The Development, Characteristics, and Challenges of Biosensors: The Example of Blood Glucose Meters

Numerous research projects on biosensors have been conducted, and a substantial number of academic studies and conference papers on biosensors are published annually. However, only a few biosensors have been commercialized. In this review, we took blood glucose meters as an example to review the development, characteristics, and challenges of biosensors in the literature. The four subsystems of the physical sensors are illustrated to emphasize the importance of standardization and traceability in the sensors. The development of physical sensors, chemical sensors, and biosensors is introduced. The importance of reference materials as a standard for evaluating sensor performance is emphasized. The basic technique and four types of chemical transducers are described, and we show that the biosensors’ response must be processed with these chemical sensors. The characteristics of the glucose meter are introduced to explain the success of this sensor, especially the sensing materials of glucosidases. Two types of highly developed and competitive biosensors, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and paper-based biosensors, are introduced, and the trends and future implications of both biosensors are illustrated. The challenges facing biosensor development are summarized into several key factors, and future research directions are discussed. A list of factors for the successful commercialization of biosensors is also proposed.