Multi-Element Analyte Sensing Across Wide Concentration Ranges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional continuous analyte sensors face challenges in achieving accurate measurements across a physiologically relevant range, often sacrificing accuracy in low-analyte environments to achieve high accuracy in high-analyte environments, and vice versa.
Innovation Solution
A sensor system comprising multiple sensor elements, each designed to measure analyte concentrations in different ranges with distinct characteristics, such as sensitivity and membrane properties, allowing for accurate measurements across a wide physiological range by selectively using data from each element based on parameters like oxygen concentration and time since initiation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single sensor element is used, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to accurately measure across different analyte concentration ranges deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sensing function into multiple elements that can be integrated into a single sensor device. Each element measures a different concentration range, and the system combines their outputs to provide accurate measurements across the full physiological range, achieving high measurement precision while maintaining reasonable device complexity through integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-element sensor system achieves universal measurement capability across the entire physiological analyte concentration range. By combining elements with different measurement ranges and characteristics, the system provides a single unified solution that accurately measures both low and high analyte concentrations, making it universally applicable for clinical monitoring.
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
The system achieves high accuracy in both low and high analyte level environments, with the ability to provide clinically useful measurements across a physiologically relevant range, verified through methods like the Clarke Error Grid and MARD analysis, with improved sensitivity and current density configurations.
Implementation Method 1
Electrochemical sensors are useful in chemistry and medicine to determine the presence or concentration of a biological analyte
Data Source
AI summary
Devices and methods are provided for continuous measurement of an analyte concentration. The device can include a sensor having a plurality of sensor elements, each having at least one characteristic that is different from other sensor(s) of the device. In some embodiments, the plurality of sensor elements are each tuned to measure a different range of analyte concentration, thereby providing the device with the capability of achieving a substantially consistent level of measurement accuracy across a physiologically relevant range. In other embodiments, the device includes a plurality of sensor elements each tuned to measure during different time periods after insertion or implantation, thereby providing the sensor with the capability to continuously and accurately measure analyte concentrations across a wide range of time periods. For example, a sensor system 180 is provided having a first working electrode 150 comprising a first sensor element 102 and a second working electrode 160 comprising a second sensor element 104, and a reference electrode 108 for providing a reference value for measuring the working electrode potential of the sensor elements 102, 104.