Diagnostic Gum for Screening Diabetes

• US 20110081673A1
• Filed: 10/01/2009
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charlie Chandsawangbhuwana, Jonathan T.W. Kuo
• Original Assignee: Charlie Chandsawangbhuwana, Jonathan T.W. Kuo
• Inventors: Kuo, Jonathan TW, Chandsawangbhuwana, Charlie
• Granted Patent: US 8,257,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/25
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/006 for glucose
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2800/042 Disorders of carbohydrate metabolism, e.g. diabetes, glucose metabolism

Abstract

A diagnostic chewing gum for identifying a risk for diabetes includes a mixture of an enzyme, a conjugated protein of the glucose enzyme, a substrate, and a gum base. The enzyme and the conjugated protein facilitate a conversion of the substrate to produce a detectable signal in the presence of glucose to produce a detectable change in the gum. In use, the gum is chewed, the resulting change in the gum is compared against a chart, and the risk for diabetes is determined from the chart.

Claims

1. :

A diagnostic chewing gum for identifying a risk for a medical condition, comprising a mixture of;

an enzyme;

a substrate; and

a gum base, wherein the enzyme causes a conversion of the substrate to produce a detectable signal in the presence of an analyte, thereby producing a detectable change in the gum.

2. :

The gum of claim 1, further comprising a conjugated protein of the enzyme, wherein the conjugated protein facilitates the conversion of the substrate to produce the detectable signal.

3. :

The gum of claim 2, wherein analyte is glucose and the enzyme is glucose oxidase.

4. :

The gum of claim 3, wherein the conjugated protein is horseradish peroxidase.

5. :

The gum of claim 4, wherein the substrate is a chromogenic substrate, a luminescent substrate, or a fluorescent substrate.

6. :

The gum of claim 5, wherein the chromogenic substrate is 3,3′

,5,5′

-tetramethylbenzidine or 3,3′

-diaminobenzidine.

7. :

The gum of claim 1, wherein analyte is glucose and the medical condition is diabetes.

8. :

A method for making a diagnostic chewing gum for identifying a risk for a medical condition, comprising;

melting a gum base;

mixing an enzyme and a substrate with the gum base; and

forming individual pieces of the diagnostic chewing gum from the mixture, wherein the enzyme causes a conversion of the substrate to produce a detectable signal in the presence of an analyte, thereby producing a detectable change in the gum.

9. :

The method of claim 8, wherein said mixing further comprises mixing a conjugated protein of the enzyme along with the enzyme and the substrate with the gum base, wherein the conjugated protein facilitates the conversion of substrate to produce the detectable signal.

10. :

The method of claim 9, wherein the analyte is glucose and the enzyme is glucose oxidase.

11. :

The method of claim 10, wherein the conjugated protein is horseradish peroxidase.

12. :

The method of claim 11, wherein the substrate is a chromogenic substrate, a luminescent substrate, or a fluorescent substrate.

13. :

The method of claim 12, wherein the chromogenic substrate is 3,3′

,5,5′

-tetramethylbenzidine or 3,3′

-diaminobenzidine.

14. :

The method of claim 8, wherein the analyte is glucose and the medical condition is diabetes.

15. :

A method for using a diagnostic chewing gum to identify a risk for a medical condition, comprising;

chewing the gum;

after chewing, comparing a color of the gum against a color chart; and

determining the risk for the medical condition from the color chart.

16. :

The method of claim 15, wherein the medical condition is diabetes.