Biosensor fabrication with nanomaterials

Abstract Nanobiotechnology is an important combination of biotechnology with nanotechnology in which molecular biology is consolidated with microbiology to a real extent. Nanotechnology is a technology that provides an opportunity to develop nanomaterials in a controlled way and to control them according to our convenience. This technology has the potential to separate all eminent obstacles between physics, chemistry, and biology to great extent, and shape current techniques with new ideas. Mr. R. Feynman in 1959 said, “There is a lot of space down there” to show the feasibility to develop nanosized structures with the use of atoms as building blocks. This lecture is now referred to as the origin of the era of a nanotechnological paradigm. Now, nanotechnology with sensing technology can help in the development of biosensors. A biosensor is a device that combines the selectivity and specificity of biological-sensing elements such as DNA, RNA, enzymes, and antibodies with a suitable transducer to give a specific and sensitive result with a quick response. With the help of nanomaterials, we can develop nanosensors, which is a new area of research. There are different methods for nanosensor fabrication including top-down, bottom-up, and self-assembly. Biosensors are not new but have potential in every area of research. They provide quick and specific results without wasting money, time, and labor. Many sensors are already developed for detection of different diseases in humans at a nanoscale level, such as an ultrasensitive sensor for the detection of chronic kidney disease at an early stage. Cardiac immunosensors also have been reported for early detection of a heart attack. In the agriculture field, an ultrasensitive nanosensor has been developed for detection of malic acid in the tomato as fruit-ripening indicator. Thus, nanotechnology is providing a vast scope for nanosensor development for a number of highly lethal diseases in the future such as HIV, Alzheimer's disease, Nipah and Zika virus, etc. In a nutshell, a combination of nanotechnology in biosensor development can achieve big goals in the diagnosis sector.