Small volume in vitro analyte sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9291592-B2
Application number	US-201414281642-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2014
Priority date	Oct 8, 1998
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

A sensor utilizing a non-leachable or diffusible redox mediator is described. The sensor includes a sample chamber to hold a sample in electrolytic contact with a working electrode, and in at least some instances, the sensor also contains a non-leachable or a diffusible second electron transfer agent. The sensor and/or the methods used produce a sensor signal in response to the analyte that can be distinguished from a background signal caused by the mediator. The invention can be used to determine the concentration of a biomolecule, such as glucose or lactate, in a biological fluid, such as blood or serum, using techniques such as coulometry, amperometry, and potentiometry. An enzyme capable of catalyzing the electrooxidation or electroreduction of the biomolecule is typically provided as a second electron transfer agent.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of using a blood glucose meter, comprising:
contacting a blood sample with a sensor positioned in the blood glucose meter, wherein the sensor comprises:
a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode;
a sample chamber for holding the blood sample, the sample chamber comprising the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode; and
a glucose-responsive enzyme and a redox mediator disposed in the sample chamber;

applying a first potential between the first and second electrodes using the blood glucose meter and detecting a change in an electrical signal between the first and second electrodes to determine when the blood sample contacts the first and second electrodes;
applying a second potential between the first and third electrodes using the blood glucose meter and determining whether a change in an electrical signal occurs between the first and third electrodes to determine whether the blood sample contacts the first and third electrodes; and
determining partial filling of the sample chamber by the blood sample when a change in an electrical signal occurs between the first and second electrodes and when a change in an electrical signal does not occur between the first and third electrodes.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein detecting a change in an electrical signal between the first and second electrodes comprises detecting a voltage, current, resistance, impedance, capacitance, or combination thereof.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein detecting the change in an electrical signal between the first and second electrodes comprises detecting a production of a current between the first and second electrodes.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining whether a change in an electrical signal occurs between the first and third electrodes comprises determining whether a voltage, current, resistance, impedance, capacitance, or combination thereof occurs between the first and third electrodes.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein determining whether a change in an electrical signal occurs between the first and third electrodes comprises determining whether a current is produced between the first and third of electrodes.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first, second and third electrodes are coplanar.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a tip-fill sensor.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a side-fill sensor.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sample chamber is sized to contain a volume of no more than 1 μL of the blood sample.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the sample chamber is sized to contain a volume of no more than 0.5 μL of the blood sample.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the glucose-responsive enzyme is glucose oxidase or glucose dehydrogenase.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises obtaining the blood sample from a finger of a subject.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises obtaining the blood sample from a region of a subject having a lower nerve end density as compared to a fingertip.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the region of a subject having a lower nerve end density as compared to a fingertip is selected from the group consisting of: a forearm region and a thigh region.

Assignees

• Abbott Diabetes Care Inc

Inventors

• Feldman Benjamin J
• Heller Adam
• Heller Ephraim
• Mao Fei
• Vivolo Joseph A
• Funderburk Jeffery V
• Colman Fredric C
• Krishnan Rajesh

Classifications

• C12Q1/006

  for glucose · CPC title

• Y10T29/49204

  Contact or terminal manufacturing · CPC title

• Y10T29/49128

  Assembling formed circuit to base · CPC title

• Y10T29/49794

  Dividing on common outline · CPC title

• Y10T29/4913

  Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc. · CPC title