Biosensor for detecting specific component content in sample by partial pressure
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a biosensor; in particular to a biosensor for detecting partial pressure caused by the content of specific components in a corresponding sample.
Background
In recent years, various biosensors using specific enzymes to catalyze reactions have been developed for medical applications. One use of such biosensors is in the treatment of diabetes to help diabetics control their own blood glucose levels (blood glucose concentrations) within normal ranges. For hospitalized diabetics, their own blood glucose levels can be controlled within normal ranges under the supervision of a doctor. However, for non-hospitalized diabetic patients, it becomes very important that the patients themselves control the blood sugar content themselves without direct supervision of the doctors.
Self-control of blood glucose levels can be achieved by diet, exercise, and medication. These treatment modalities are usually employed simultaneously under the supervision of a physician. When a diabetic can detect whether the blood sugar content of the diabetic is in a normal range, the diabetic can help the diabetic to control the blood sugar content of the diabetic more effectively.
FIG. 1 shows a blood glucose meter for self-testing of blood glucose levels by a patient, which includes a main test unit 10 and a biochip 12 for measuring blood glucose levels. Referring to FIG. 2, the biochip 12 is shown in an exploded view, and includes a strip-shaped substrate 122 with an electrode 1221 disposed at the front end thereof. The electrode 1221 is covered by a reaction layer 124, a spacer 126, and a cover plate 128. The electrode 1221 has an operating electrode 1222 and a corresponding electrode 1224 surrounding the operating electrode 1222. The operation electrode 1222 and the corresponding electrode 1224 are electrically connected to a conducting wire 1226 and a conducting wire 1228 at the end of the strip substrate 122, respectively. The reaction layer 124 overlying the electrode 1221contains potassium ferricyanide and an oxidizing enzyme, such as glucose oxidizing enzyme.
In using the above blood glucose meter, the biochip 12 is first inserted into the main test unit 10. The patient may then prick his or her skin with a lancet to exude a drop of blood, which is then dropped directly onto the end of the biochip 12 that has been inserted into the main test unit 10. The drop of blood is drawn into the reaction layer 124 over the electrode 1221, dissolving the reaction layer 124, and performing an enzyme-catalyzed reaction, as shown in the following equation:
a predetermined amount of potassium ferrocyanide (potassium ferrocyanide) is produced in response to the glucose concentration in the blood sample. After a predetermined period of time, an applied voltage VrefApplied on the biochip 12 to electrochemically react potassium ferrocyanide to release electrons, and generate a corresponding reaction current through the operation electrode 1222. The reaction current is proportional to the concentration of potassium ferrocyanide produced by the enzyme-catalyzed reaction or to the concentration of glucose in the blood sample. By measuring this reaction current, the glucose concentration in the blood sample can be obtained.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a control circuit of a conventional blood glucose meter, in which an electrode 1221 of the biochip 12 can be regarded as a resistor RsApplication voltage VrefMay be supplied by a battery. A reaction current I generated by the biochip 12 gradually decays with increasing time, and a discharge curve is formed according to the glucose concentration in the blood sample. Furthermore, a response current value corresponding to each sampling time of the discharge curve is converted into an output voltage V by a current/voltage converter 30out. The current/voltage converter 30 is composed of a circuit having an amplifying resistor RfThe operational amplifier 310. Thus, the response current over time forms a voltage-time discharge curve. A voltage value corresponding to each sampling time in the voltage-time discharge curve is converted into a set of digital signals by an analog-to-digital converter 32. The microprocessor 34 reads the sets of digital signals output from the adc 32 and determines the glucose concentration in the blood sample according to the sets of digital signals. A display such as a liquid crystal display 36 displays the glucose concentration value,for patient reference.
The conventional blood glucose meter uses an operational amplifier as the current/voltage converter 30, so that the control circuit of the blood glucose meter is complicated and consumes much electric energy. Furthermore, when the blood glucose meter is not in use, the operational amplifier 310 will generate static current and dark current, thereby shortening the service life of the battery. For the patient, it is very inconvenient to need to change the battery frequently. Moreover, the cost of the components used in the conventional blood glucose meter is high, so that the manufacturing cost of the blood glucose meter cannot be reduced.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved blood glucose meter that overcomes the above-mentioned deficiencies of conventional blood glucose meters.
Disclosure of Invention
The main objective of the present invention is to provide a biosensor for detecting the content of a specific component in a sample by partial pressure, which has fewer components and can reduce the manufacturing cost compared to the conventional biosensor.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a biosensor for detecting the content of a specific component in a sample by voltage division without using an operational amplifier of a conventional biosensor, whereby the biosensor of the present invention does not generate static current and dark current when it is not in use, and the lifespan of a battery supplying power can be extended.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a biosensor for detecting the content of a specific component in a sample by partial pressure, which uses less electronic parts and reduces the power consumption compared to the conventional biosensor.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a biosensor for detecting the content of a specific component in a sample by partial pressure, which uses less electronic components than the conventional biosensor, reduces noise interference of the electronic components, and improves the recognition of the content of the specific component.
In accordance with the above objects, the present invention provides a biosensor for detecting the content of a specific component in a sample by partial pressure, comprising a sensor with a resistance value RsThe biochip, a voltage supply source and a microprocessor. The voltage supply source is used for providing an action voltage to the biochip, and when the action voltage is applied to the biochip, the biochip generates a reaction current which changes along with time corresponding to the content of a specific component in a detected body provided on the biochip. The microprocessor receives a time-varying partial pressure from the biochip caused by the time-varying reaction current, and the time-varying partial pressure is usedThe partial pressure is used to determine the content of the specific component.
Compared with the traditional biosensor, the biosensor has fewer components, and can reduce the manufacturing cost and reduce the power consumption. Furthermore, the present invention directly detects a partial pressure caused by the content of the specific component in the corresponding sample from the biochip, so that the interference of the electronic parts to the detection of the partial pressure can be reduced, and the identification of the content of the specific component can be further improved.
The objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional blood glucose meter;
FIG. 2 is an exploded schematic view of the conventional blood glucose meter of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a control circuit of the conventional blood glucose meter of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating the principle of detecting the partial pressure of a biochip according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a control circuit of a biosensor according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 6 is a graph of various partial pressure curves over time.
The symbols in the drawings illustrate that:
10 main test unit
12 biological chip
122 strip-shaped substrate
1221 electrode section
124 reaction layer
126 spacer
128 cover plate
1222 operating electrode
1224 counter electrode
1226. 1228 conducting wire
30 current/voltage converter
32A/D converter
34 microprocessor
36 liquid crystal display
40 biological chip
42 analog-to-digital converter
44 microprocessor
46 display
Detailed Description
The principle of the biosensor of the present invention for measuring the content of a specific component in a sample is the same as that of the conventional biosensor shown in FIG. 1, in which the sample is applied to a biochip inserted into a main test unit of the biosensor, and the content of the specific component is measured by using the result of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction between the specific component to be detected and the enzyme on the biochip. Therefore, the biosensor of the present invention can be used to measure different specific components in different biological samples according to the types of enzymes contained in the biochip. For example, when a biochip contains glucose oxidase (glucose oxidase), the biosensor can be used to measure the glucose concentration in a blood sample. When lactate oxidase (lactate oxidase) is contained in the biochip, the biosensor can be used to measure the concentration of lactate in saliva. Taking the measurement of the glucose concentration in blood as an example, when a blood sample is dropped on the biochip of the biosensor of the present invention, the glucose in the blood sample and potassium ferricyanide (potassium ferricyanide) on the biochip undergo redox reaction under the catalysis of glucose oxidase to generate a predetermined amount of potassium ferrocyanide (potassium ferricyanide) proportional to the glucose concentration in the blood sample. Therefore, after a predetermined time, i.e. after the enzyme-catalyzed reaction of a specific component of a sample, such as glucose in a blood sample, is completed, a voltage supply source applies an action voltage to the biochip, so that the biochip generates a reaction current corresponding to the specific component, e.g. the action voltage causes a predetermined amount of potassium ferrocyanide corresponding to the glucose concentration in the blood sample to perform an oxidation reaction, thereby releasing electrons and generating the corresponding reaction current.
The present invention provides a biosensor for detecting the content of a specific component in a sample by partial pressure, which directly detects a partial pressure (partial voltage) of the biochip without using a current/voltage converter, such as an operational amplifier, the partial pressure being caused by a reaction current generated by the content of the specific component to be detected in the sample. In other words, the control circuit of the main test unit of the biosensor of the present invention does not need to use a current/voltage converter formed of, for example, an operational amplifier. In the present invention, the content of the specific component in the sample is determined based on the partial pressure of the biochip to be detected. The principle of the present invention for determining the content of specific components by detecting partial pressure from a biochip is described with reference to FIG. 4. A biochip 40 of the biosensor of the present invention is connected in series to a resistor R1And a terminal of (1), and a resistor R1The other end of which is connected to a ground potential. A voltage supply source VDDFor providing an applied voltage to the biochip 40, so that the biochip 40 generates a reaction current corresponding to the content of the specific component in the sample applied thereon, and the reaction current flows through the biochip 40. Thus, a partial pressure VpartialI.e. generated from the biochip 40 and the resistor R1In the meantime. When no specimen is provided on the biochip 40, the resistance value R of the biochip 40sIs infinite, so that the partial pressure of the biochip 40 is zero regardless of whether the biochip 40 is inserted into the main test unit. However, when the sample is provided on the biochip 40 and the voltage supply source V is providedDDWhen an applied voltage is applied to the biochip 40, the specific components in the sample will make the resistance R of the biochip 40sChange the resistance value RsSuddenly dropping. The biochip 40 generates a reaction current I varying with time according to the content of the specific component in the sample. The time-varying reaction current I flows through the biological coreThe sheet 40, resulting in a time-varying partial pressure VpartialIn the biochip 40 and the resistor R1Which can be of the formula Vpartial=IR1Shows that the partial pressure V ispartialProportional to the content of the specific component in the sample. The present invention is based on the direct detection of the partial pressure V from the biochip 40partialTo determine the content of specific components, the biosensor can be reducedPartial pressure V of electronic componentpartialThe noise interference of the detection further improves the identification of the content of the specific component.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a control circuit of a biosensor according to an embodiment of the invention. The control circuit in this embodiment includes a voltage supply source VDDA resistance value RsThe biochip 40, a resistor R1An analog-to-digital conversion circuit 42, a microprocessor 44 and a display 46. Voltage supply source VDDAn action voltage is supplied to the biochip 40, and the biochip 40 generates a reaction current I varying with time in response to the content of the specific component in the specimen supplied thereto. Resistance R1One end is connected in series to the biochip 40 and the other end is connected to a ground potential. The time-varying current I flows through the biochip 40 to generate a time-varying partial voltage VpartialIn the biochip 40 and the resistor R1Which can be of the formula Vpartial=IR1And (4) showing. This time-varying partial pressure VpartialA voltage-time discharge curve, such as the various time-varying partial pressure curves of different glucose concentrations in the corresponding blood shown in fig. 6, is constructed. From the respective time-varying voltage division curves, a peak voltage (peak voltage) and a rise time (rising time) corresponding to the peak voltage are obtained. The peak voltage (peak voltage) refers to the maximum voltage value in each individual time-varying voltage division curve. This time-varying partial pressure VpartialThe voltage division value is directly sent to the analog-to-digital converter 42 to convert the voltage division value corresponding to each sampling time into a set of digital signals, and then sent to the microprocessor 44 for further processing. The microprocessor 44 then varies the divided voltage V according to the timepartialOne voltage-time of formationThe discharge curve determines the content of the specific component in the sample. Alternatively, the ADC 42 may be disposed within the microprocessor 44 to receive the time-varying divided voltage Vpartial. The microprocessor 44 divides the voltage V according to the time variationpartialThe following methods are used to determine the content of specific components in the sample by using a single voltage-time discharge curve. For example, the microprocessor 44 may be built with a mapping table (mappingtable) of the rise time corresponding to the content of the specific component, and the microprocessor 44 may detect the time-varying partial pressure V from the detected partial pressurepartialAfter obtaining a rise time, the content of the specific component is determined according to the mapping table. Alternatively, the microprocessor 44 may have a built-in map of peak voltages corresponding to the amounts of the specific components, and the microprocessor 44 may detect the time-varying partial voltage VpartialAfter obtaining a peak voltage, the content of the specific component is determined according to the mapping table. In addition, the microprocessor 44 may be built with a map of the rise time versus the specified component curve (prescribed curve), and the microprocessor 44 may be configured to select the rising time versus the specified component curve (prescribed curve)Detected time-varying partial pressure VpartialAfter obtaining a rise time, the content of the specific component is determined according to the mapping table. Alternatively, the microprocessor 44 may have a map of the peak voltage versus specific component specification curve built into it, the microprocessor 44 sensing the time-varying voltage division VpartialAfter obtaining a peak voltage, the content of the specific component is determined according to the mapping table. A reading of the amount of the particular component is displayed for patient reference via a display 46, such as a liquid crystal display.
On the other hand, the resistance R1Can be replaced by a variable resistor to divide the voltage VpartialThe size can be adjusted to within an acceptable range for the analog-to-digital converter 42. The microprocessor 44 may have a plurality of maps, wherein each map corresponds to a resistance value of the variable resistance adjustment, and the kind of the map is the same as that described above.
The present invention directly detects a partial pressure V caused by the content of a specific component in a sample corresponding to a biochip 40partial. The biosensor of the present invention is compared to the conventional biosensor shown in FIG. 3The device can use less electronic parts, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost and reducing the power consumption. Moreover, the biosensor of the present invention does not need to use an operational amplifier as a current/voltage converter, and when the biosensor is not used, no static current or dark current is generated, so that the service life of a battery supplying power can be prolonged, and the convenience of using the biosensor of the present invention can be increased.
The above description is only an example of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention; all such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and the present invention.