Janus Hydrogel Microbeads for Glucose Sensing with pH Calibration

We present fluorescent Janus hydrogel microbeads for continuous glucose sensing with pH calibration. The Janus hydrogel microbeads, that consist of fluorescent glucose and pH sensors, were fabricated with a UV-assisted centrifugal microfluidic device. The microbead can calibrate the pH values of its surroundings and enables accurate measurements of glucose within various pH conditions. As a proof of concept, we succeeded in obtaining the accurate value of glucose concentration in a body-fluid-like sample solution. We believe that our fluorescent microbeads, with pH calibration capability, could be applied to fully implantable sensors for continuous glucose monitoring.

Hemocompatible Electrochemical Sensors for Continuous Monitoring of Blood Parameters

The real-time monitoring of physiological parameters is essential for point-of-care testing. While nowadays routine tests are done through ex vivo analysis on frequently extracted blood, placing implantable sensors monitoring key blood parameters such as lactate, glucose, ions, and oxygen would mean a giant step forward in the care of critically ill patients, improving the response time in emergencies and diminishing the invasiveness of the measurements. The recent advances in microelectronics and nanotechnology are a promising technology enabling moving in that direction. The goal of our work is to develop arrays of electrochemical sensors with selective and hemocompatible coatings, allowing for the future implementation of such measurements in patients. We perform the analysis of blood parameters in a label-free and electrochemical manner which is compatible with the inevitable miniaturization in a real application. The tuneable composition of the layer will allow to pursue further applications in the future by modification of the receptor molecules and their concentrations.

Implantable Blood Pressure Sensors with Analogic Thermal Drift Compensation

Implantable pressure sensors represent an important part of the research activity in laboratories. Unfortunately, their use is limited by cost, autonomy and temperature-related drifts. The cost of use depends on several parameters, particularly their low battery life and the need for miniaturization to be able to implant the animals and monitor them over a time that is long enough to be physiologically relevant. This paper studied the possibility of reducing the thermal drift of implantable sensors. To quantify and compensate for the thermal drift, we developed the equivalent model of the piezoresistive probe by using the Cadence software. Our model takes into account the temperature (34–39 °C) as well as the pressure (0–300 mmHg). We were thus able to identify the source of the drift and thanks to our model, we were able to compensate for it thanks to the compensation circuits added to the conditioning circuits of the sensor. The maximum relative drift of the sensor is (0.1 mV/°C)/3.6 mV (2.7%), a drift of the conditioning circuit is (0.98 mV/°C)/916 mV (0.1%) and the whole is (13.4 mV/°C)/420 mV (32%). The compensated sensor shows a relative maximum drift of (0.371 mV/°C)/405 mV (0.09%). The output voltage remains stable over the measurement temperature range.

Minimally Invasive Surgery, Implantable Sensors, and Personalized Therapies

Glaucoma management has changed dramatically over the last decades, through clinical advances and technological revolutions. This review discusses the latest innovations and challenges faced in the field around three major axes: minimally-invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS), implantable sensors and injectable therapeutics. Indeed, the vast number of recently developed MIGS techniques has not only provided clinicians with a wide range of therapeutic options, but they have also enabled them to adjust their therapies more finely which may have contributed a more patient-centric decision-making process. Yet, despite considerable advances in the field, the wide heterogeneity in clinical trial designs blurs the surgical outcomes, specificities and indications. Thus, more high-quality data are required to make the choice of a specific MIGS procedure more than an educated guess. Beyond the scope of MIGS, the potential of IOP telemetry for self-assessment of IOP-control through implantable sensors is developing into a real option for clinicians and an empowering opportunity for patients. Indeed, providing patients with direct feedback enables them to take control and have a clearer representation of their care, in turn leading to a better control of the disease. However, there are potential issues with self-monitoring of IOP, such as increased anxiety levels induced by measured IOP fluctuations and peaks, leading to patients self-treating during IOP spikes and additional office visits. Furthermore, the advent of implantable therapeutics may soon provide yet another step towards personalized glaucoma treatment, by offering not only an efficient alternative to current treatments, but also a therapeutic option that may better adapt to patients’ lifestyle. After several decades of relative stagnation through the last century, glaucoma has now entered what many view as a golden age for the specialty. Like every revolution, this one brings its fair share of uncertainty, clinical questioning and uneasy periods of adaptation to ever-changing expectations. Yet, while it is impossible to guess what the landscape of glaucoma surgery will be like in ten or fifteen years, data suggest a bright outlook both for patients and clinicians. Keywords: Glaucoma; MIGS; Quality of Life; Telemetry; Eyemate; Bimatoprost SR