Trends and challenges in electroanalytical biosensing methodologies for infectious viral diseases

Viral pandemic diseases have disruptive global consequences leading to millions of deaths and a severe impact on the global economy. Inadequate preventative protocols have led to an overwhelming demand for intensive care leading to uncontrollable burdens and even breakdown of healthcare sectors across many countries. The rapid detection of viral disease helps in the understanding of the relevant intricacies, helping to tackle infection with improved guidelines. Portable biosensor devices offer promising solutions by facilitating on-site detection of viral pathogens. This review summarizes the latest innovative strategies reported using electroanalytical methods for the screening of viral antigens. The structural components of viruses and their categories are presented followed by the various recognition elements and transduction techniques involved in biosensors. Core sections focus on biosensors reported for viral genomic detection(DNA and RNA) and antigenic capsid protein. Strategies for addressing the challenges of electroanalytical biosensing of viral components are also presented. The advantages, and disadvantages of biorecognition elements and nanozymes for the detection of viral disease are highlighted. Such technical insights will help researchers working in chemistry, and biochemistry as well as clinicians working in medical diagnostics.

Trends in Paper-Based Sensing Devices for Clinical and Environmental Monitoring

Environmental toxic pollutants and pathogens that enter the ecosystem are major global issues. Detection of these toxic chemicals/pollutants and the diagnosis of a disease is a first step in efficiently controlling their contamination and spread, respectively. Various analytical techniques are available to detect and determine toxic chemicals/pathogens, including liquid chromatography, HPLC, mass spectroscopy, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. However, these sensing strategies have some drawbacks such as tedious sample pretreatment and preparation, the requirement for skilled technicians, and dependence on large laboratory-based instruments. Alternatively, biosensors, especially paper-based sensors, could be used extensively and are a cost-effective alternative to conventional laboratory testing. They can improve accessibility to testing to identify chemicals and pollutants, especially in developing countries. Due to its low cost, abundance, easy disposal (by incineration, for example) and biocompatible nature, paper is considered a versatile material for the development of environmentally friendly electrochemical/optical (bio) sensor devices. This review presents an overview of sensing platforms constructed from paper, pointing out the main merits and demerits of paper-based sensing systems, their fabrication techniques, and the different optical/electrochemical detection techniques that they exploit.

Recent Trends in Biosensing and Diagnostic Methods for Novel Cancer Biomarkers

Cancer is one of the major public health issues in the world. It has become the second leading cause of death, with approximately 75% of cancer deaths transpiring in low- or middle-income countries. It causes a heavy global economic cost estimated at more than a trillion dollars per year. The most common cancers are breast, colon, rectum, prostate, and lung cancers. Many of these cancers can be treated effectively and cured if detected at the primary stage. Nowadays, around 50% of cancers are detected at late stages, leading to serious health complications and death. Early diagnosis of cancer diseases substantially increases the efficient treatment and high chances of survival. Biosensors are one of the potential screening methodologies useful in the early screening of cancer biomarkers. This review summarizes the recent findings about novel cancer biomarkers and their advantages over traditional biomarkers, and novel biosensing and diagnostic methods for them; thus, this review may be helpful in the early recognition and monitoring of treatment response of various human cancers.

Meiosis-specific cohesin component, Rec8, promotes the localization of Mps3 SUN domain protein on the nuclear envelope

Proteins in the nuclear envelope (NE) play a role in the dynamics and functions of the nucleus and of chromosomes during mitosis and meiosis. Mps3, a yeast NE protein with a conserved SUN domain, predominantly localizes on a yeast centrosome equivalent, spindle pole body (SPB), in mitotic cells. During meiosis, Mps3, together with SPB, forms a distinct multiple ensemble on NE. How meiosis-specific NE localization of Mps3 is regulated remains largely unknown. In this study, we found that a meiosis-specific component of the protein complex essential for sister chromatid cohesion, Rec8, binds to Mps3 during meiosis and controls Mps3 localization and proper dynamics on NE. Ectopic expression of Rec8 in mitotic yeast cells induced the formation of Mps3 patches/foci on NE. This required the cohesin regulator, WAPL ortholog, Rad61/Wpl1, suggesting that a meiosis-specific cohesin complex with Rec8 controls NE localization of Mps3. We also observed that two domains of the nucleoplasmic region of Mps3 are essential for NE localization of Mps3 in mitotic as well as meiotic cells. We speculate that the interaction of Mps3 with the meiosis-specific cohesin in the nucleoplasm is a key determinant for NE localization/function of Mps3.