Paracellular Permeability Agents for Non-Invasive Biosensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wearable biosensors are limited in their ability to provide continuous, real-time measurement of biochemistry due to the invasive nature of blood sampling and the low concentration of analytes in non-invasively accessible biofluids like sweat, saliva, and tears, making them inadequate for providing actionable health information.
Innovation Solution
The use of paracellular-permeability-enhancing agents, such as chelators, lipids, and proteins, to increase the concentration of analytes in biofluids by enhancing the permeability of the epithelial barrier, combined with iontophoresis and electro-osmotic flow to actively flow analytes from blood and interstitial fluid into non-invasively measurable biofluids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If blood sampling is used to measure biochemistry, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to invasive needle-based draws
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance (paracellular permeability enhancing agent) that facilitates analyte transfer from blood through the epithelial barrier into accessible biofluids. This mediator enables indirect measurement of blood biochemistry through non-invasive sampling of sweat, saliva, or tears, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If non-invasive biofluids like sweat and saliva are used, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to low analyte concentrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physiological parameter of epithelial barrier permeability by applying paracellular permeability enhancing agents. This parameter change increases analyte concentration in accessible biofluids by facilitating their passage through the epithelial barrier from blood, thereby improving measurement precision while maintaining the ease of non-invasive sampling.
3Quantity of substance
If paracellular permeability is increased to enhance analyte access, then analyte concentration in biofluids is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential disruption of epithelial barrier function
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies paracellular permeability enhancing agents at controlled levels that achieve sufficient analyte concentration enhancement without completely disrupting epithelial barrier function. This partial action approach increases analyte access to measurable levels while maintaining enough barrier integrity to ensure reliability and prevent pathological effects.
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
This approach significantly increases the concentration of analytes in biofluids, making non-invasive biosensing more viable for health monitoring by improving the detection of previously hard-to-detect analytes and enabling continuous, real-time biochemistry measurement.
Implementation Method 1
increase the concentration of analytes in biofluids by increasing the paracellular permeability of the epithelial barrier
Implementation Method 2
the agent can be delivered using iontophoresis
Implementation Method 3
analyte-rich interstitial fluid can be actively flowed into the secreted biofluid via electro-osmotic flow induced by reverse iontophoresis
Implementation Method 4
electro-osmotic flow induced by reverse iontophoresis
Data Source
AI summary
A device for increasing a concentration of at least one analyte in an advective flow of biofluid includes an agent for enhancing a paracellular permeability of an epithelial tissue; and an iontophoresis electrode and a counter electrode, which are adapted to increase the concentration of said analyte in the advective flow of the biofluid. A method of sensing an analyte in a biofluid includes increasing a paracellular permeability of an epithelial tissue layer; and inducing electro-osmotic flow by reverse iontophoresis to increase a concentration of said analyte in an advective flow of the biofluid, wherein said advective flow is driven by at least one of saliva generation, sweat generation, or reverse iontophoresis.