Claims
- 1. A biosensor for use in detecting the presence or absence of an analyte in a sample, the biosensor comprising an electrode and a bilayer membrane comprising a top layer and a bottom layer, the bottom layer being proximal to and connected to the electrode such that a space exists between the membrane and the electrode, the conductance of the membrane being dependent on the presence or absence of the analyte, the membrane comprising a closely packed array of amphiphilic molecules and a plurality of ionophores dispersed therein, and a layer of a hydrogel formed on top of the lipid bilayer membrane, the hydrogel allowing the passage of the analyte molecule to be detected.
- 2. A biosensor as claimed in claim 1 in which the hydrogel is a thermosetting gel.
- 3. A biosensor as claimed in claim 2 in which the thermosetting gel is an agar gel.
- 4. A biosensor as claimed in claim 2 in which the gel contains between 0.3-5% agar.
- 5. A biosensor as claimed in claim 2 in which the thermosetting gel is a gelatine gel.
- 6. A biosensor as claimed in claim 1 in which the hydrogel is an in situ polymerised hydrogel.
- 7. A biosensor as claimed in claim 1 in which the hydrogel is an acrylic acid or an acrylic acid derivative that is polymerised by free radial polymerisation.
- 8. A biosensor as claimed in claim 1 in which the hydrogel is formed from acrylamide and a bisacrylamide cross-linker.
- 9. A biosensor as claimed in claim 1 in which the hydrogel is formed from cross-linked hydroxyethyl acrylate or hydroxyethyl methacrylate or other biocompatible gel.
- 10. A biosensor as claimed in claim 1 in which the ionophore is capable of transporting an ion that is produced by the reaction of an enzyme with its substrate, said enzyme being either covalently or non-covalently attached to the hydrogel.
Parent Case Info
This is a division of application Ser. No. 08/406,853, filed May 17, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,201.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4661235 |
Krull et al. |
Apr 1987 |
|
4849343 |
Krull et al. |
Jul 1989 |
|
5401378 |
King et al. |
Mar 1995 |
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5443955 |
Cornell et al. |
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|
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
406853 |
May 1995 |
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