Fiber Optic Biosensors: Advancements and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Optical fibers serve as a structural framework of numerous technological implementations, standing as a quintessential component in both fundamental scientific pursuits and real-world applications. For decades, the integration of optical fibers into sensor systems has been pivotal, facilitating the detection of physical and biochemical parameters essential for a myriad of everyday applications, viz., biomedical diagnosis, drug discovery and therapies, food security, materials analysis and manufacturing, and environmental monitoring. However, with the dynamic landscape of healthcare driven by the emergence of new diseases and global health challenges, there is a pressing need for advanced sensor technologies. Moreover, the One Health strategy, which emphasizes the interconnection between human, animal, and ecosystem health, underscores the necessity for smart sensor technologies to improve food–environmental safety and enhance global health security. Thus, despite the considerable progress made in the sensor domain, there is still a demand for miniaturized and easy-to-use sensor probes and systems capable of performing measurements at precise locations and operating in challenging environments for specific applications, such as in vivo biosensing and point-of-care testing.

The ability of optical fibers to transmit light to distant locations even in harsh conditions, coupled with distinct characteristics like small size, light weight, biocompatibility, flexibility, and durability, renders them an optimal platform for developing innovative sensing methods for early detection, online management, and remote monitoring that are rapid, highly sensitive, portable, and cost-effective. For instance, fibers can be integrated with surgical instruments, paving the way for multidisciplinary technological developments, and fibers can resist electromagnetic interference, supporting measurements in high-electromagnetic-field environments. The constant progress in nanotechnology and materials science stimulates the development of advanced fiber optic sensors with an improved sensitivity, specificity, and label-free detection of target analytes in complex media. The growing field of lab-on-fiber is an excellent example of this. This technology is used to create advanced all-in-fiber devices, where ultra-compact labs are developed and miniaturized for diverse applications. The promising potential of novel-generation micro- and nano-structured optical-fiber-based sensor probes and biomedical devices emphasizes the need for continued research in the field.

This Special Issue welcomes the latest research and advancements in optical fiber biosensors, including original research articles, reviews, technical reports, perspectives, or methods. We expect this Special Issue to comprehensively discuss recent biosensor innovations in the field and their respective challenges that would open new avenues for exploring the use of optical fiber sensors for real-life applications.

Dr. Sruthi Prasood Usha
Guest Editor

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• optical fibers
• nanostructured configurations and sensing technologies
• lab-on-fiber platforms
• integration of metasurfaces with fiber optics
• biosensors for medical diagnostics
• food, water, and air monitoring
• diagnostics and imaging
• drug delivery and therapy
• portable devices
• plasmonic sensors
• point-of-need/point-of-care systems