Dual-Analyte Glucose–Ketone Sensor with Tailored Membranes
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current in vivo analyte sensors are ineffective for simultaneously monitoring multiple analytes like glucose and ketones, requiring multiple sensors, which are inconvenient and costly, and suffer from increased failure rates.
Innovation Solution
Development of analyte sensors with integrated glucose-responsive and ketones-responsive active areas, utilizing dual enzyme systems and tailored membrane compositions to facilitate concurrent detection of both analytes, allowing for a single sensor to monitor both glucose and ketones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple in vivo analyte sensors are used to monitor glucose and other analytes concurrently, then measurement capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple analyte detection capabilities (glucose, lactate, ketones, pH, oxygen) into a single integrated sensor device. The sensor employs multiple working electrodes, each functionalized with specific enzymes for detecting different analytes, thereby merging the functionality of multiple separate sensors into one unified device. This resolves the technical contradiction by maintaining comprehensive measurement capability while reducing the number of separate devices required.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor device achieves multi-functionality by incorporating enzyme systems that can detect multiple different analytes simultaneously. Each working electrode is equipped with enzyme layers capable of catalyzing reactions for specific analytes, allowing the single sensor to perform multiple measurement functions. This universal design eliminates the need for multiple specialized sensors, thereby reducing device complexity while preserving adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple in vivo analyte sensors are used to monitor multiple analytes, then measurement coverage is improved, but reliability decreases due to increased failure probability
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple analyte detection functions into a single sensor device with multiple working electrodes, the patent reduces the total number of separate sensor implants required. This consolidation improves reliability by eliminating the statistical likelihood of failure among multiple independent sensors, while maintaining comprehensive measurement coverage through the multi-electrode design within the single device.
3Device complexity
If a single analyte sensor is used, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement capability is limited to a single analyte
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor achieves universality by equipping a single device with multiple working electrodes, each capable of detecting different analytes through enzyme-catalyzed reactions. This multi-functional design allows the sensor to monitor glucose, lactate, ketones, pH, and oxygen levels simultaneously, thereby expanding measurement capability without significantly increasing device complexity compared to single-analyte sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor divides its sensing function into multiple working electrodes, with each electrode segmented to detect specific analytes. This segmentation allows the single sensor device to handle multiple measurement tasks independently, effectively increasing measurement capability while maintaining a unified device structure that does not proportionally increase overall complexity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple in vivo analyte sensors are worn concurrently, then comprehensive monitoring is achieved, but user comfort and convenience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple analyte monitoring functions into a single wearable sensor device, eliminating the need for users to wear multiple separate sensors simultaneously. This consolidation improves user comfort and convenience by reducing the physical burden of multiple devices, while maintaining comprehensive monitoring coverage through the integrated multi-electrode design that detects multiple analytes from a single insertion site.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate and simultaneous monitoring of glucose and ketones, reducing user discomfort and costs, while minimizing sensor failure, and improving health management for diabetic individuals and ketogenic diet followers.
Implementation Method 1
a glucose-responsive active area comprising a glucose-responsive enzyme disposed upon a surface of the working electrode
Implementation Method 2
The oxidation-reduction potential of the glucose-responsive active area is sufficiently separated from the oxidation-reduction potential of the ketones-responsive active area
Implementation Method 3
the ketones-responsive active area comprises an enzyme system comprising two or more enzymes that are capable of acting in concert to facilitate detection of ketones
Implementation Method 4
the oxidation-reduction potential of the ketones-responsive active area is sufficiently separated from the oxidation-reduction potential of the glucose-responsive active area
Implementation Method 5
Each active area has an oxidation-reduction potential, and the oxidation-reduction potential of the glucose-responsive active area is sufficiently separated from the oxidation-reduction potential of the ketones-responsive active area to allow independent production of a signal from one of the active areas
Data Source
Figure 1~2A
Figure 2B~2C
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
Glucose and ketones may be dysregulated singularly or concurrently in certain physiological conditions and may be advantageously assayed together using an analyte sensor capable of detecting both analytes. Certain analyte sensors capable of dual detection may comprise a first working electrode and a second working electrode, a ketones-responsive active area disposed upon a surface of the first working electrode, a glucose-responsive active area comprising a glucose-responsive enzyme disposed upon a surface of the second working electrode, a membrane having a first portion overcoating the ketones-responsive active area and a second portion overcoating the glucose-responsive active area, in which the first portion and the second portion have different compositions. The ketones-responsive active area comprises an enzyme system comprising at least two enzymes that are capable of acting in concert to facilitate detection of ketones.