Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
DNA-Based Biosensors
Jan Labuda
Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava,
81237 Bratislava, Slovakia
jan.labuda@stuba.sk
1.1 Introduction
With respect to low costs and high detection/information effec-
tiveness, physical and chemical sensors help us today widely to
check and control more and more processes everywhere around
us. Biosensors were introduced to chemical sensors about 50 years
ago with the aim of utilizing the recognition ability of biological
components such as enzymes, antibodies, etc., for the detection
of species of interest. Among them, biosensors with electrical and
electrochemical transducers are most popular in development and
application due to general advantages of electroanalytical methods
suchasrathersimplesensorfabrication,lowcostsofequipmentand
analysis, possibility of miniaturization, and automation in chemical
analysis. Techniques and terms of electroanalytical chemistry have
beenreviewedintechnicalreportsoftheUnionforPureandApplied
