The future of healthcare

What is a biosensor?

A biosensor is a small instrument for rapid and easy measurement of molecules in body fluids such as blood for diagnostic or monitoring purposes. This compact device acquires a measurable signal, which is obtained by a molecular detection device and a transducer. Biosensors operate on samples taken from the body (in-vitro testing e.g. using a drop of blood) or are worn on or inside the body (for real-time in-vivo sensing). Famous biosensors are the pregnancy test, blood glucose meter, and cholesterol meter.

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How does a biosensor work?

Fast, easy and freedom

Benefits of a biosensor

A biosensor brings a lot of benefits. It is fast, precise, easy to use, and often affordable. This speeds up the process of detection and monitoring, e.g. when a patient visits a doctor, when a nurse visits a patient, or when a patient wants to check his own body.

The two main goals of a biosensor would be to prevent and monitor. A biosensor could be given to risk groups for early detection, which would prevent the disease. The availability of a biosensor would also allow patients to easily and regularly monitor their disease so that they can take control of their own lives. Every patient is different and his or her condition changes over time. It is cumbersome and time-consuming to do blood testing via the general practitioner and centralized laboratory. A biosensor would give less trouble and a quicker result.

T.E.S.T. and Sensor

The future of biosensing

Biomedical technologies are developing fast and the future possibilities for biosensing are endless. Health care becomes more personal and is delivered even at home, using small handheld biosensors. The next step is to make biosensors so small that they can be worn on or in the body, to get real-time continuous data in an easy way. Such on-body sensors are already available for measuring glucose, but not for other molecules. The aim in the coming years is to develop biosensors for many more molecules and many more diseases!

A rapid check-up kit for use at any place, or a small sensor that you can wear and that monitors your health; What once sounded like science-fiction, will become closer to reality than ever before.

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