![]() The main difference is that instead of imprinting the polymer with glucose, the enzyme is immobilized in the polymer due to its large size. Then to measure the concentration of glucose, electrodes can be connected on either side of the PANI soaked paper to measure the conductivity of the material.Ĭreating the ink is quite similar to creating the test strips. The polyaniline solution is soaked into the paper substrate, giving it increased physical stability while maintaining similar electrical characteristics. Therefore, our process is modified to include the addition of small paper strips to the solution. When the sensor is fabricated, only a very thin film of polyaniline is synthesized. One problem with using PANI is that the material is not physically stable when its dimensions are small. Designing a sensor which linearly represents this range is a significant challenge due to decreased accuracy at extremely low and high glucose levels. The range at which a patient with diabetes mellitus might measure their BG is between 40-500 mg/dL or 2-30 mmol/L. The challenge of this research is creating a method which measures glucose precisely in a wide linear range. In this research project, MIP is used to create low-cost test strips for measuring the glucose concentration of a solution. Developing new methods for immobilization is a primary research topic for developing glucose sensors that are lower cost, more accurate, or generating novel ideas altogether due to the high level of difficulty of embedding enzymes. The process of embedding enzymes in a conductive material is called immobilization. The difficulty lies in binding the enzyme to a solid material from which charges can be donated, since the enzyme most commonly exists in liquid solutions. However, it is very difficult to use in integrated sensors. This enzyme is an apt tool for determining the BG levels in patients. Therefore, a simple resistance measurement can determine the glucose concentration in the solution. As more electrons are consumed, the electrical resistance of the material increases. Instead of using the typical oxygen, commercial sensors utilize electrons in this reaction. The enzyme turns the glucose molecule and an oxygen (O 2) molecule into gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2). The electronics used range from simple devices that measure the resistance of the sensor to more complicated ones that characterize the relationship between voltage and current applied to the sensor. Nearly all glucose sensors on the market employ the same technology for sensing glucose levels in a sample the sensors use an enzyme to convert the concentration of glucose into an electrical signal ( Figure 1) that is interpreted by standard electronics. Furthermore, a standard metric for identifying if the sensor would be applicable for real patient use was identified as “within 15% of reference value if ≥ 100 mg/dL or 15 mg/dL of reference value if ≤ 100 mg/dL.” 1 Both types of sensor are explored and improved upon with affordability being the central goal of this project. Most diabetes patients use one of two categories of sensors: single use test strips or continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). The goal of this project is to explore different ways of creating low cost and reliable sensors. As more patients are diagnosed with conditions requiring access to reliable glucose sensors, the need for less expensive sensors dramatically increases. While commercial sensors are widely available, they are quite expensive due to their high production cost, expensive glucose sensing materials, and the materials used to hide the sensor from the immune system. Therefore, each patient requires access to reliable sensors to collect data to determine BG levels at any given time. Change in glucose levels can cause severe complications, such as cardiovascular damage, nerve degeneration, and vision damage, if left uncontrolled. To combat this disease, patients must closely monitor their blood glucose (BG) levels. This disease develops as a result of either disrupted insulin production (type 1) or altered insulin absorption (type 2), leading to increased blood glucose levels over long periods of time. Millions of people worldwide are affected by diabetes mellitus, a leading cause of death in the United States. ![]()
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