Development of one-shot biosensors for the measurement of uric acid and cholesterol

This paper is a case study in the design, fabrication and characterization of screen-printed biosensors for the measurement of uric acid and cholesterol. Four different detection strategies, namely direct oxidation, direct mediation, direct enzyme-linked mediation and indirect electrochemical oxidation are discussed with their accompanying selectivity profiles. The work culminates in the production of disposable, printed biosensors for uric acid and cholesterol; the merits and demerits of each system are outlined. Such biosensors are based on novel solid-phase biochemistry and are likely to enable simple, reagentless and convenient near-patient testing. The potentialities of such a decentralized approach to analysis are also described.