Bioengineered Fluorescent Sensors for Dynamic Oxygen and Lactate Monitoring in Cellular Microenvironments

The investigation of the cellular microenvironment is of great interest, as many physiological processes can be disrupted by the onset of diseases. Many biomarkers play a crucial role in deciphering extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell-cell interactions within these transitions. Among them, cancer has become one of the most pressing global health challenges. Bioengineered systems are progressively emerging as smart systems capable of capturing the complexity of live cells. In this study, we present two innovative ratiometric fluorescent tools: one based on oxygen-sensing fibers and the other on lactate-sensing microparticles. Following comprehensive morphological and physicochemical characterizations, we thoroughly investigated the sensing performance of these platforms. The proposed sensing systems serve as simple yet effective tools for the quantitative detection of oxygen and lactic acid in in vitro models of both healthy and melanoma cells.