Biosensor Files IPO Prospectus Highlighting Advanced Diagnostic Platform

What Is a Biosensor?

Biosensor, or Biological Sensor, is an instrument that is sensitive to biological substances and converts their concentration into electrical signals for detection. Traditional biosensors consist of a biomolecular recognition element and a transducer. The interaction between the biomolecules and the analyte generates a biological response, which is converted into an electrical signal by the transducer, enabling applications across various fields.

Composition of Biosensors

Biosensors mainly consist of two parts:

Molecular Recognition Substances as Sensors:Molecular recognition substances are used to identify the target analyte and serve as the primary functional components capable of inducing specific physical or chemical changes. They can be

• Nucleic Acid




• Proteins, including enzymes and antibodies




• Plant Proteins or Plant Lectins




• Tissue sections, microorganisms, organelles, and other complex substances

Transducer:Electronic devices for detecting and transmitting signals

When molecular recognition elements undergo physical or chemical reactions with specific target analytes (such as antibody-antigen binding or enzyme-substrate interaction), signals are generated. These signals may be electronic, optical, or thermal. By employing appropriate transducers to convert these signals into measurable electrical signals (typically current or voltage), various objectives can be achieved.

Classification of Biosensors

Biosensors can be classified into five categories based on their molecular recognition elements:

• Enzyme Sensor




• Microbial Sensor




• Cellular Sensors




• Tissue Sensor




• Immunosensor

Working Principle of Biosensors

Let us take enzyme sensors as an example. It is evident that an enzyme sensor is a type of biosensor that utilizes enzymes as biorecognition molecules. After we consume foods such as hamburgers and French fries, they undergo a series of reaction steps in our body to be broken down into small molecules; this process is known as catabolism. Subsequently, these small molecules are used to synthesize essential substances for the human body, such as proteins; this process is referred to as anabolism. Each step of catabolism and anabolism (collectively termed metabolism) is catalyzed by a specific enzyme. Therefore, a specific enzyme can recognize either a target molecule or its associated reaction pathway.

For example, three types of biosensors are required to measure changes in a patient's blood glucose concentration.

• Oxygen Sensor Measures Oxygen Concentration




• pH Sensor for Measuring Gluconic Acid Production




• Hydrogen Peroxide Sensors Measure Hydrogen Peroxide Concentration

During this process, the oxygen sensor and hydrogen peroxide sensor convert signals into current, while the pH sensor converts signals into voltage.

Advantages of Biosensors

• By employing immobilized bioactive substances as catalysts, costly reagents can be reused multiple times, thereby overcoming the drawbacks of high reagent costs associated with enzymatic analysis and the cumbersome complexity of chemical analysis.




• High specificity, reacting only to specific substrates and unaffected by color or turbidity.




• Rapid analysis, with results available within one minute.




• High accuracy, with a typical relative error of 1%




• The operating system is relatively simple, facilitating automated analysis.




• Low cost; during continuous use, each Meili assay costs only a few cents.




• Some biosensors can reliably indicate the oxygen supply status and byproduct formation within microbial culture systems.

Applications of Biosensors in the Medical Field

Basic Applications:Used for measuring acetic acid, lactic acid, uric acid, urea, antibiotics, glutamic acid, and various other amino acids, as well as a range of carcinogenic and mutagenic substances.
Basic Research:Real-time detection of interactions between biomacromolecules. For instance, it can accurately determine antibody affinity and identify antigenic epitopes, as well as sequence viral DNA fragments.
Biopharmaceuticals:Used for monitoring biochemical reactions, rapidly acquiring multiple data points, and enhancing quality management of biopharmaceutical products.
Clinical Applications:Various biosensors are used to detect diverse chemical components in body fluids, providing a basis for clinical diagnosis. The most mature application among these is biosensors for blood glucose monitoring.

Future Development Prospects of Biosensors

Biosensors must meet the following criteria:

• Scalable production with low cost




• Rapid results can be obtained during the diagnostic process.




• Automatic Calibration




• Simple to operate and easy for the public to use

Building on this foundation, biosensors will evolve toward intelligence and integration, closely interfacing with computers to jointly process data and achieve more precise results.

By Zhou Yanxun; Edited by Mo Renying

VCBeat’s Chief Advisor for Glossary of Hot Terms in Internet Healthcare (English): Zhao Xinyuan, current CEO of Beijing Yingtai Kelong Technology Co., Ltd., and member of the Technical Guidance Committee of HL7 China.

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