Portable light detectors for bioluminescence biosensing applications: A comprehensive review from the analytical chemist's perspective

Bioluminescence, that is the emission of light in living organisms, has been extensively explored and applied for diverse bioanalytical applications, spanning from molecular imaging to biosensing. The unprecedented technological evolution of portable light detectors opened new possibilities to imple...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Analytica chimica acta 2022-04, Vol.1200, p.339583-339583, Article 339583
Main Authors: Calabretta, Maria Maddalena, Lopreside, Antonia, Montali, Laura, Zangheri, Martina, Evangelisti, Luca, D'Elia, Marcello, Michelini, Elisa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analytical device
Bioluminescence
Biosensor
Photons
Portable light detector
Semiconductors
Smartphone
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Summary:Bioluminescence, that is the emission of light in living organisms, has been extensively explored and applied for diverse bioanalytical applications, spanning from molecular imaging to biosensing. The unprecedented technological evolution of portable light detectors opened new possibilities to implement bioluminescence detection into miniaturized devices. We are witnessing a number of applications, including DNA sequencing, reporter gene assays, DNA amplification for point-of care and point-of need analyses relying on BL. Several photon detectors are currently available for measuring low light emission, such as photomultiplier tubes (PMT), charge-coupled devices (CCD), complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs), silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) and smartphone-integrated CMOS. Each technology has pros and cons and several issues, such as temperature dependence of the instrumental specific noise, the power supply, imaging capability and ease of integration, should be considered in the selection of the most appropriate detector for the selected BL application. These issues will be critically discussed from the perspective of the analytical chemist together with relevant examples from the literature with the goal of helping the reader in the selection and use of the most suitable detector for the selected application and to introduce non familiar readers into this exciting field. [Display omitted] •An overview on portable light detectors for bioluminescence is presented.•Pros and cons of light detectors are discussed.•A comparison of portable light detectors with selected examples is presented.
ISSN:0003-2670
1873-4324
DOI:10.1016/j.aca.2022.339583