Fluorescent glucose biosensors

Fluorescent glucose biosensors are devices that measure the concentration of glucose
in diabetic patients by means of sensitive protein that relays the concentration by means of
fluorescence, an alternative to amperometric sension of glucose. No device has yet entered the
medical market, but, due to the prevalence of diabetes, it is the prime drive in the construction
of fluorescent biosensors.
Fluorescence is a property present in certain molecules, called fluorophores, in which
they emit a photon shortly after absorbing one with a higher energy wavelength
Blood glucose monitoring is a way of testing the concentration of glucose in the blood
(glycemia). Particularly important in the care of diabetes mellitus, a blood glucose test is
performed by piercing the skin (typically, on the finger) to draw blood, then applying the
blood to a chemically active disposable 'test-strip'. Different manufacturers use different
technology, but most systems measure an electrical characteristic, and use this to determine
the glucose level in the blood. The test is usually referred to as capillary blood glucose and
sometimes incorrectly called BM Stix (after one of the companies that makes the test kit).
Healthcare professionals advise patients with diabetes on the appropriate monitoring
regime for their condition. Most people with Type 2 diabetes test at least once per day.
Diabetics who use insulin (all Type 1 diabetes and many Type 2s) usually test their blood
sugar more often (3 to 10 times per day), both to assess the effectiveness of their prior insulin
dose and to help determine their next insulin dose.
The monitoring systems currently in general use have the drawback of below optimal
number of readings, due to their reliance on a drop of fresh blood. Some continuous glucose
monitors are commercially available, but suffer from the severe drawback of a short working
life of the probe. The majority of these work amperometrically. As a result, there is an effort
to create a sensor that relies on a different mechanism, such as via external infrared
spectroscopy or via fluorescent biosensors . Various strategies exist to detect glucose levels
using fluorescence, the first and most common being a Fret competition assay between
glucose and a labelled glucose polymer for the binding site of Concanavalin A. Over the
years, using a combination of rational design and screening approaches, many possible
combinations of fluorescent sensor for glucose have been studied with varying degrees of
success: In most approaches, the glucose concentration is translated into a change in
fluorescence either by using a Fret pair or by using environment sensitive (solvatochromic)
dyes.
Another pair of papers suggest that the natural fluorescence (autofluorescence) of
tissues may be harnessed to track glucose concentrations. These studies took advantage of the
fact that NAD(P)H, in its reduced form, is autofluorescent, and that metabolites such as
glucose cause a predictable increase in NAD(P)H reduction

Ultrasound can also measure levels of glucose because sound waves are transmitted
through the tissue in the earlobe at different rates, according to how much glucose is present.
Heat also travels at a different rate through tissue when blood glucose levels are high
or low.
The ear clip device also fires low-level electromagnetic waves into the tissue - these
are transmitted differently depending on blood sugar.
Though none of these three methods is accurate enough on its own to replace blood
tests, by averaging out scores GlucoTrack can come up with a valid reading.