Editorial Cite This: ACS Sens. 2018, 3, 1892−1892
pubs.acs.org/acssensors
Analyte Acumen n the biomolecular sensing field, there are classic analytes that are often used to validate the sensitivity and specificity of new sensors or detection assays. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has been used extensively in this regard as a protein analyte. It is a handy validation system given the number of well-validated antibodies that exist for use in immunoassays. It is also very useful for benchmarking a new assay, as performance of one PSA sensor system can be directly evaluated against another via the comparison of limits of detection. But given the numerous advances in the development of very sensitive detection systems for PSA, it is getting increasingly difficult to rationalize the development of new sensors for this particular analyte. Furthermore, the clinical utility of this biomarker is increasingly in question, and therefore the practical need for sensors for PSA is waning. There are many other analytes that are repeatedly used as modelsthrombin, CA-125, carcinoembryonic antigen, etc. Can we do better at choosing analytes with important applications for sensor development and validation? In this issue of ACS Sensors, there are several reviews that point the sensor community to analytes that are challenging to detect and certainly in need of new detection systems. Steckl and Ray discuss stress biomarkers (DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.8b00726). These are biomolecular analytes that are important targets for understanding the biology of stress, and also for monitoring of personnel in professions where occupational stress needs to be tracked. Point-of-care testing systems and simple, easy-to-automate sensors for stress biomarkers will be essential for this application. As well, a comprehensive review of sensors for biothreat agents by Medintz and co-workers (DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.8b00420) provides countless examples of bacterial species, viruses, and toxins that pose significant public health threats. These are analytes that are often present at very low levels in real-world situations, and also need to be specifically distinguished from nonpathogenic variants. High-performance sensors for emerging biothreat agents will continue to require new innovations. The research articles in our October issue also feature several interesting analytes. Airborne fungal spores, one of the main causes of asthma, are targeted by Sui and co-workers using an integrated microfluidic immunofluorescence system (DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.8b00615). Using an automated sampling system, as few as 20 airborne spores could be detected during a sampling and analysis time of 2 h. This advance indicates that continuous environmental monitoring is practical, which is certainly good news for individuals who suffer from severe asthma. Lechuga and co-workers report on a detection system for the bacterial pathogenMycobacterium tuberculosisthat causes infections that are the leading cause of death in the world (DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.8b00393). Using a photonic detector that is specific for lipoarabinomannana component of the cell wall of M. tuberculosisdetection limits are attained that allow the identification of this tuberculosis marker in urine. In patient samples, this approach was shown to be
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remarkably effective, bringing a new solution to tracking this bacterial infection that represents a significant global public health issue. A less common but equally problematic pathogen, Cryptosporidium parvum, is the focus of a system reported in this issue by Zhou and co-workers (DOI: 10.1021/ acssensors.8b00785). C. parvum can cause severe intestinal disease in mammals, affecting both humans and livestock. It is therefore an important species to detect in the water where livestock are raised. Using magnetic nanoparticles combined with dark field microscopy, C. parvum could be detected in water samples collected from different lakes. These are examples of sensors that could be used quite generally for a broad class of analytes, but were optimized toward specific biomolecules and organisms that represent important targets for health and environmental monitoring. The authors of these papersby displaying acumen in the choice of their analyteswere able to elevate the impact of their work published in ACS Sensors by describing solutions to real-world needs. While we welcome papers describing new sensor systems benchmarked against model analytes so that they can be compared with prior work, we are also very excited about manuscripts that point the community toward unmet needs in the sensing field and analytes that are less wellexplored.
Shana Kelley
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The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
AUTHOR INFORMATION
ORCID
Shana Kelley: 0000-0003-3360-5359 Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS.
Received: October 8, 2018 Published: October 26, 2018 1892
DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.8b01180 ACS Sens. 2018, 3, 1892−1892
