Enzymatic Biosensors for Healthcare Applications

Biosensors have been employed for disease detection, diagnosis, and human health monitoring and management. Enzymes have received tremendous attention among all the biological components used for the development of biosensors. Immobilization of enzymes on nanostructured electrodes can improve the essential properties in electrochemical biosensor transduction. The enzymes must be stable under the typical working conditions of the biosensor and must be available to catalyze a particular biological reaction. Knowing the target analyte and the complexity of the matrix in which the analyte must be measured are key factors in biosensor design. Wearable sensor technology drives significant growth and changes across various industries, including biological, healthcare, computing, and informatics and communication. The ability to now continually monitor and analyze the patients’ physiology in their natural environment is the main factor driving this revolution. Due to high selectivity and specificity in detection and less fluidic constraints, enzymatic sensing technologies continue to lead the way for the development of wearable sensors. This chapter discusses the applications of enzymes in biosensors and benefits of enzymatic biosensors for healthcare applications. Due to variations in the operating environment, sample/sensor handling, and motion artifacts, wearable sensing systems have heightened obstacles in biochemical sensing such as dependability, repeatability, stability, and drift. The properties of enzymes, the processes involved in their immobilization, and the use of various enzyme-derived biosensors and nanomaterials have been discussed in this chapter to give thorough insights into this technology’s state of the art. The most current developments in using materials to create enzymatic biosensors are also highlighted here. Therefore, this chapter explores the enzymatic biosensors’ basic operating principles, their analytical performance over time, and the methods employed to enhance that performance. Additionally, the makeup of biological fluids concerning how they interact with biosensing has been discussed. The challenges faced by biosensor technology in healthcare sector and their future outlook are discussed in this chapter.