Development of innovative electrochemical biosensors for bacterial detection

One of the main challenges in healthcare is developing rapid and cost-effective diagnostic techniques for the early detection of bacteria. Recently, electrochemical sensors have emerged as highly favourable tools for recognizing bacterial pathogens due to their high selectivity and fast response times. In this study, two electrochemical biosensors were designed using different bioreceptors, such as aptamers and bacteriophages, to detect pathogenic bacteria. The first biosensor is based on aptamers as biorecognition elements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy as a detection method for the identification of Escherichia coli, with a linear range between 7 and 7 × 10³ CFU/mL within 20 minutes. The second project focused on designing an impedimetric-phage-based sensor for the recognition of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300 in nasal swabs, with a linear range concentration from 10¹ to 10⁴ CFU/mL and a turnaround response time of about 20 minutes. These portable, rapid, and economical biosensors exhibit significant potential for point-of-care diagnostics, improving infection management and patient outcomes.