Implantable glucose sensor: progress and problems

Although the first implantable glucose sensors were developed a few decades ago, there is still no glucose sensor that can work reliably and for a long period of time after implantation. This loss of function in vivo is caused by events that affect the sensor itself (e.g. degradation, fouling...), as well as by changes in the tissue surrounding the sensor, caused by the implantation. Therefore, in order to develop a reliable implantable glucose sensor that will remain functional for a long time in vivo, it is critical to study and control the effects of the biological environment on the sensor itself, as well as to control the tissue reactions to the sensor. Examples of such studies are described in this paper.