Dear colleagues:

The maintenance of in vivo homeostasis, the dynamic equilibrium of physiological processes within a living organism, is fundamental to health. Disruptions to this delicate balance can lead to various diseases and compromised well-being. This special issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research in the development and application of fluorescent biosensors for the detection and monitoring of key indicators and agents involved in in vivo homeostasis, extending to areas like wound healing and the food safety.

While aptamers, nucleic acid or peptide ligands with high affinity and specificity for target molecules, are powerful recognition elements often employed in biosensors, this special issue adopts a broader perspective, encompassing diverse fluorescent biosensing strategies for investigating in vivo homeostasis. These strategies include, but are not limited to, those utilizing the unique optical and fluorescent properties of various nanomaterials (such as carbon dots, metal nanoparticles and graphene oxide), conventional fluorescent dyes, and other fluorescent probes.

A critical area where fluorescent biosensors can directly impacts in vivo homeostasis. The presence of contaminants like antibiotics and pathogenic microorganisms can severely disrupt physiological equilibrium upon ingestion. Therefore, this special issue will feature innovative research on the development of fluorescent biosensors for the sensitive and selective detection of antibiotics, bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. These biosensors, leveraging various recognition elements and fluorescent transduction mechanisms, are crucial for safeguarding human health.

This special issue will highlight novel approaches for the early and accurate detection of subtle changes in biological equilibrium, extending to the complex processes of tissue repair and regeneration, such as wound healing. The intricate interplay of Antimicrobial activity, inflammation modulation and cell motility are crucial for effective wound healing, all of which contribute to restoring tissue homeostasis. Fluorescent biosensors can play a vital role in this context by:

· Monitoring Wound Microenvironment: Detecting key biomarkers associated with infection (e.g., bacterial presence), inflammation (e.g., cytokines), and tissue regeneration (e.g., growth factors) within the wound.

· Assessing the Impact of Food-Derived Components: Investigating how bioactive compounds from food, plants and agricultural wastes, influence the wound healing process at a molecular level. Fluorescent biosensors can be designed to track the presence and activity of these compounds and their interaction with wound tissues, including their potential to modulate microbial growth (including bacteria and yeast) within the wound.

· Evaluating the Efficacy of Wound Dressings: Fluorescent labeling and sensing techniques can be used to assess the release of antimicrobial agents (e.g., silver nanoparticles incorporated into biopolymers like chitosan hydrogels or electrospun polymeric membranes) from wound dressings and their impact on the local microenvironment, including their effectiveness against bacteria and yeast that might contaminate the wound.

This special issue will explore the potential of fluorescent biosensors, including aptasensors, in providing real-time, sensitive monitoring of critical parameters in wound healing and, importantly, in the rapid and specific detection of foodborne bacteria and yeast and prevent disruptions to in vivo homeostasis. Biomedicine and the potential for drug delivery and understanding biological regulators in these processes will also be implicitly addressed through the applications of these sensing technologies.

· Nanomaterials

· Biosensors

· Carbon Dots

· Electrospun polymeric membranes

· Homeostasis

· Biological Regulators

· Drug delivery

· Tissue

· Antimicrobial

· Biomedicine

· Biopolymers

· Fluorescent Biosensors