Themed collection 2026 Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year Collection: Analytical Science

Created in BioRender. Menon, N. (2025). https://www.BioRender.com/l48m487.

This review explores untargeted metabolomics in sports nutrition, outlining analytical workflows, data processing, and key applications in exercise, training, and dietary studies, while addressing issues of reproducibility and clinical translation.

This review comprehensively examines the biological functions of Mg²⁺ within systems, including immunity and cardiovascular health, and discusses detection strategies ranging from atomic spectrometry to fluorescent probes.

Nanomaterial modification plays a key role in enhancing the sensitivity and efficiency of electrochemical aptasensors.

This review presents the application of MXene materials in biosensors, combining materials science and sensor engineering to drive innovation in medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and personalized medicine.

The review explores how structural and compositional adjustments in electrocatalysts from different nanomaterial categories enhance chlorogenic acid (CGA) detection performance in electrochemical sensors.

The review with detail discusses the strategies and advancements for fabricating various functional diagnostic hydrogels to facilitate the complex chronic wound healing and monitoring.

This review comprehensively introduces metal and metal oxide nanoparticle-assisted assays for E. coli detection, including bacterial enrichment and nucleic acid extraction, immunoassays, nucleic acid tests, biosensors, and other novel assays.

Classification of cultivation methods and detection methods for phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing enabled by microfluidic technologies.

This review provides a concise summary of the fundamental principles, technological advancements, and representative biomedical applications of vibration-induced droplet manipulation.

Aerogels for sensing and biosensing applications.

Herein, we present classification strategies, catalytic mechanisms, and performance regulation approaches for carbon-dominated enzyme mimics, highlighting their multifunctional environmental and biomedical applications amid current challenges.

This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic contamination in marine life, critically evaluating global detection methods, case studies, and human exposure risks, with emphasis on methodological advancements and policy implications.

Various immobilization formats enable efficient enzyme-based proteolysis, streamlining sample preparation for proteomics through enhanced throughput, reproducibility, and automation compatibility.

Overview of fluorescent probes for the detection of polarity and other analytes.

A comprehensive summary of the principles and applications of non-destructive analytical technologies.

The development of nanotechnology has led to the rapid growth of many different fields, including sensors. In this review, colorimetric sensors based on the AuNP material platforms for DNA detection will be discussed in detail.

This review summarizes advances in cyclodextrin-based hybrid materials for electrochemical sensing, focusing on molecular recognition, fabrication strategies, and prospects for selective, high-performance, and reusable sensors.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) carry myriad cargoes including genetic biomarkers inherited from parent cells as well as EV modifications by other entities. Complementary technologies have been developed to discover and translate diverse EV biomarkers.

This review explores the evolution of glucose monitoring technologies, from invasive methods to non-invasive approaches, highlighting the advancements in glucose sensors, and discussing challenges and opportunities for future development.

The SERS-based detection mechanism and application of multimodal biosensing in food safety.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression and are important biomarkers in molecular diagnostics, prognosis, and personalized medicine.

This review offers a comprehensive overview of the advancements in optical sensors for MC-LR detection, focusing on recognition elements and optical signal transduction methods, and highlighting the achievements, challenges, and future prospects.

The molecular recognition elements utilized for antibiotic detection are presented, along with the interactions between them. The inner circle represents the five types of intermolecular forces, while the outer circle embodies the seven molecular recognition elements and direct recognition.

This review explores state-of-the-art 3D-printed electrochemical sensors for environmental monitoring, highlighting advanced materials, manufacturing approaches, and improved detection capabilities.

This review highlights the advancements in 3D organotypic and organ-on-chip models for studying periodontal host–microbe interactions, offering insights into disease mechanisms and paving the way for novel therapeutic approaches.

This review examines contributions of microfluidic technology to SELEX-based aptamer identification, with alternative methods such as in vivo-like SELEX and Non-SELEX for selecting aptamers and discussed critical SELEX steps over the past decade.

The application of various analytical techniques in uranium detection was reviewed and the sample states applicable to these methods were analyzed. This paper provides a reference for the selection of uranium detection techniques.

Compact image-based flow cytometry system. Acoustic focusing with machine learning-driven image analysis.

A 3 at% Ag/ZnO composite exhibits a high response of 430 to 100 ppm H₂S at 92 °C and a 1 ppb detection limit. The enhancement is due to the synergistic effect between Ag and ZnO.

Our finding demonstrates that the MRI-based radiomic signature has potential for predicting MYCN gene amplification in pediatric neuroblastoma patients.

Our work presents a micro-textured piezoelectric nanofiber mat, fabricated using a simple paper-templated process, which achieves high sensitivity (∼197 mV kPa⁻¹) and durability for monitoring a wide range of human physiological signals and motions.

A dual-mode Fe/N-CDs-based sensor with peroxidase-like activity enables sensitive nitrite detection and shows reliable performance in real vegetable and meat samples for food safety monitoring.

CdIn₂S₄@In₂S₃ HMTs and a PDA-based functional polymer were utilized to construct a molecularly imprinted photoelectrochemical sensor for CEA assay.

Single-EV Fe²⁺ profiling via nano-flow cytometry and chemosensor Ac-FluNox identifies vesicular iron export as a compensatory mechanism in ferroptosis, revealing a ferroportin-independent iron homeostasis pathway.

WPCB-derived carbon nanozymes exhibit selective catalytic inhibition in response to pyrophosphate, enabling sensitive colorimetric detection without external recognition elements.

A NiMn₂O₄/CNT-modified electrode enables ultrasensitive electrochemical detection of methotrexate with high selectivity in biological samples.

A device combining high-sensitivity biosensing of blood, skin and cervical cancers with ultra-broadband polarization conversion, delivering compact, cost-effective solutions for advanced biomedical diagnostics.

The key elements in the development of the LEADS chip are highlighted; the crucial features of the chip for mimicking NASH in vitro and its applicability as a pre-clinical drug testing model.

We have proposed a novel deep learning architecture, the Triangular Deep Convolutional Network (TDCN), for Raman spectral baseline correction. TDCN enhances spectral pre-processing, thereby improving the reliability of downstream analyses.

The HP-SML device was developed by extending and angling microneedles to enhance ISF extraction speed, enabling user-friendly diagnosis using only a minimal volume of interstitial fluid.

A Raman sensor based on an ordered multi-tipped Au nanostar array substrate and Raman nanotags enables rapid and accurate detection of the myocardial infarction biomarker cTnI.

Viscosity, as a fundamental biophysical parameter of cellular microenvironments, critically regulates physiological processes, including molecular transport and signal transduction.

A flexible dual modal sensor based on machine learning has been developed for non-contact proximity sensing and contact pressure sensing, achieving high-precision recognition of the material and hardness of target objects.

Forensics relies on the differentiation and classification of document papers, particularly in cases involving document forgery and fraud.

Newly designed aptamers with 2–5 internal structural loops bind 17β-estradiol more strongly than the 1-loop structure, enhancing aptasensor detection sensitivity.

One-pot synthesis of three-way junction (TWJ) is proposed. Based on TWJ, strand displacement amplification and Cas12a system, a sensitive assay strategy is developed targeting H5N1 DNA.

In this study, curcumin which is a biodegradable, non-toxic, and natural colorant, served as a pH indicator to visually identify the LAMP-amplified Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae).

We introduce a novel hybrid machine-learning architecture that integrates dimensional analysis with machine learning to predict the flow rates required to generate droplets with specified sizes in systems involving non-Newtonian fluids.

A novel near-infrared fluorescent aptasensor (NIRApt) that integrates TPM dyes with a Cu²⁺-binding aptamer (AptCu) was developed for sensitive detection of copper ions.

Scheme of the amplification-free digital droplet assay. Two innovations: (1) polystyrene capture beads to concentrate the target RNA from a dilute sample and (2) the “confinement” effect amplifies the concentration of the target molecule.

The C-NR@Ag substrate was fabricated to achieve rapid detection of PCB-77 at trace concentrations, along with non-contact sensing capabilities in water.

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of luminol and electrocatalysis by Prussian blue were compared for the selective detection of H₂O₂ at the boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes.

A label-free ATP detection biosensor based on poly(amidoamine)-modified EIS sensors was developed with a LOD as low as 0.12 nM.

A duplexed aptasensor was developed for the simultaneous determination of haemoglobin and glycated haemoglobin in calibration samples.

Gold nanoparticle sensor functionalized with NHS-ester as a colorimetric sensor for spermine detection in meat spoilage. It shows a visible color shift upon spermine-induced aggregation, offering high sensitivity and a detection limit of 0.77 μM.

The proposed Bayesian optimization-based approach enhances micromixer performance by optimizing geometric parameters, significantly reducing required number of simulations, and accelerating the design process compared to conventional methods.

A dual-channel fluorescence sensor array using ATT-AuNCs and BSA/MPA-AuNCs successfully detected 14 REEIs with high sensitivity, distinguishing individual and mixed REEIs via pattern recognition.

This study presents a ratiometric fluorescence sensor based on TPE-Bpy-COF for Cu²⁺ detection. Its dual-emission mechanism and overtone peak reduce environmental interference, making it a promising tool for environmental monitoring.

A new rhodamine-based turn-on fluorescent probe (RME) was synthesized through a simple condensation reaction. The designed sensor exhibits the potential for selective sensing of Cu²⁺ ions via “turn-on” colorimetric and fluorometric responses.

A CNN-based self-supervised learning framework is proposed to enhance spectral analysis with small sample sizes by leveraging pseudo-labeled data for pre-training, achieving superior results compared to traditional methods.

A spherical flower-like magnetic Fe₃O₄@CoNi LDH@Ag NPs SERS substrate was successfully fabricated by electrostatic self-assembly and applied for sensitive detection of methylene blue (MB) in environmental water samples.

A low-temperature adsorption thermal desorption system was developed, and the sensitivity of low-boiling substances was improved by 11–17 times compared to ambient-temperature adsorption thermal desorption module.