Decoding Life's Signals: Biosensors and Tech
Decoding the Signals: How Technology Enables Signal Transduction in Biosensors Biosensors – the marriage of biology and technology – are revolutionizing fields from healthcare to environmental monitoring. But what makes them tick? At their core, these ingenious devices rely on the intricate language of signal transduction, a fundamental process used by living organisms to convert external stimuli into meaningful responses. Imagine a cell detecting a change in its environment – perhaps a rise in glucose levels or the presence of a specific toxin. This initial signal, be it chemical or physical, triggers a cascade of molecular events within the cell, ultimately leading to a detectable output. Biosensors mimic this natural process, harnessing biological components like enzymes, antibodies, or DNA to...