Nanoelectronic biosensing of dynamic cellular activities based on nanostructured materials

Detecting subtle cellular activities that occur dynamically as regulated temporally and spatially by molecular machinery is of obvious importance in fundamental biology as well as in drug discovery. Additionally, it demands fast and sensitive detection modality. The emerging nanoelectronic biosensors based on nanostructured materials have shown promising potential to resolve the dynamic biological processes of living cells with high sensitivity and high temporal and spatial resolution. Here, the recent advances in the nanoelectronic biosensing of regulated secretion of biomolecules and bioelectrical activities of ion channels using carbon nanotubes and silicon nanowires are briefly reviewed. The perspectives and key issues of future development are also discussed.