ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the requirements and desired features of biosensors for biomedical applications, emphasizing the goal of realizing fully integrated and distributable lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices. It highlights silicon photonics as an advantageous technology for such LOC applications, particularly for label-free optical biosensing. The chapter discusses promising label-free electrochemical and mechanical biosensors, with a brief survey of research in the field. Electrical impedance spectroscopy, in the case of affinity biosensors, measures the change in the impedance of an electrical circuit due to the binding of analyte to a functionalized electrode. The chapter provides a perspective on the remaining challenges that need to be addressed for biosensors to inform researchers and clinicians, with the ultimate objective of improved healthcare outcomes. A biosensor for detecting malaria could be implemented to detect pathogenic organisms in food, or as a research tool to screen for inhibitors to prevent disease.
