Charutha Kalarikkal, Sarbani Bhattacharjee, Koyeli Mapa and Chinna Ayya Swamy P
{"title":"π-Spacer modulation unlocking tunable photophysics and organelle-specificity in 2,6 disubstituted BODIPY-cyanostilbene fluorophores","authors":"Charutha Kalarikkal, Sarbani Bhattacharjee, Koyeli Mapa and Chinna Ayya Swamy P","doi":"10.1039/D5SD00155B","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SD00155B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Simultaneous visualization of two distinct organelles using a single fluorescent probe offers powerful opportunities for unravelling cellular signalling pathways and inter-organelle interactions. However, this goal remains challenging due to the complex microenvironment of subcellular compartments and the absence of robust design principles. In this study, we designed and synthesized two new donor–acceptor (D–A) BODIPY-cyanostilbene fluorophores, functionalized at the 2,6-positions with tailored π-spacers: phenyl (compound <strong>7</strong>) and thiophene (compound <strong>8</strong>) units. Strategic π-spacer engineering enabled precise control over both optical behavior and organelle-targeting selectivity. The thiophene analogue (compound <strong>8</strong>) exhibited a remarkable Stokes shift (∼112 nm) and far-red/NIR emission (600–800 nm), overcoming two key limitations of conventional BODIPYs, particularly visible-range emission (490–510 nm) that restricts deep-tissue imaging, and narrow Stokes shifts that lead to spectral overlap and self-quenching. In contrast, the phenyl analogue (compound <strong>7</strong>) emitted at 570 nm with a moderate 35 nm Stokes shift, primarily due to the extended π-conjugation framework. The photophysical properties were supported by DFT calculations (B3LYP/6-31G(d), Gaussian 09W). Both probes showed excellent photostability, minimal cytotoxicity, high chemical and pH stability, and non-interference from competitive species, making them highly suitable for cellular studies. Interestingly, both probes achieved dual-targeting of lipid droplets (LDs) and lysosomes, enabling real-time monitoring of dynamic changes in these organelles. This work highlights π-spacer engineering as a powerful strategy to unlock far-red/NIR dual-organelle probes, paving the way for advanced organelle-targeting imaging, and early-stage disease diagnostics.</p>","PeriodicalId":74786,"journal":{"name":"Sensors & diagnostics","volume":" 3","pages":" 337-347"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/sd/d5sd00155b?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147558509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yiting Liu, Anthony James El-Helou, Bill Söderström, Juanfang Ruan and Ying Zhu
{"title":"Quantitative single-particle profiling of extracellular vesicles via fluorescent nanoparticle tracking analysis","authors":"Yiting Liu, Anthony James El-Helou, Bill Söderström, Juanfang Ruan and Ying Zhu","doi":"10.1039/D5SD00119F","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SD00119F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have drawn rapidly increasing attention as the next-generation diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic agents. However, the heterogeneous nature of EVs necessitates advanced methods for profiling EVs at the single-particle level. While nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) is a widely used technique for quantifying particle size and concentration, conventional scattering-based systems are non-specific. In this study, we present an optimised protocol for quantitative profiling of EVs at the single-particle level by fluorescent NTA (F-NTA). The protocol integrates fluorescent immunolabeling of EVs with size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) to efficiently remove unbound labels, enabling the precise quantification of EV concentration, size distribution, and surface immunophenotype. We first validated this approach using biotinylated liposomes and EVs from cultured human cell lines, confirming effective removal of unbound labels and assessing labelling efficiency. We then demonstrated that F-NTA can distinguish EV subpopulations with distinct surface marker expression, exemplified by the differentiation of EpCAM-positive (EpCAM<small><sup>+</sup></small>) EVs derived from HT29 and HEK293 cells. Finally, we applied dual labelling to human plasma isolates to simultaneously profile EVs and lipoproteins, providing a quantitative quality assessment of EV purity at the single-particle level. The robustness of this method was further supported by comparative analysis with total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. This validated workflow enables robust, quantitative profiling of EV subpopulations, providing a critical tool for diverse EV applications, including biomarker discovery, therapeutic monitoring, and quality control for engineered vesicles.</p>","PeriodicalId":74786,"journal":{"name":"Sensors & diagnostics","volume":" 3","pages":" 348-357"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/sd/d5sd00119f?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147558510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Subhavna Juneja, Sudipta Biswas, Kang Rong and Alan X. Wang
{"title":"Reproducible single-molecule optofluidic-SERS analysis on nanostar-activated diatom biosilica capsules","authors":"Subhavna Juneja, Sudipta Biswas, Kang Rong and Alan X. Wang","doi":"10.1039/D5SD00161G","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SD00161G","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Single-molecule (SM) analysis with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) usually requires sophisticated engineering on plasmonic nanostructures to provide extremely strong hot-spots to enhance the intrinsically weak signal. In this work, we report a cell-sized biosilica capsule based on the diatom <em>Pinnularia</em> sp. frustule decorated with high-density bimetallic nanostars consisting of gold and silver, capable of achieving reproducible single-molecule SERS analysis. Such a plasmonic nanostar-activated biological photonic crystal nanostructure synthesized by a simple self-assembly method enhances hot-spots universally, which is proved by finite difference time domain simulation. The cell-sized biosilica capsule also concentrates trace-levels of target molecules from ultra-small fluidic droplets through a drop-on-demand inkjet-printing technique. We experimentally demonstrated reproducible SM optofluidic-SERS sensing from 120 nL of 10<small><sup>−15</sup></small> M rhodamine 6G solution containing only 72 molecules through statistical analysis of mapping data over the cell-sized biosilica capsule, achieving a 3× higher signal-to-noise ratio and 9× better SM detection possibility compared to that on the glass substrate.</p>","PeriodicalId":74786,"journal":{"name":"Sensors & diagnostics","volume":" 2","pages":" 248-259"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/sd/d5sd00161g?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146216731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lucille Weiss, Martijn Visser, Patrick Wagner, Anthony Augé, Océane Florès, Nicola Pordone, Martin Fayolle, Paul O. Verhoeven, Dmytro Dziuba, Dominique Bonnet and Julie Karpenko
{"title":"Fluorogenic squaraine dimers for the flow cytometry detection of bacterial urinary tract infections","authors":"Lucille Weiss, Martijn Visser, Patrick Wagner, Anthony Augé, Océane Florès, Nicola Pordone, Martin Fayolle, Paul O. Verhoeven, Dmytro Dziuba, Dominique Bonnet and Julie Karpenko","doi":"10.1039/D5SD00160A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SD00160A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Rapid diagnosis of bacterial infections is essential for guiding antibiotic treatment and mitigating the global spread of antibiotic resistance. Here, we report the development of fluorogenic bacteria-specific probes for rapid flow cytometry detection of urinary tract infections. These probes, composed of a covalently linked pair of squaraine dyes conjugated to a bacteria-specific peptidic vector, exploit the phenomenon known as aggregation-caused quenching. The chemical structure of the squaraine dyes was finely tuned to ensure selectivity for bacteria over eukaryotic cells and human serum albumin. The most effective probe enabled semi-quantitative detection of bacteria in patient urine samples, with a total time-to-result of less than one hour.</p>","PeriodicalId":74786,"journal":{"name":"Sensors & diagnostics","volume":" 3","pages":" 358-368"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/sd/d5sd00160a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147558511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Peng Yin, Yanna Lin, Maojie Jiang, Xiangyu Jiang, Xuan Fang, Mengjie Huang, Baihui Zhang and Fuqiang Ma
{"title":"Vibration technology-based droplet microfluidic devices for biomedical applications","authors":"Peng Yin, Yanna Lin, Maojie Jiang, Xiangyu Jiang, Xuan Fang, Mengjie Huang, Baihui Zhang and Fuqiang Ma","doi":"10.1039/D5SD00163C","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SD00163C","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Droplet microfluidics has emerged as a versatile and powerful strategy for precise fluid manipulation at the micro- and nano-scales, with widespread applications in biomedical detection, diagnosis, and treatment. Among active control techniques, vibration-based methods are distinguished by their high precision, exceptional biocompatibility, and non-contact nature, which collectively reduce the risk of cross-infection and sample contamination. This review provides a concise summary of the fundamental principles, technological advancements, and representative biomedical applications of vibration-induced droplet manipulation. This work highlights both acoustic methods and other mechanical vibration strategies, including their distinct working mechanisms and potential for integration with other active control methods to enhance flexibility. It explores the extensive range of vibration strategies' applications in biomedicine, including the use as drivers for diverse sample pretreatment processes (cell manipulation, sorting, cultivation, and activity research), biosensors for detecting and diagnosing various biological targets, and post-diagnostic drug treatment studies. Despite their promise, current challenges remain, including equipment complexity, scalability, and the need for robust integration with existing microfluidic systems. Lastly, this review outlines future directions for advancing vibration-based droplet microfluidics, which include the development of new materials, the integration of interdisciplinary technologies, and intelligent control. These initiatives will facilitate the development of integrated devices for rapid disease diagnostics and medical research applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":74786,"journal":{"name":"Sensors & diagnostics","volume":" 3","pages":" 270-304"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/sd/d5sd00163c?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147558506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yuqin Liao, Jiayuan Jing, Wenkai Jin, Xiangdong Tian, Tianhuan Peng, Lei Zhang and Quan Yuan
{"title":"Adenosine detection technologies: recent advances and applications in the central nervous system","authors":"Yuqin Liao, Jiayuan Jing, Wenkai Jin, Xiangdong Tian, Tianhuan Peng, Lei Zhang and Quan Yuan","doi":"10.1039/D5SD00170F","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SD00170F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Adenosine, a pivotal endogenous neuromodulator, plays a critical role in maintaining homeostasis related to sleep and emotion regulation. Mounting evidence indicates that dysregulated adenosine homeostasis is intricately involved in the pathological processes of brain disorders. Thus, the quantification of adenosine levels is crucial for evaluating disease states in the brain. Currently, numerous reviews have focused on adenosine detection technologies and their applications in tumor immunology and cardiovascular diseases. However, there have been few systematic reviews of adenosine monitoring in the central nervous system. Here, we first systematically summarize recent advances in adenosine detection technologies. Subsequently, we discuss the implications of adenosine detection in the regulation of central nervous system homeostasis. Finally, we highlight current challenges and future prospects, aiming to provide insights for the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of neurological disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":74786,"journal":{"name":"Sensors & diagnostics","volume":" 2","pages":" 165-183"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/sd/d5sd00170f?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146216711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Logan T. Echeveria, Sadi Shahriar, Allison M. Yorita and Erkin Seker
{"title":"A nucleic acid-based electrochemical detection method for post hoc sample analysis","authors":"Logan T. Echeveria, Sadi Shahriar, Allison M. Yorita and Erkin Seker","doi":"10.1039/D5SD00164A","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5SD00164A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >This work introduces a new electrochemical sensing approach, where the liquid sample containing nucleic acid targets can be blotted onto an electrode that is pre-functionalized with probe DNA. The post-hybridization signal and probe DNA signal (obtained by melting the hybrid) can be successively measured later, making the sensing scheme resilient to probe layer deterioration and circumventing the need to measure probe signal immediately before sample collection, ultimately mitigating the need for electrochemical sensing equipment at the sample collection site.</p>","PeriodicalId":74786,"journal":{"name":"Sensors & diagnostics","volume":" 2","pages":" 208-212"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12658962/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145650031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Darke Hull, Juan Boza, Jason Manning, Xinying Chu, Ethel Cesarman, Aggrey Semeere, Jeffrey Martin and David Erickson
{"title":"Artificial intelligence-powered signal analysis of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for the screening of Kaposi sarcoma at the point of care","authors":"Darke Hull, Juan Boza, Jason Manning, Xinying Chu, Ethel Cesarman, Aggrey Semeere, Jeffrey Martin and David Erickson","doi":"10.1039/D5SD00068H","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5SD00068H","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Unlike the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) lacks a consistent thermal cycle, making quantification particularly challenging. Previously, we demonstrated that LAMP can accurately diagnose Kaposi sarcoma (KS) from skin lesion biopsies at the point of care (receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (AUC) = 0.967). A common approach in LAMP analysis involves setting a minimum absorbance threshold and time cutoff for positivity, which can introduce bias. We present a less biased, automated signal processing approach involving the fitting of a signal curve to five, two-parameter algebraic function fits, and the training of an artificial intelligence (AI) model on those parameters and their variances. An extreme gradient boosting (XGB) model was trained and tested on a primary dataset consisting of 1317 LAMP curves (from 451 unique patient samples with replicates). Five-fold <em>k</em>-validation on the train/test set yielded an receiver operating curve (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) of 0.952 ± 0.029. Each of the five-fold models were then validated on a separate secondary dataset of 966 LAMP curves (from 414 unique patient samples with replicates) and achieved an AUC of 0.950 ± 0.005. While the traditional methodology (which did not implement <em>k</em>-validation or a test/train split) outperformed the AI model's train/test set performance, the AI model generalized better and achieved a higher accuracy on the validation set (0.950 ± 0.005 <em>vs.</em> 0.9347). It performed even better when the analysis was applied directly to the raw signal data without additional pre-processing steps such as artifact filtering. This suggests that the AI model is more generalizable to new data and is able to discriminate KS-present and KS-absent samples better than traditional methods.</p>","PeriodicalId":74786,"journal":{"name":"Sensors & diagnostics","volume":" 2","pages":" 242-247"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12661922/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145650180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yan Xu, Shiman Yang, Cheng Liu, Haoyu Wu, Kaiping Huang, Wenhui Xu, Jiahe Wang and Yichun Ding
{"title":"Enhancing wearable piezoelectric sensors via micro-textured P(VDF–TrFE)/BaTiO3 nanofiber mats for physiological monitoring","authors":"Yan Xu, Shiman Yang, Cheng Liu, Haoyu Wu, Kaiping Huang, Wenhui Xu, Jiahe Wang and Yichun Ding","doi":"10.1039/D5SD00175G","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SD00175G","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The advancement of wearable electronics for personalized healthcare demands flexible, high-performance pressure sensors capable of detecting both subtle physiological signals and large mechanical motions. In this work, we present a highly sensitive piezoelectric pressure sensor based on a micro-textured PVDF–TrFE/BaTiO<small><sub>3</sub></small> composite nanofiber mat, fabricated <em>via</em> a facile electrospinning process. A commercial paper napkin was employed as a template collector to directly imprint a micro-structured architecture onto the nanofiber mat, eliminating the need for complex processes. The addition of BaTiO<small><sub>3</sub></small> (BTO) nanoparticles significantly enhanced the piezoelectric response. The optimized piezoelectric sensor demonstrated outstanding performance with a sensitivity of ∼197 mV kPa<small><sup>−1</sup></small>, a fast response time of 3.5 ms, excellent frequency stability, and durability over 5000 loading cycles. Practical applicability was successfully verified through real-time monitoring of diverse physiological activities including arterial pulse, respiration, vocal vibrations, eye blinking, joint motion, and plantar pressure detection. These results underscore the potential of our sensor for use in wearable health monitoring, sports biomechanics, and human–machine interfaces, offering a scalable and cost-effective route to high-performance pressure sensing.</p>","PeriodicalId":74786,"journal":{"name":"Sensors & diagnostics","volume":" 2","pages":" 223-231"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/sd/d5sd00175g?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146216730","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}