Polyoxometalate-cyclodextrin supramolecular entities for real-time in situ monitoring of dopamine released from neuroblastoma cells.

Optimized and sensitive biomarker detection has recently been shown to have a critical impact on quality of diagnosis and medical care options. In this research study, polyoxometalate-γ-cyclodextrin metal-organic framework (POM-γCD MOF) was utilized as an electrocatalyst to fabricate highly selective sensors to detect in-situ released dopamine. The POM-γCD MOF produced multiple modes of signals for dopamine including electrochemical, colorimetric, and smartphone read-outs. Real-time quantitative monitoring of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cellular dopamine production was successfully demonstrated under various stimuli at different time intervals. The POM-CD MOF sensor and linear regression model were used to develop a smartphone read-out platform, which converts dopamine visual signals to digital signals within a few seconds. Ultimately, POM-γCD MOFs can play a significant role in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases that involve dopamine as a significant biomarker.

Minimally-invasive, real-time, non-destructive, species-independent phytohormone biosensor for precision farming.

To keep up with population growth, precision farming technologies must be implemented to sustainably increase agricultural output. The impact of such technologies can be expanded by monitoring phytohormones, such as salicylic acid. In this study, we present a plant-wearable electrochemical sensor for in situ detection of salicylic acid. The sensor utilizes microneedle-based electrodes that are functionalized with a layer of salicylic acid selective magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers. The sensor's capability to detect the phytohormone is demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo with a limit of detection of 2.74 µM and a range of detection that can reach as high as 150 µM. Furthermore, the selectivity of the sensor is verified by testing the sensor on commonly occurring phytohormones. Finally, we demonstrate the capability of the sensor to detect the onset of fungal infestation in Tobacco 5 min post-inoculation. This work shows that the sensor could serve as a promising platform for continuous and non-destructive monitoring in the field and as a fundamental research tool when coupled with a portable potentiostat.

A Portable Molecularly Imprinted Sensor for On-Site and Wireless Environmental Bisphenol A Monitoring.

The detection of pollutant traces in the public and environmental waters is essential for safety of the population. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a toxic chemical widely used for the production of food storage containers by plastic industries to increase the storage ability. However, the insertion of BPA in water medium leads to serious health risks. Therefore, the development of low-cost, practical, sensitive, and selective devices to monitor BPA levels on-site in the environment is highly needed. Herein, for the first time, we present a homemade portable potentiostat device integrated to a laser-scribed graphene (LSG) sensor for BPA detection as a practical environmental pollutant monitoring tool. Recently, there has been an increasing need regarding the development of graphene-based electrochemical transducers (e.g., electrodes) to obtain efficient biosensing platforms. LSG platform is combined with molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) matrix. LSG electrodes were modified with gold nanostructures and PEDOT polymer electrodeposition to create a specific MIP biomimetic receptor for ultrasensitive BPA detection. The sensing device has a Bluetooth connection, wirelessly connected to a smartphone providing high sensitivity and sensitivity (LOD: 3.97 nM in a linear range of .01-10 µM) toward BPA. Two commercial bottled water samples, tap water, commercial milk, and baby formula samples have been used to validate the reliability of the portable sensor device.