Biosensors: Medicine on a Chip

Group 3 (2:40)

Joel Amaro, Jerrod Sandefur, Tina Hall, Mark Slavik

Key Words: Biosensors, molecular biology, nanotechnology

A biosensor is defined as a device that detects, records, and transmits information regarding a physiological change or process. Some biosensors use biological materials to monitor the presence of various chemicals in a substance. Most of them are used medically in experimental stages, but all of the possible uses have not even been discovered yet. This innovative hardware began to appeal to molecular biologists as a form of diagnosing diseases in the early 90s and is still being developed today. They not only detect the presence of an infectious substance, but they can also determine the levels at which the substance is found. Biosensors are part of a medically motivated new concept known as rapid detection technology to specifically recognize and detect organisms with capabilities far beyond the mere treatment of a disease. Application and diagnosis can now be done in less than five minutes. These portable devices can detect one or more infections at the same time which could provide exciting integration possibilities from symptom identification to system monitoring. Their functions as an aid in medicine are endless, but they are not just limited to health practices. They have functioning purposes in translating feelings into sound and in current 3D virtual environments. However, the most exciting and relevant uses pertain to the advances that could be made in medicine.

The first biosensors were antibodies used to detect toxins that are normally foreign to the human body. Although, detecting harmful toxins in the body is nothing new for medical science, people soon realized the enormous potential these chips contain and broadened the field for which they researched and developed the biosensors to consolidate their functions. These chips are capable of monitoring all of the body’s functions at the same time from an outside source. There are many different kinds of biosensors, but they are constructed of a combination of at least several parts varying by manufacturing company or the organism or effect it is meant to detect or monitor. All biosensors are composed of at least three essentials including a sensitive biological element that identifies the pathogen. After the sensor identifies a toxin, it combines with a detector element and a physiochemical reaction to stimulate certain substances and signal the presence of a toxin in a variety of ways including light. The biosensors also require at least a third element, the transducer, to collaborate the molecular biology with the protein chemistry in order to transform genome into proteome. The transducer is a way for the biological reaction to communicate with the sensor that there is a toxin present. It is the bridge between the two contrasting technologies contained within the millimeter-sized chip.

The chips are barely visible to the naked eye, but they wield the power to collectively monitor all of the body’s functions at the same time. Similar to a car, the sensors could allow us to see a problem occur (i.e. infection, low blood sugar, etc.) as it happens on a digital dashboard. In the future it could be possible to insert a chip into a fetus to begin the inspections. As the baby is being born, doctors could identify any areas of underdevelopment or abnormality and actually monitor all of the baby’s bodily functions with immediate results and information, without a physical user and without updates needed. For the entire duration of the baby’s life his health would be categorized. Up to the second updates on a person’s health could obviously benefit everyone individually and the human race as a whole. These chips can be used in so many different ways, that the most important ones may not have even been thought of yet. The notion that the brain could communicate with a computer chip inside the body and coordinate activities as if the intelligence was not artificial could lead to a much longer life expectancy. This technology borders closely to regeneration because if the brain can communicate with artificial intelligence within the framework of the internal natural body, then it can use the chips to take the place of natural elements used to correct problems it encounters.

In a world where viruses and disease evolve faster than modern medicine can cure them, scientists are searching for a means of creating a toxin-free environment at highly accelerated rate for us all to enjoy. Although this nanotechnology is still in its developing stages, the implications can revolutionize health care within our life times. At the current state of health care, the old process takes too long to stop disease. Biosensors are the way to exponentially speed up the progression of medical science to fight disease. Doctors will soon be able to review a digital summary of all the chemical and biological functions of a patient’s body and be able to make decisions concerning health care without even seeing the patient in person. One of the best prospects of this technology is the speed with which all the processes to correct abnormalities are managed and identified. Biosensors are exciting new tools that combine the power of technology with the theme of medicine to improve the quality of life by making bodily maintenance easier and prevention more common for a healthier life thanks to technology.

References

1. http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev29_3/text/biosens.htm

2. www.newssearch.looksmart.com/p/articles/mi_zdpcm/is_200307/ai_ziff43543

3. www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1131605,00.asp

Questions about Biosensors (Group3)

1. Biosensors limited to just ________ fields of technology.

a. Medicinal c. all of the above

b. Physiochemical d. none of the above

2. When using biosensors, how long does detection of a foreign substance in the body normally take?

a. 5 minutes

b. 30 minutes

c. Just a few days

d. Biosensors do not detect Substances in the body.

3. Biosensors involve a _________ reaction.

a. Chemical c. External

b. Biological d. a and b only

4. Biosensors are currently in use in Emergency Rooms to identify patients in _______.

a. Cardiac Arrest

b. Pre-divorce trauma

c. Common cold

d. Hot water

5. A biosensor falls under which category of technology?

a. Software

b. Hardware

c. Telecommunications

d. None of the above

6. Biosensors can act as an artificial ___________

a. Organ

b. Doctor

c. Bacteria

d. All of the above

7. Biosensors encompass a field of technologies that could result in exciting new possibilities within all of these fields except _________

a. Medicine

b. Thermochemistry

c. Protein Chemistry

d. All of the above