Biosensor Techniques for Marine Toxin Detection

Marine toxins produced by phytoplankton and other aquatic organisms pose a serious threat to seafood safety, human health and coastal ecosystems worldwide. Traditional laboratory methods often require complex sample preparation, expensive instruments and lengthy analysis times, limiting their utility for rapid or in-field monitoring. Biosensors offer a compelling alternative by integrating selective biorecognition elements—such as antibodies, enzymes, aptamers or whole cells—with physical transducers to generate quantifiable signals upon toxin binding. Optical platforms exploit changes in fluorescence, colourimetric or luminescent output, while electrochemical devices measure current, voltage or impedance shifts at modified electrodes. Piezoelectric sensors detect mass changes on vibrating crystal surfaces, and cell-based systems translate toxin interactions into electrical or optical responses via living cells. Recent advances in nanomaterials, including gold nanoparticles, carbon black and nanozymes, have significantly improved detection limits through enhanced surface area, catalytic amplification and signal transduction. Hybrid strategies that combine microfluidics, signal‐amplification cascades or CRISPR-Cas9 mechanisms are extending the sensitivity and multiplexing capacity of biosensors. Together, these technological innovations enable rapid, portable and cost-effective assays capable of in situ monitoring of okadaic acid, saxitoxin, domoic acid and other harmful algal toxins across diverse matrices such as seawater, shellfish tissue and aquaculture products. By bridging laboratory precision with field readiness, biosensor techniques are transforming marine toxin surveillance, risk assessment and food-safety management on a global scale.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Research from all publishers

A comprehensive 2024 review outlines the classification, ecological risks and state-of-the-art biosensor technologies for marine biotoxin detection, detailing the principles, advantages and limitations of optical, electrochemical and piezoelectric platforms, alongside future perspectives on assay miniaturisation and real-time monitoring. A 2023 study introduced an amplified luminescent proximity homogeneous assay (AlphaLISA) for okadaic acid, achieving sub-picogram per millilitre sensitivity within 15 minutes, with straightforward operation and excellent correlation to chromatographic methods. Another 2023 report described an aptamer-based sensor that leverages a hybrid chain reaction coupled with CRISPR-Cas9 to detect saxitoxin in shellfish extract, delivering femtomolar-level detection and recovery rates exceeding 102%, demonstrating high specificity and robustness in complex matrices.

Biosensor Techniques for Marine Toxin Detection publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in biosensor techniques for marine toxin detection across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Biosensor: Analytical device combining a biological recognition element and a physical transducer to detect specific analytes.

Aptamer: Synthetic single-stranded DNA or RNA molecule that binds a target with high affinity, used for selective recognition.

Nanozyme: Nanomaterial exhibiting enzyme-like catalytic properties, employed to amplify detection signals.

Lateral Flow Immunoassay (LFIA): Paper-based platform in which labelled antibodies migrate by capillary action to form visible lines upon target binding.

AlphaLISA: Homogeneous luminescent proximity assay in which donor and acceptor beads generate light when brought together by antigen–antibody interactions.

CRISPR-Cas9: Bacterial adaptive immunity system repurposed for sequence-specific recognition or cleavage in nucleic acid-based biosensors.

References

1. Advances in Biosensors for the Rapid Detection of Marine Biotoxins: Current Status and Future Perspectives. Biosensors (2024).
2. Application of Au@Pt Nanozyme as Enhancing Label for the Sensitive Lateral Flow Immunoassay of Okadaic Acid. Biosensors (2022).
3. The benefits of carbon black, gold and magnetic nanomaterials for point-of-harvest electrochemical quantification of domoic acid. Microchimica Acta (2020).
4. Okadaic Acid Detection through a Rapid and Sensitive Amplified Luminescent Proximity Homogeneous Assay. Toxins (2023).
5. Aptamer Sensor Based on Hybrid Chain Reaction and CRISPR-Cas9 System for STX Detection. Chemosensors (2023).