A new biosensor paradigm for continuous detection of multiple analyte

 

Overview

This innovatively designed biosensor will enable the simultaneous, dynamic, label-free monitoring of several analytes in living animals. The proof of concept will be made in rats with a prototype that is to be optimized for glucose and insulin measurements. This device will then be broadly applicable to many other analytes.

 

 

The ability to monitor specific analytes in biological fluids in the course of pre-clinical and clinical studies is crucial to drug discovery. It enables researchers to establish drug dosage and effect correlations and therefore directly influences the development of drugs and diagnostic tools. Current biosensors are limited in that they do not permit real-time measurement of simultaneous analytes in their natural states as they occur in vivo.

Dr. Emanuel Escher has collaborated extensively with experts in electrical engineering, physics, pharmacology, chemistry and physiology to set up this cutting-edge approach, which could change current paradigms in analytical assay development. This device’s innovative design will take advantage of the unique ability of evanescent fields to induce changes in the fluorescence of quantum dots (Q dots) following the recognition of an analyte. The biosensor will use a combination of surface tethered reagents associated with Q-dots which will recognize specific analytes and prevent the loss of reagent into the medium. It will be linked to the excitation and read-out unit by new fibre optic connection technology for bi-directional signal generation, transmission and processing. The biosensor will enable label-free, simultaneous and real time in vivo analysis of multiple analytes in several biological fluids. The proposed biosensor will be a miniaturized device (tip surface < 1 mm2) small enough to be implanted in different parts of the body. The first prototype will be optimized and applied for the simultaneous real-time detection of glucose and insulin in rats. The performance of the new biosensor will be compared with that of current glucometers and conventional biochemical insulin analyses.

There are numerous potential applications of this technology because it will allow the detection of several analytes simultaneously in vivo and could be used under a variety of conditions. It will facilitate the monitoring of physiological status in animals and patients, both during and after treatment, ensuring more accurate, faster translation of knowledge from the in vitro to the in vivo stages in the drug discovery process. “Owing to its unprecedented set of capabilities and unique technology, the biosensor will represent a truly innovative breakthrough with the potential to facilitate pre-clinical studies and change the way we test new drug candidates in multiple therapeutic areas,” said Dr. Escher, Professor and Chairman of the pharmacology department of the Université de Sherbrooke.

Impact on the drug discovery process

  • Accelerate preclinical animal efficacy and toxicity studies:
    • Accurately measure multiple analytes in vivo, in real time and under various disease conditions
    • Refine experimental procedures
    • Reduce the number of animals required
    • Eliminate certain costly and time consuming in vitro assays
    • Measure proteins in their natural environment in different anatomical parts of the body
  • Improve the monitoring of anti-diabetic drug efficacy in animal models
  • Provide an opportunity to develop human applications by facilitating drug efficacy testing in clinical trials through real-time continuous monitoring of several analytes in a minimally invasive way

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