Biosensor and chemical sensor probes for calcium and other metal ions

• US 5,496,522 A
• Filed: 02/07/1994
• Issued: 03/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Viallet, Pierre, Vo-Dinh, Tuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Redding, David A.
• Application Number:
  US08/192,429
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 422/82.05, 422/82.06, 422/82.07, 422/82.08, 128/634, 356/39, 436/79, 436/805, 549/352
• US Class Current: 422/82.05
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/643 non-biological material
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/648 using evanescent coupling or surface plasmon coupling for the excitation of fluorescence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/7703 using reagent-clad optical fibres or optical waveguides using measurement of total internal reflection or attenuated total reflection G01N21/552; optical fibres or waveguides per se G02B

Abstract

The present invention relates to chemical sensor and biosensor probes for measuring low concentration of metals and metal ions in complex samples such as biological fluids, living cells, and environmental samples. More particularly the present invention relates to a gel-based Indo-1 and Fura-2 chemical sensor probes for the measurement of low concentrations of calcium, cadmium, magnesium and the like. Also disclosed is a detector device using the sensors of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sensor for detecting the concentration of metal ions comprising a medium consisting essentially of a gel bonded to a fluorophore, the fluorophore bonded to the gel by way of a carbodiimide comprising 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethyl carbodiimide hydrochloride.

2. A sensor for detecting the concentration of calcium ions comprising a medium consisting essentially of a gel bonded to a fluorophore, the fluorophore bonded to the gel by way of a carbodiimide comprising 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethyl carbodiimide hydrochloride.

3. A sensor for detecting the concentration of cadmium ions comprising a medium consisting essentially of a gel bonded to a fluorophore, the fluorophore bonded to the gel by way of a carbodiimide comprising 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethyl carbodiimide hydrochloride.