A biocompatible affinity MEMS sensor for continuous monitoring of glucose

In this paper, we present two designs for developing a biocompatible affinity MEMS glucose sensor. Based on these designs, two devices were fabricated and characterized. These devices, consisting of a micro-cantilever or membrane situated inside microchambers, are driven by a remote magnetic field and separated from the sensing environment by a semi-permeable membrane. A change in viscosity induced by the binding of poly(acrylamide-ran-3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid) (PAA-ran-PAAPBA) copolymer with glucose is determined by the damped vibration of the cantilever or the membrane in the devices. The cantilever-based sensor has been used to measure physiologically relevant glucose concentrations from 0 to 324 mg/dL with a response time of approximately 3 minutes. This response time was further improved to 1.5 minutes using the membrane-based sensor.