Biosensing Using a Simple Resistor: The Effect of Functionalization on Sensing Devices

Abstract EN

Biosensors can play an important role in early disease detection, a reason why they are gaining more attention in the world of biomedicine.

Functionalization of the material used in the detector is of a great importance since it maintains the molecule’s structure of interest with minimal changes.

We report on sensing BSA molecules, solutions, and concentrations using a functionalized commercial resistor in a simple electric circuit.

Our results demonstrate the outstanding utility of functionalization in biosensing devices; while sensing is not possible with a naked resistor, a BSA covered resistor can detect a very low solution concentration around 0.1 fM.

A smaller molecule like tryptophan was also used in order to functionalize the resistor.

After proving that tryptophan is more effective in covering the resistor before sensing, BSA molecules in other solvent conditions were detected, and a threshold of 1 μM was obtained.

This can prove that sensing depends on the choice of the functionalizations of the material used for sensing and on the conformation of the molecule of interest in its solutions.

This method of detection may be of great interest in triggering and sensing biological molecules using simple-based devices.