Continuous, Week-Long, Seconds-Resolved In Vivo Drug Measurements Performed with a Xenonucleic Acid-Employing...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Molecular Diagnostics
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Real-time monitoring of drug and biomarker concentrations is crucial for personalized medicine and disease management.
• Electrochemical aptamer-based (EAB) sensors offer real-time in vivo measurement capabilities but are limited by aptamer degradation.
• Current EAB sensor operational durations are less than 24 hours, hindering clinical utility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extend the in vivo operational duration of EAB sensors.
• To overcome the challenge of aptamer degradation in EAB sensors.
• To enable robust, long-duration, real-time molecular measurements for clinical and research applications.

Main Methods:

• Development of EAB sensors utilizing nuclease-resistant xenonucleic acid (XNA) aptamers.
• In vivo testing of XNA-based EAB sensors in live subjects.
• Continuous, real-time measurement of molecules over an extended period without protective membranes.

Main Results:

• Achieved continuous in vivo operation of EAB sensors for 1 week.
• Successfully performed over 47,000 real-time measurements with 12.8-second resolution.
• Demonstrated week-long sensor function without compromising performance through the use of protective membranes.

Conclusions:

• XNA aptamers significantly extend EAB sensor operational duration, overcoming previous limitations.
• The developed sensors represent a crucial milestone for clinical adoption and experimental flexibility.
• This advancement enables robust, long-duration, real-time molecular monitoring, paving the way for enhanced personalized medicine.