Non-invasive biosensors in clinical analysis

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biosensor Technology

Background:

• Non-invasive determination of metabolites in body fluids is crucial for frequent patient monitoring.
• Saliva and sweat analysis offer advantages over traditional blood sampling due to ease of collection and reduced patient stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and optimize amperometric biosensors for the non-invasive determination of alcohol, glucose, and lactate in body fluids.
• To enhance the selectivity and stability of biosensors for accurate metabolite detection.

Main Methods:

• Development of hydrogen peroxide-based amperometric biosensors utilizing immobilized enzymes (alcohol oxidase, glucose oxidase, lactate oxidase).
• Optimization of enzyme immobilization parameters for enhanced stability.
• Application of selective membranes (hydrophobic gas membrane, hydrogen peroxide membrane) and dual electrode configurations to improve probe selectivity.
• Measurement of lactate in saliva and sweat post-exercise and evaluation of transbuccal glucose measurement correlation with blood glucose.

Main Results:

• Successfully developed alcohol, glucose, and lactate biosensors with improved stability and selectivity.
• Demonstrated accurate measurement of glucose in serum and saliva, and lactate in saliva and sweat.
• Validated a novel transbuccal glucose measurement procedure with correlation to blood glucose levels.

Conclusions:

• Amperometric biosensors provide a viable, non-invasive method for monitoring key metabolites in saliva and sweat.
• Optimized biosensor designs enhance accuracy and reliability for clinical and athletic applications.
• Transbuccal glucose monitoring shows promise as a less invasive alternative to blood glucose testing.