REVIEW article
Front. Lab Chip Technol.
Sec. Environmental Sensors, Sustainability and Reaching Net-Zero
This article is part of the Research TopicCelebrating 2 years of Frontiers in Lab on a Chip TechnologiesView all articles
Integrating Synthetic Biology and Lab-on-a-Chip Technologies for Next-Generation Biosensors
Provisionally accepted
- The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Biosensors harness biological components to detect and report on specific analytes, offering crucial insights across medicine, environmental monitoring, agriculture, and food security. The convergence of synthetic biology and lab-on-a-chip (LoC) technologies is enabling a new generation of biosensors that are programmable, modular, and field-deployable. Synthetic biology provides engineered sensing elements—including bespoke proteins, aptamers, and genetic circuits—that expand the range of detectable analytes while offering tunabletuneable sensitivity, specificity, and dynamic range. LoC platforms, in turn, miniaturize fluid handling and analytical processes into integrated microfluidic devices, creating controlled environments that enhance biosensor performance, portability, and biocontainment. Together, these approaches address long-standing barriers in biosensing by coupling biological programmability with physical precision. This review surveys the rapidly expanding applications of synthetic biology-LoC integration, from healthcare and environmental monitoring to emerging frontiers, including biocomputing and deep-sea exploration. With rapidly accelerating innovation, the potential of these devices can be realised, reshaping the way we diagnose disease, safeguard ecosystems, manage food supplies, and explore new frontiers.
Keywords: Biosensors, cellularmemory, DNA-based recording, molecular recording, Synthetic Biology
Received: 30 Sep 2025; Accepted: 18 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 David and Cai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yizhi Cai
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.