Biosensing: Orthogonal Cell‐Based Biosensing: Fluorescent, Electrochemical, and Colorimetric Detection with Silica‐Immobilized Cellular Communities Integrated with an ITO–Glass/Plastic Laminate Cartridge (Small 17/2012)

An inexpensive device housing communities of living cells is stabilized by C. J. Brinker, S. M. Brozik, and co-workers within a silica matrix, for cell-based environmental biosensing, as described on page 2743. Disparate cell lines (eukaryotic and bacterial) are co-entrapped, remaining viable and responsive even at intimate proximities. Furthermore, this platform is capable of fluorescent, electrochemical, and colorimetric detection of a single analyte in a complex solution. Coupling these methods may substantially reduce the impact of interferants, opening intriguing opportunities for integrating living cells with nanomaterials and macroscale systems.