Cross-sensitivity-compensated biosensor

• US 10,274,408 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2016
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biotronik SE & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Biotronik SE & Company KG
• Inventors: Ebert, Henning, Bunge, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Brian R
• Application Number:
  US15/169,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20160349162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0247 for compensation or correction of the measured physiological value
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/168 Fluid filled sensor housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14735 comprising an immobilised reagent
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1495 Calibrating or testing of in-vivo probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6867 specially adapted to be attached or implanted in a specific body part A61B5/6847 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/01 specially adapted for biological cells, e.g. blood cells investigating sedimentation of particle suspensions in blood G01N15/05
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/06 Investigating concentration of particle suspensions by weighing G01N5/00; investigating sedimentation of particle suspensions G01N15/04; investigating individual particles G01N15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/49 Blood chemical methods for determining blood cell populations G01N33/5094; chemical analysis of blood groups or blood types G01N33/80
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 7/04 by absorption or adsorption alone
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 7/10 by allowing diffusion of components through a porous wall and measuring a pressure or volume difference

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention include a biosensor, such as an implantable biosensor, that includes a sensor material sensitive to at least one analyte in a pressure measurement chamber coupled to a pressure sensor. In embodiments of the invention, a pressure prevailing in the pressure measurement chamber may be determined by the pressure sensor. The sensor material is coupled in the pressure measurement chamber to a compensation material, which includes a relationship between a temperature and a volume of the pressure. The relationship is opposite to a temperature-dependent change in pressure or volume of the sensor material and at least partially compensates for a cross-sensitivity-induced change in volume of the sensor material.

Claims

1. A biosensor (10) comprising:

a sensor material (60);

a pressure measurement chamber (20);

a pressure sensor (56); and

a compensation material (70);

wherein said sensor material (60) is sensitive to at least one analyte;

wherein said sensor material (60) is in the pressure measurement chamber (20),

wherein said compensation material (70) is in the pressure measurement chamber (20),

wherein said pressure measurement chamber (2) is (20) is coupled to the pressure sensor (56),

wherein a pressure prevailing in the pressure measurement chamber (20) is determined by the pressure sensor (56),

wherein the sensor material (60) is configured to undergo a change in volume in response to a cross-sensitivity of the sensor material (60) comprising a change to at least one ambient variable detected at said sensor material (60),

wherein the compensation material (70) is configured to undergo a change in volume in response to a change to the at least one ambient variable, and

wherein the change in volume of thr compensation material (70) is opposite to the change in volume of the sensor material (60),

such that the change in volume of the sensor material (60) is at least partially compensated for by the change in volume of the compensation material (70).

2. The biosensor according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sensitivity-induced change in volume of the sensor material (60) is one or more of a temperature-induced change in volume and a pH value-induced change in volume.

3. The biosensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor material (60) sensitive to at least one analyte is a polymer gel, or hydrogel, or a smart hydrogel sensitive to at least one analyte.

4. The biosensor according to claim 1, wherein said at least one ambient variable detected at said sensor material (60) comprises one or more of a change to a pH value, temperature change, and change in concentration of the at least one analyte.

5. The biosensor according to claim 1, wherein the pressure measurement chamber (20) comprises at least two compartments (22, 24), wherein the sensor material (60) is arranged in a first compartment of the at least two compartments and the compensation material (70) is arranged in a second compartment of the at least two compartments, and wherein the first compartment comprises a region (30) which is permeable to the at least one analyte and a test medium.

6. The biosensor according to claim 5, wherein

the first compartment and the second compartment border one another, or

the biosensor further comprises a flexible membrane (40) arranged between the first compartment and the second compartment, or

both wherein the first compartment and the second compartment border one another and wherein the biosensor further comprises a flexible membrane (40) arranged between the first compartment and the second compartment.

7. The biosensor according to claim 6, wherein said second compartment comprises a region which is permeable to the at least one analyte and the test medium.

8. The biosensor according to claim 5, wherein the pressure sensor (56) is arranged at least in part in the second compartment and wherein regions of the pressure sensor (56) are surrounded by the compensation material (70).

9. The biosensor according to claim 8, wherein the compensation material (70) is oil (72).

10. The biosensor according to claim 1, wherein the pressure measurement chamber (20) comprises one compartment (26), wherein the sensor material (60) is mixed in the pressure measurement chamber (20) with the compensation material (70) within the one compartment (26), and wherein the one compartment (26) comprises a mechanical abutment which is permeable to the at least one analyte and a test medium.

11. The biosensor according to claim 10, wherein the sensor material (60) together with the compensation material (70) form a stack arrangement comprising alternating layers of sensor material (60) and compensation material (70), or wherein the sensor material (60) together with the compensation material (70) comprise a mixture of particles of sensor material (60) and compensation material (70).

12. The biosensor according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor (56) is arranged within the pressure measurement chamber (20) in an additional compartment (50), wherein the additional compartment (50) is filled with a pressure transfer medium (54).

13. The biosensor according to claim 5, wherein the first compartment (22) is coupled to the second compartment (24) by a pressure piston connection (80) or by an extendable pipe connection (90), such that a change in volume of the first compartment (22) leads to a change in volume of the second compartment (24).

14. The biosensor according to claim 1, wherein the compensation material (70) is a hydrogel.

15. The biosensor according to claim 1, wherein the biosensor (10) is configured to be implanted in a human or animal body.

16. The biosensor according to claim 1, wherein the pressure measurement chamber (20) comprises a wall, and wherein

the pressure sensor (56) is connected to the wall of the pressure measurement chamber (20), or

one or more components of the pressure sensor (56) are part of the wall of the pressure measurement chamber (20).