics. While pressure sensors have been studied extensively, battery-free functions working in wireless detection have not been studied much. Here, we report a 3D-structured origami-based architecture sensor for wireless pressure monitoring. We developed an architectured platform for wireless pressure sensing through inductor-capacitor (LC) sensors and a monopole antenna. A personalized smart insole with Miura-ori origami designs has been 3D printed together with conductive 3D printed sensors seamlessly. Wireless monitoring of resonant frequency and intensity changes of LC sensors have been demonstrated to monitor foot pressure for different postures. The sensitivity of the wireless pressure sensor is tunable from 15.7 to 2.1 MHz/kPa in the pressure ranges from 0 to 9 kPa and from 10 to 40 kPa, respectively. The proposed wireless pressure-sensing platform can be utilized for various applications such as orthotics, prosthetics, and sports gear.

Innovations in Chewable Formulations: The Novelty and Applications of 3D Printing in Drug Product Design

Since their introduction, chewable dosage forms have gained traction due to their ability to facilitate swallowing, especially in paediatric, geriatric and dysphagia patients. Their benefits stretch beyond human use to also include veterinary applications, improving administration and palatability in different animal species. Despite their advantages, current chewable formulations do not account for individualised dosing and palatability preferences. In light of this, three-dimensional (3D) printing, and in particular the semi-solid extrusion technology, has been suggested as a novel manufacturing method for producing customised chewable dosage forms. This advanced approach offers flexibility for selecting patient-specific doses, excipients, and organoleptic properties, which are critical for ensuring efficacy, safety and adherence to the treatment. This review provides an overview of the latest advancements in chewable dosage forms for human and veterinary use, highlighting the motivations behind their use and covering formulation considerations, as well as regulatory aspects.

Electrochemical Biosensors for Circulating Tumor DNA Detection

Early diagnosis and treatment have always been highly desired in the fight against cancer, and detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has recently been touted as highly promising for early cancer-screening. Consequently, the detection of ctDNA in liquid biopsy is gaining much attention in the field of tumor diagnosis and treatment, which has also attracted research interest from industry. However, it is difficult to achieve low-cost, real-time, and portable measurement of ctDNA in traditional gene-detection technology. Electrochemical biosensors have become a highly promising solution to ctDNA detection due to their unique advantages such as high sensitivity, high specificity, low cost, and good portability. Therefore, this review aims to discuss the latest developments in biosensors for minimally invasive, rapid, and real-time ctDNA detection. Various ctDNA sensors are reviewed with respect to their choices of receptor probes, designs of electrodes, detection strategies, preparation of samples, and figures of merit, sorted by type of electrode surface recognition elements. The development of biosensors for the Internet of Things, point-of-care testing, big data, and big health is analyzed, with a focus on their portable, real-time, and non-destructive characteristics.

Electrochemical aptasensor based on anisotropically modified (Janus-type) gold nanoparticles for determination of C-reactive protein

Novel Janus nanoparticles based on Au colloids anisotropically modified with polyamidoamine dendrons were prepared though a masking/toposelective modification approach. These nanomaterials were further functionalized with horseradish peroxidase on the dendritic face and provided on the opposite metal surface with a ssDNA aptamer for C-reactive protein (CRP). The resulting nanoparticles were employed as biorecognition/signaling elements to construct an amperometric aptasensor with sandwich-type architecture for the specific detection of this cardiac biomarker. To do this, screen-printed carbon electrodes modified with electrodeposited Au nanoparticles and functionalized with anti-CRP aptamers were used as transduction interface. The aptasensor was employed for the amperometric detection of CRP (working potential: - 200 mV vs pseudo-Ag/AgCl) in the broad range from 10 pg·mL^-1 to 1.0 ng·mL^-1 with a detection limit of 3.1 pg·mL^-1. This electroanalytical device also showed good specificity, reproducibility (RSD = 9.8%, n = 10), and stability and was useful to quantify CRP in reconstituted human serum samples, with a RSD of 13.3%.

Recent trends in layered double hydroxides based electrochemical and optical (bio)sensors for screening of emerging pharmaceutical compounds

The rapid expansion of the human population has given rise to new environmental and biomedical concerns, contributing to different advancements in the pharmaceutical industry. In the field of analytical chemistry over the last few years, layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have drawn significant attention, owing to their extraordinary properties. Furthermore, the novel advancement of LDH-based optical and electrochemical platforms to detect different pharmaceutical materials has acquired substantial attention because of their outstanding specificity, actual-time controlling, and user-friendliness. This review aims to recapitulate advanced LDHs-based optical and electrochemical sensors and biosensors to identify and measure important pharmaceutical compounds, such as anti-depressant, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-cancer, and anti-fungal drugs. Additionally, fundamental parameters, namely interactions between sensor and analyte, design rationale, classification, selectivity, and specificity are considered. Finally, the development of high-efficiency techniques for optical and electrochemical sensors and biosensors is featured to deliver scientists and readers a complete toolbox to identify a broad scope of pharmaceutical substances. Our goals are: (i) to elucidate the characteristics and capabilities of available LDHs for the identification of pharmaceutical compounds; and (ii) to deliver instances of the feasible opportunities that the existing devices have for the developed sensing of pharmaceuticals regarding the protection of ecosystems and human health at the global level.

Aptasensor for Detection of Influenza-A in Human Saliva

Access to low-cost, rapid, individualized diagnostics at point-of-care and point-of-need is vital to minimize the impact of highly infectious viruses, such as influenza. Herein, a biosensor for detecting hemagglutinin (HA), an abundant capsid protein in H1N1 viruses, is demonstrated. A gold working electrode was functionalized with a thiol-modified, HA-binding aptamer derivatized with a methylene blue modification for redox reporting. The aptamer was characterized by surface plasmon resonance to confirm its biorecognition activity for HA. The aptasensor was characterized by square wave voltammetry to quantify the sensor's response to varying concentrations of HA. The sensor exhibited a lower limit of detection of 1.5 pM with linear detection of up to 1.2 nM in both Tris buffer and simulated human saliva, thus encompassing the clinically relevant HA range in saliva. Average sensitivity was measured at 21.083 nA·nM-¹in Tris and 14.5 nA·nM-¹in artificial saliva across clinically relevant HA titers. Sensor stability across time was also investigated, providing a preliminary understanding of the translational viability of the aptasensors for mobile and remote diagnostic applications.

Electrochemical DNA Sensor Based on Carbon Black-Poly(Methylene Blue)-Poly(Neutral Red) Composite

The detection of small molecules interacting with DNA is important for the assessment of potential hazards related to the application of rather toxic antitumor drugs, and for distinguishing the factors related to thermal and oxidative DNA damage. In this work, a novel electrochemical DNA sensor has been proposed for the determination of antitumor drugs. For DNA sensor assembling, a glassy carbon electrode was modified with carbon black dispersed in DMF. After that, pillar [5]arene was adsorbed and Methylene blue and Neutral red were consecutively electropolymerized onto the carbon black layer. To increase sensitivity of intercalator detection, DNA was first mixed with water-soluble thiacalixarene bearing quaternary ammonium groups in the substituents at the lower rim. The deposition of the mixture on the electropolymerized dyes made it possible to detect doxorubicin as model intercalator by suppression of the redox activity of the polymerization products. The DNA sensor made it possible to determine 0.5 pM-1.0 nM doxorubicin (limit of detection 0.13 pM) with 20 min of incubation. The DNA sensor was successfully tested on spiked samples of human plasma and doxorubicin medication.

Advancing pharmacy and healthcare with virtual digital technologies

Digitalisation of the healthcare sector promises to revolutionise patient healthcare globally. From the different technologies, virtual tools including artificial intelligence, blockchain, virtual, and augmented reality, to name but a few, are providing significant benefits to patients and the pharmaceutical sector alike, ranging from improving access to clinicians and medicines, as well as improving real-time diagnoses and treatments. Indeed, it is envisioned that such technologies will communicate together in real-time, as well as with their physical counterparts, to create a large-scale, cyber healthcare system. Despite the significant benefits that virtual-based digital health technologies can bring to patient care, a number of challenges still remain, ranging from data security to acceptance within the healthcare sector. This review provides a timely account of the benefits and challenges of virtual health interventions, as well an outlook on how such technologies can be transitioned from research-focused towards real-world healthcare and pharmaceutical applications to transform treatment pathways for patients worldwide.

Connected healthcare: Improving patient care using digital health technologies

Now more than ever, traditional healthcare models are being overhauled with digital technologies of Healthcare 4.0 increasingly adopted. Worldwide, digital devices are improving every stage of the patient care pathway. For one, sensors are being used to monitor patient metrics 24/7, permitting swift diagnosis and interventions. At the treatment stage, 3D printers are under investigation for the concept of personalised medicine by allowing patients access to on-demand, customisable therapeutics. Robots are also being explored for treatment, by empowering precision surgery, rehabilitation, or targeted drug delivery. Within medical logistics, drones are being leveraged to deliver critical treatments to remote areas, collect samples, and even provide emergency aid. To enable seamless integration within healthcare, the Internet of Things technology is being exploited to form closed-loop systems that remotely communicate with one another. This review outlines the most promising healthcare technologies and devices, their strengths, drawbacks, and opportunities for clinical adoption.

Predicting drug-microbiome interactions with machine learning

Pivotal work in recent years has cast light on the importance of the human microbiome in maintenance of health and physiological response to drugs. It is now clear that gastrointestinal microbiota have the metabolic power to promote, inactivate, or even toxify the efficacy of a drug to a level of clinically relevant significance. At the same time, it appears that drug intake has the propensity to alter gut microbiome composition, potentially affecting health and response to other drugs. Since the precise composition of an individual's microbiome is unique, one's drug-microbiome relationship is similarly unique. Thus, in the age of evermore personalised medicine, the ability to predict individuals' drug-microbiome interactions is highly sought. Machine learning (ML) offers a powerful toolkit capable of characterising and predicting drug-microbiota interactions at the individual patient level. ML techniques have the potential to learn the mechanisms operating drug-microbiome activities and measure patients' risk of such occurrences. This review will outline current knowledge at the drug-microbiota interface, and present ML as a technique for examining and forecasting personalised drug-microbiome interactions. When harnessed effectively, ML could alter how the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals consider the drug-microbiome axis in patient care.

Translating 3D printed pharmaceuticals: From hype to real-world clinical applications

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a revolutionary technology that is disrupting pharmaceutical development by enabling the production of personalised printlets (3D printed drug products) on demand. By creating small batches of dose flexible medicines, this versatile technology offers significant advantages for clinical practice and drug development, namely the ability to personalise medicines to individual patient needs, as well as expedite drug development timelines within preclinical studies through to first-in-human (FIH) and Phase I/II clinical trials. Despite the widely demonstrated benefits of 3D printing pharmaceuticals, the clinical potential of the technology is yet to be realised. In this timely review, we provide an overview of the latest cutting-edge investigations in 3D printing pharmaceuticals in the pre-clinical and clinical arena and offer a forward-looking approach towards strategies to further aid the translation of 3D printing into the clinic.

Optical biosensors - Illuminating the path to personalized drug dosing

Optical biosensors are low-cost, sensitive and portable devices that are poised to revolutionize the medical industry. Healthcare monitoring has already been transformed by such devices, with notable recent applications including heart rate monitoring in smartwatches and COVID-19 lateral flow diagnostic test kits. The commercial success and impact of existing optical sensors has galvanized research in expanding its application in numerous disciplines. Drug detection and monitoring seeks to benefit from the fast-approaching wave of optical biosensors, with diverse applications ranging from illicit drug testing, clinical trials, monitoring in advanced drug delivery systems and personalized drug dosing. The latter has the potential to significantly improve patients' lives by minimizing toxicity and maximizing efficacy. To achieve this, the patient's serum drug levels must be frequently measured. Yet, the current method of obtaining such information, namely therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), is not routinely practiced as it is invasive, expensive, time-consuming and skilled labor-intensive. Certainly, optical sensors possess the capabilities to challenge this convention. This review explores the current state of optical biosensors in personalized dosing with special emphasis on TDM, and provides an appraisal on recent strategies. The strengths and challenges of optical biosensors are critically evaluated, before concluding with perspectives on the future direction of these sensors.

Harnessing machine learning for development of microbiome therapeutics

The last twenty years of seminal microbiome research has uncovered microbiota's intrinsic relationship with human health. Studies elucidating the relationship between an unbalanced microbiome and disease are currently published daily. As such, microbiome big data have become a reality that provide a mine of information for the development of new therapeutics. Machine learning (ML), a branch of artificial intelligence, offers powerful techniques for big data analysis and prediction-making, that are out of reach of human intellect alone. This review will explore how ML can be applied for the development of microbiome-targeted therapeutics. A background on ML will be given, followed by a guide on where to find reliable microbiome big data. Existing applications and opportunities will be discussed, including the use of ML to discover, design, and characterize microbiome therapeutics. The use of ML to optimize advanced processes, such as 3D printing and in silico prediction of drug-microbiome interactions, will also be highlighted. Finally, barriers to adoption of ML in academic and industrial settings will be examined, concluded by a future outlook for the field.