Biomolecular Engineering to Realize Biosensors for In Vivo Continuous Monitoring Systems

Focusing the success in realizing the closed-loop system in the use of biosensors to improve therapeutic outcomes for patients with diabetes over the past decade, the continuous sensing of other biomarkers, such as small molecule drug, peptides and proteins such as therapeutic antibodies, is of emerging interest to both researchers and clinicians.
The biological recognition elements (BREs) that specifically recognizes the target and generates the signal to a transducer in biosensors are categorized into two types; a biocatalytic-type BREs and bioaffinity-type BREs. Glucose and other small organic molecules can be detected based on several biocatalytic recognition elements represented by oxidoreductases. The catalytic sites of these biocatalytic recognition elements, which are continuously regenerated after recognition, provide constant signals that can be detected by transducers, which are suitable for constituting sensors for continuous monitoring systems.
For the detection of protein/peptide biomarkers in picomolar (pM) to nanomolar (nM) concentrations, current biosensor principles use bioaffinity recognition elements such as antibodies and aptamers. This is due to their high binding constants. The advantages of using such highly sensitive and selective bioaffinity recognition elements are at the same time the disadvantages in using them to create a continuous monitoring system.Therefore, the most challenging task to realize biosensors for continuous in vivo monitoring of peptides/proteins using bioaffinity recognition elements is the in situ regeneration of biosensors.

In this talk, I will present our biomolecular engineering strategies to realize biosensors for in vivo continuous monitoring systems.