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Interest in extracellular vesicles and in particular microvesicles and exosomes, which are constitutively produced by cells, is on the rise for their huge potential as biomarkers in a high number of disorders and pathologies as they are considered as carriers of information among cells, as well as being responsible for the spreading of diseases. Current methods of analysis of microvesicles and exosomes do not fulfill the requirements for their in-depth investigation and the complete exploitation of their diagnostic and prognostic value. Lab-on-chip methods have the potential and capabilities to bridge this gap and the technology is mature enough to provide all the necessary steps for a completely automated analysis of extracellular vesicles in body fluids. In this paper we provide an overview of the biological role of extracellular vesicles, standard biochemical methods of analysis and their limits, and a survey of lab-on-chip methods that are able to meet the needs of a deeper exploitation of these biological entities to drive their use in common clinical practice.

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have been extensively investigated due to their applications in various fields such as biomedicine, sensing, and environmental remediation. However, they need to be coated with a suitable material in order to make them biocompatible and to add new functionalities on their surface. This review is intended to give a comprehensive overview of recent advantages and applications of iron oxide nanoparticles coated by polydopamine film. The synthesis method of magnetic nanoparticles, their functionalization with bioinspired materials and (in particular) with polydopamine are discussed. Finally, some interesting applications of polydopamine-coated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles will be pointed out.

A major trend in biomedical engineering is the development of reliable, self-contained point-of-care (POC) devices for diagnostics and in-field assays. The new generation of such platforms increasingly addresses the clinical and environmental needs. Moreover, they are becoming more and more integrated with everyday objects, such as smartphones, and their spread among unskilled common people, has the power to improve the quality of life, both in the developed world and in low-resource settings. The future success of these tools will depend on the integration of the relevant key enabling technologies on an industrial scale (microfluidics with microelectronics, highly sensitive detection methods and low-cost materials for easy-to-use tools). Here, recent advances and perspectives will be reviewed across the large spectrum of their applications.

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca strain CoDiRO, a pathogen responsible for Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS), is strongly threatening the agricultural-based economy of South Italy and making its typical landscape collapse. The bacteria can also infect more than other twenty woody or shrub species and quarantine programs are carried out in Italy. Since symptoms of OQDS like leaf scorching and wilting of canopy may appear several months after infection and some hosts are asymptomatic, a tool for the rapid and early screening of plants is desirable, in order to plan a sudden control strategy and apply programs for pest management. X. fastidiosa detection is usually performed by ELISA and PCR methods. In this work, the two standard methods are compared with an innovative on-chip detection strategy for X. fastidiosa assay from leaves samples, based on an electrochemical transduction method. The realized lab-on-chip includes also a microfluidic module and its performances are competitive with conventional diagnostic methods in terms of reliability, but with further advantages of portability, low-costs and ease of use. Thus, the proposed technology has the potential to provide a useful assay method for large-scale monitoring programs.

In this study, we present an innovative optical biosensor designed to detect Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pivotal cytokine implicated in many pathological conditions. Our sensing platform is made of a porous silicon (PSi) nanostructured substrate modified with a thin (~5 nm) molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), ensuring both high specificity and sensitivity toward IL-6 molecules. The fabrication process involves electrochemical etching of silicon chips to create the porous structure, followed by the electrodeposition of the MIP, which is tailored to selectively bind the IL-6 target. Extensive testing over a broad IL-6 concentration range demonstrates a clear, proportional optical response, yielding a limit of detection (LOD) of 13 nM. Moreover, the biosensor robustness was verified by evaluating its performance in bovine serum, a complex biological matrix. Despite the presence of various interfering components, the sensor maintained its selectivity and displayed minimal matrix effects, underlining its practical applicability in real-world diagnostic scenarios.

Food pathogens frequently cause foodborne diseases. There is a need to rapidly identify the source of the bacteria in order to contain their spread and epidemics. A pre-enrichment culture or a direct culture on agar plate are standard microbiological methods. In this review, we present an update on alternative molecular methods to nucleic acid-based detection for species identification. Biosensor-based methods rely on the recognition of antigen targets or receptors by antibodies, aptamers or high-affinity ligands. The captured antigens may be then directly or indirectly detected through an antibody or high-affinity and high-specificity recognition molecule. Various different detection methods are discussed, from label-free sensors and immunosensors to fluorescence-based ones. Each method shows advantages and disadvantages in terms of equipment, sensitivity, simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Finally, lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices are introduced briefly, with the potential to be fast, sensitive and useful for on-site bacteria detection in food processing laboratories to check potential contamination by sample monitoring combined with a rapid pre-enrichment step.

The screening and early diagnosis of diseases are crucial for a patient’s treatment to be successful and to improve their survival rate, especially for cancer. The development of non-invasive analytical methods able to detect the biomarkers of pathologies is a critical point to define a successful treatment and a good outcome. This study extensively reviews the electrochemical methods used for the development of biosensors in a liquid biopsy, owing to their ability to provide a rapid response, precise detection, and low detection limits. We also discuss new developments in electrochemical biosensors, which can improve the specificity and sensitivity of standard analytical procedures. Electrochemical biosensors demonstrate remarkable sensitivity in detecting minute quantities of analytes, encompassing proteins, nucleic acids, and circulating tumor cells, even within challenging matrices such as urine, serum, blood, and various other body fluids. Among the various detection techniques used for the detection of cancer biomarkers, even in the picogram range, voltammetric sensors are deeply discussed in this review because of their advantages and technical characteristics. This widespread utilization stems from their ability to facilitate the quantitative detection of ions and molecules with exceptional precision. A comparison of each electrochemical technique is discussed to assist with the selection of appropriate analytical methods.

Oral cancer belongs to the group of head and neck cancers, and, despite its large diffusion, it suffers from low consideration in terms of prevention and early diagnosis. The main objective of the SMILE platform is the development of a low-cost device for oral cancer early screening with features of high sensitivity, specificity, and ease of use, with the aim of reaching a large audience of possible users and realizing real prevention of the disease. To achieve this goal, we realized two microfluidic devices exploiting low-cost materials and processes. They can be used in combination or alone to obtain on-chip sample preparation and/or detection of circulating tumor cells, selected as biomarkers of oral cancer. The realized devices are completely transparent with plug-and-play features, obtained thanks to a highly customized architecture which enables users to easily use them, with potential for a common use among physicians or dentists with minimal training.

The integration of advanced materials and photonic nanostructures can lead to enhanced biodetection capabilities, crucial in clinical scenarios and point‐of‐care diagnostics, where simplified strategies are essential. Herein, a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) photonic nanostructure is demonstrated, which selectively binding to transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β), in which the sensing transduction is enhanced by bound states in the continuum (BICs). The MIP operating as a synthetic antibody matrix and coupled with BIC resonance, enhances the optical response to TGF‐β at imprinted sites, leading to an augmented detection capability, thoroughly evaluated through spectral shift and optical lever analogue readout. The validation underscores the MIP‐BIC sensor capability to detect TGF‐β in spiked saliva, achieving a limit of detection of 10 fM and a resolution of 0.5 pM at physiological concentrations, with a precision of two orders of magnitude above discrimination threshold in patients. The MIP tailored selectivity is highlighted by an imprinting factor of 52, showcasing the sensor resistance to interference from other analytes. The MIP‐BIC sensor architecture streamlines the detection process eliminating the need for complex sandwich immunoassays and demonstrates the potential for high‐precision quantification. This positions the system as a robust tool for biomarker detection, especially in real‐world diagnostic scenarios. Combining molecular imprinting polymers and refractometric optical sensing based on bound states in the continuum allows demonstrating a new platform for ultra‐sensitive biodetection, which is capable of large selectivity and specificity necessary in clinical scenarios. The device is applied for detecting TGF‐beta cytokine in saliva outperforming state‐of‐the‐art technologies.

[...]the need for self-contained tools to be wireless, programmable and able to continuously monitor the state of health or illness of an individual allowed wearable technology to make huge strides forward. [...]the key enabling technologies developed can be useful to facilitate not only clinicians but also researchers, improving reproducibility, saving time and money for reagents and avoiding tests on animals for technologies related to organ-on-chip or tissue engineering. The 3D network of microchannels and the complete transparency of PMMA, even after micromilling and bonding, allows for the realization of buried paths and a contemporary check on the whole process happening at the different levels. [...]the conjunction of channels at the interconnection point can be used to evaluate the mixing or gradient generation in the final portion of common channels. In particular, they obtained a three-electrode device by the thermal evaporation of gold or silver (for working/counter and reference electrodes, respectively) on a polystyrene foil. [...]a versatile nanoimprinting process for microfluidics was available to ease sampling. In particular, the authors considered light-emitting diodes (LEDs), alone or coupled with polymer optical fibers (POFs), as the most robust technology. [...]OLEDs (Organic LEDs) were also addressed as a very promising approach for the future of light-emitting fabrics, even though some issues still need to be resolved.