Lighting Up Biosensors: Now and the Decade To Come

Optical biosensors are defined as portable optical devices that use biorecognition molecules to interrogate a sample for the presence of a target. The capabilities of optical biosensors have expanded rapidly with advances in miniature optical components and molecular engineering. Biosensors to meet the needs in health and environmental monitoring and food safety have become commercially available, with many more in the pipeline. We review the innovative approaches to overcoming existing hurdles to practical biosensor designs and explore potential areas for future breakthroughs in optical biosensor technology.