Disposable sensor for use in measuring an analyte in a gaseous sample

• US 7,533,558 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2007
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Circassia AB
• Original Assignee: Apieron Biosystems Corporation
• Inventors: Nason, Kevin, Flaherty, Bryan, Kaiser, John, Fay, Jonathan, Chazan, David, Parikh, Bhairavi, Stone, James
• Primary Examiner(s): LARKIN, DANIEL SEAN
• Application Number:
  US11/737,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20070261472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 73/23.3
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/097 Devices for facilitating collection of breath or for directing breath into or through measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/783 for analysing gases
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/497 of gaseous biological material, e.g. breath

Abstract

The present invention is a disposable sensor for use with a device that quantifies analytes in a gaseous sample. It comprises (i) a sensing element, (ii) a means for interfacing the disposable sensor with a gas analysis device, and (iii) a housing. When used with a device that can quantify the concentration of an analyte in a gas sample, the present invention facilitates the use of exhaled breath analysis as a clinical tool.

Claims

1. A sensor for use with a device that quantifies the concentration of nitric oxide in a range of 5 to 200 ppb in a gaseous sample of exhaled breath, comprising:

a housing;

a disposable sensor within said housing and removable therefrom for replacement by a second disposable sensor, each said disposable sensor comprising a sensing element comprising cytochrome-c in a sol-gel, said cytochrome-c undergoing a change in the presence of 5 to 200 ppb of nitric oxide; and

a first sample conditioning unit within said housing.

2. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein said sample conditioning unit comprises zeolite (5A or 13x), a silica gel, or another desiccant.

3. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein said sample conditioning comprises potassium permanganate combined with charcoal or zeolite 3A.

4. The sensor according to claim 1, additionally comprising a second sample conditioning unit, wherein said first sample conditioning unit is for use in measuring a first analyte, and said second sample conditioning unit is for use in measuring a second analyte.