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Designing the right sensing molecule
is similar to discovering a new drug. A candidate molecule
must satisfy many criteria in order to be a useful chemosensor.
First, the sensing molecule must
not only interact with the analyte, but it must interact
with the right strength to be useful over the concentration
range to be measured. With too little interaction, the
indicator will not have enough sensitivity. With too
much interaction, the indicator might saturate, or it
might act as an integrating dosimeter rather than a
sensor.
Second, the sensing molecule must
undergo a substantial change in its fluorescent properties
as the analyte concentration varies. The magnitude of
this change determines the sensitivity, which in turn
affects the achievable measurement resolution.
Finally, the ideal sensing molecule
must ignore every other substance that it will contact,
other than the target analyte. This problem of interference
can be enormous, especially in biological fluids, where
there can be thousands of different compounds present.
Meeting all of these criteria simultaneously
is a very tall order and one that for glucose had never
been achieved before. We at SMSI® are
proud to have achieved this scientific milestone.
Copyright © 2010 Sensors for Medicine and Science, Inc.®
All rights reserved. Date of last update: 02/03/10.
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