Building Electrochemical Biosensors for Real-World Impact

When developing electrochemical biosensors, it’s common for scientists to use analytical techniques, materials, and designs they’re most familiar with. This might stem from previous work, literature trends, or personal expertise. While understandable and relatable, decisions based on comfort rather than the sensor's end-use can lead to poor performance and missed opportunities.

⚠ What works in the lab doesn’t always work in the field. Lab environments are controlled, but real-world conditions—such as fluctuating temperatures, contamination, and inconsistent user handling—can dramatically affect sensor performance.

📜 Many papers emphasize biosensors with picomolar sensitivities and innovative surface architectures. While demonstrating their effectiveness in complex samples like blood, sweat, or river water is often the concluding section of an article, it is, in reality, just the beginning. Translating these successes into commercial applications requires overcoming several challenges:

✅ Scalability: Can your sensor be mass-produced affordably without sacrificing performance? How much batch variation is acceptable?

✅ Material selection: Are the materials not only optimal for sensitivity but also durable and compatible with large-scale manufacturing? Can key biological components be produced in sufficient quantities at reasonable cost?

✅ Shelf-life: How well does the sensor hold up under environmental stresses like temperature changes, fouling, or physical wear? Can it survive shipping across the globe?

✅ Regulatory approval: Have you accounted for the rigorous testing required to meet industry-specific safety and efficacy standards?

✅ Market research: Is there a genuine demand for your sensor? Does it meet the specific needs of end-users?

✅ Market acceptance: Even if the sensor works perfectly, will the market embrace it? Are there competing technologies that could limit adoption?

✅ Financial sustainability: Can your project withstand the financial demands before potentially turning a profit?

✅ Expertise: It takes a diverse set of skills—ranging from material science, electrochemistry, and biology to regulatory knowledge, product design, and market research—to bring an electrochemical biosensor from concept to reality. Having the right team and network of experts is essential for success.

In conclusion, designing electrochemical biosensors for real-world impact requires more than just technical proficiency; it demands a holistic approach that considers the entire lifecycle of the product, from lab to market. By prioritising the sensor’s application and its end-use environment during the design phase, developers can avoid common pitfalls and set the stage for commercial success.