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Biosensors for effective environmental and agrifood protection and commercialization: from research to market

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Abstract

Biosensors are projected to find many applications due to their high selectivity and sensitivity, rapid reaction, economy and ease of handling in field measurements. Even though biosensors for a wide range of environmental pollutants have been extensively reported in the literature, the decision to develop a suitable biosensing system that can be approved by a regulatory perspective for environmental applications is fraught with technical issues. These issues mainly concern the biological recognition element, the physico-chemical transducer and the interfaces between the biological and the physical components, but also aspects of fluidics, electronics, and software for data processing. This article reviews methods together with a process to move biosensor technology from research laboratories to market, focusing as a case in point on challenges and possible opportunities in the development of photosynthetic-based biosensors for environmental applications.

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Acknowledgment

During the years 2005–2009 the photosynthetic-based biosensor prototypes were supported by the following projects within Eurotransbio, EU and MAP/MIUR-IT Calls: Multibioplat, Multitask, B01/0547/03/X3, MAP-IT, Biodiserba 6932 and Agrobiosens 9431, MIUR-IT, BEEP-C-EN, EU.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Crystallography, AdR1 Department of Agrofood, Italian National Research Council (CNR), Via Salaria km 29.3, 00015, Monterotondo Scalo, Rome, Italy

    Viviana Scognamiglio, Katia Buonasera, Daniela Giannini & Maria Teresa Giardi

  2. Biosensor srl, Via degli Olmetti 44, 00060, Formello, Rome, Italy

    Gianni Pezzotti, Ittalo Pezzotti & Juan Cano

Authors
  1. Viviana Scognamiglio
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  2. Gianni Pezzotti
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  3. Ittalo Pezzotti
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  4. Juan Cano
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  5. Katia Buonasera
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  6. Daniela Giannini
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  7. Maria Teresa Giardi
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Correspondence to Viviana Scognamiglio.

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Scognamiglio, V., Pezzotti, G., Pezzotti, I. et al. Biosensors for effective environmental and agrifood protection and commercialization: from research to market. Microchim Acta 170, 215–225 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-010-0313-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-010-0313-5

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