Amperometer sensor

• US 20040265940A1
• Filed: 05/05/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Drew Scientific Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Drew Scientific Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Lau, King Tong, Slater, Jonathan M, Murphy, Lindy
• Application Number:
  US10/492,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20040265940A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/14
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/004 mediator-assisted
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/006 for glucose

Abstract

An amperometric sensor suitable for determining the concentration of analyte in a sample, said sensor comprising an oxidase enzyme and a substituted 1,4-benzoquinone compound which, in oxidized form, functions as a mediator specific to reduced enzyme and which has a lower oxidation potential than unsubstituted 1,4-benzoquinone.

Claims

1. An amperometric sensor suitable for determining the concentration of analyte in a sample, said sensor comprising an oxidase enzyme and a substituted 1,4-benzoquinone compound which, in oxidized form, functions as a mediator selective for reduced enzyme and has an oxidation potential lower than that of unsubstituted 1,4-benzoquinone.

2. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein the analyte is glucose and the enzyme is glucose oxidase.

3. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein the substituted 1,4-benzoquinone compound is of formula (I):

4. A sensor according to claim 3, wherein the alkyl groups have from 1 to 3 carbon atoms.

5. A sensor according to claim 4, wherein the 1,4-benzoquinone compound is chosen from 2,6-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone, tetramethyl-1,4-benzoquinone, methyl-1,4-benzoquinone, 2,5-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone and phenyl-1,4-benzoquinone.

6. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein the 1,4-benzoquinone compound is of formula (I) wherein R¹, R², R³ and R⁴ are the same or different and at least one of R¹, R², R³ and R⁴ is an alkoxyl group or a hydroxyalkyl group.

7. A sensor according to claim 6 wherein the alkoxyl group or hydroxyalkyl group have from 1 to 3 carbon atoms.

8. A sensor according to claim 6, wherein the benzoquinone compound is chosen from 2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone,2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone and 2-hydroxymethyl-6-methoxy-1,4-benzoquinone.

9. A cartridge for an amperometric sensor suitable for measuring analyte in a sample, which cartridge comprises an enzyme and a substituted benzoquinone compound as defined in claim 1.

10. Use of an amperometric sensor as claimed in any one claim 1 for determining the concentration of an analyte in a sample, wherein the enzyme of the sensor reacts with the analyte to produce reduced enzyme which is then regenerated by the mediator.