Recent advances in taste cell- and receptor-based biosensors

Abstract

In recent years, taste cell- and receptor-based biosensors have gained considerable attention as an emerging technology for chemical sensing as well as research on taste signal transduction mechanisms. Taste cells and receptors can recognize the specific chemical signals presented by various taste substances and compounds offering unique performance characteristics which cannot be achieved by current artificial devices. As a result, taste cells and receptors have been increasingly recognized as promising candidates for the development of chemical sensors. Currently, one of the main challenges of this technology is the preparation of functional taste cells and receptors to satisfy the need of building sensing components for chemical sensors. Additionally, the coupling of taste cells and receptors with transducers is a key step to develop chemical sensors which can meet the specific performance requirements for biomedical applications. Therefore, current efforts are mainly focused on the preparation of functional taste cells and receptors and their coupling with transducers. This review will summarize the most recent advances in taste cell- and receptor-based biosensors. We will describe the basis of biological taste sensing systems, current approaches for preparing functional taste cells and receptors, and basic design principles and approaches for coupling taste cells and receptors with transducers. Furthermore, several major applications of taste cell- and receptor-based biosensors will be presented. We will conclude by discussing the current and future challenges of taste cell- and receptor-based biosensors and offer possible strategies to overcome these limitations.