Hydrogel Based Sensors for Biomedical Applications: An Updated Review

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Biosensors convert biological reactions into measurable signals, with extensive research in various industries.
• Hydrogel-based biosensors for biomedical applications are under-reviewed, despite significant publication volume in biosensor technology.
• This review addresses the gap by focusing on hydrogel biosensors in the biomedical field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a critical review of hydrogel-based biosensors for biomedical applications.
• To analyze bioreceptor immobilization techniques, advantages, and disadvantages within hydrogel biosensors.
• To identify favored hydrogels, transduction strategies, and key biomedical applications.

Main Methods:

• Literature search conducted on Web of Science Core, PubMed (NLM), and Science Direct databases.
• Focus on publications from 2000 to 2017.
• Analysis of bioreceptor immobilization, hydrogel selection, transduction methods, and application areas.

Main Results:

• Identified common hydrogels and immobilization techniques for biosensor development.
• Detailed predominant transduction strategies used in hydrogel biosensors.
• Highlighted diverse biomedical applications including metabolite detection, pathogen identification, tissue engineering, wound healing, and cancer monitoring.

Conclusions:

• Hydrogel-based biosensors offer versatile platforms for numerous biomedical applications.
• Effective bioreceptor immobilization and appropriate transduction strategies are crucial for biosensor performance.
• Further research can optimize hydrogel biosensors for enhanced diagnostics and therapeutics.