Techniques to improve polyurethane membranes for implantable glucose sensors
First Claim
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1. A method for preparing an implantable membrane for an implantable glucose sensor, the method comprising:
- forming a composition including a dispersion of a first polymer within a matrix of a second polymer;
maintaining the composition at a temperature sufficient to maintain solubility;
applying the composition at the temperature to at least one of a substrate or a layer on the substrate to form a film thereon, wherein the step of maintaining the composition precedes the step of applying the composition; and
drying the film to form a membrane configured to cover at least a portion of an electrode of the implantable glucose sensor, wherein the membrane is configured to allow passage of glucose therethrough;
whereby after a sample of the membrane is hydrated for two hours the sample membrane exhibits no observable hydrated domains under photomicroscopy at 400×
magnification.
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Abstract
The invention provides an implantable membrane for regulating the transport of analytes therethrough that includes a matrix including a first polymer; and a second polymer dispersed throughout the matrix, wherein the second polymer forms a network of microdomains which when hydrated are not observable using photomicroscopy at 400× magnification or less. In one aspect, the homogeneous membrane of the present invention has hydrophilic domains dispersed substantially throughout a hydrophobic matrix to provide an optimum balance between oxygen and glucose transport to an electrochemical glucose sensor.
513 Citations
11 Claims
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1. A method for preparing an implantable membrane for an implantable glucose sensor, the method comprising:
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forming a composition including a dispersion of a first polymer within a matrix of a second polymer; maintaining the composition at a temperature sufficient to maintain solubility; applying the composition at the temperature to at least one of a substrate or a layer on the substrate to form a film thereon, wherein the step of maintaining the composition precedes the step of applying the composition; and drying the film to form a membrane configured to cover at least a portion of an electrode of the implantable glucose sensor, wherein the membrane is configured to allow passage of glucose therethrough; whereby after a sample of the membrane is hydrated for two hours the sample membrane exhibits no observable hydrated domains under photomicroscopy at 400×
magnification. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for preparing an implantable membrane for an implantable glucose sensor, the method comprising:
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forming a composition including a dispersion of a first polymer within a matrix of a second polymer, wherein the first polymer is a copolymer; maintaining the composition at a temperature sufficient to maintain solubility; applying the composition at the temperature to at least one of a substrate or a layer on the substrate to form a film thereon; and drying the film to form a membrane configured to cover at least a portion of an electrode of the implantable glucose sensor, wherein the membrane is configured to allow passage of glucose therethrough; whereby after a sample of the membrane is hydrated for two hours the sample membrane exhibits no observable hydrated domains under photomicroscopy at 400×
magnification.
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Specification