ETD

• Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
• bacteriophage
• biosensor
• electric field orientation
• Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS)
• Escherichia coli
• phage immobilization

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents one of the most urgent global health challenges, highlighting the need for rapid and reliable diagnostic tools. Conventional culture-based, molecular, and protein-based methods, although effective, are often time-consuming, costly, and dependent on specialized infrastructure. Biosensors, particularly electrochemical ones, have emerged as promising alternatives for bacterial detection due to their speed, sensitivity, and potential for point-of-care applications. This thesis focused on the development of a phage-based electrochemical biosensor for bacterial detection, employing bacteriophages as natural and highly selective bioreceptors. Electrodes were prepared and functionalized to allow phage immobilization, while Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) was used as the detection technique. A novel approach involving the application of an external electric field during immobilization was investigated to promote controlled orientation of the bioreceptors. Experimental results showed that this strategy maintained phage activity and enhanced biosensor performance. The final system demonstrated selectivity towards the bacterial target highlighting the potential of this approach to improve the efficiency and applicability of phage-based biosensors.