2. Pathogen diagnostics applications

Biosensors rival the effectiveness of conventional laboratory techniques, as their use brings the screening test to the patient or the field. They are revolutionizing the diagnosis and treatment of infections, especially in cases where measurement time and punctuality can be critical to care and monitoring. New "on-chip" microsystem and nano-sensor technologies offer opportunities for the development of new devices with much better performance than conventional detection systems.

In 1973, the first glucose biosensor was marketed by Yellow Springs Instruments (Ohio, USA). Since then, other biosensors have been marketed, including those for the detection of metabolites such as lactate, cholesterol, urea and creatinine. As for biosensors for pathogen detection, some developed for the detection of influenza and human immunodeficiency viruses or bacteria such as Escherichia...