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Product Development

Implantable Glucose Sensor Device

Cybersensors is developing an indwelling biophysical sensor, which is painless, bloodless and suitable, for continuous monitoring. The sensor is a small, self contained, biocompatible implant of less than 0.5 cubic centimetre and can be surgically implanted under the skin using a local anaesthetic and will function for extended periods before replacement. The underlying principle of this revolutionary device is the rheological properties of the sensor change in specific response to the concentration of glucose. Changes of blood glucose levels are detected by an integral microchip sensor device and are monitored from outside the body, non-invasively using a low energy wireless communication process. As power is supplied from an external reader device, the sensor and communication circuits within the glucose sensor do not require a battery to function in the body. In practice, the device will be capable of several years of reliable in-body operation. Only the Cybersensors system offers the following unique combination of features:

· Painless and bloodless extraction.
· Long sensor life.
· Quick response time
· Continuous or frequent measurements.
· Alarms for Low and High glucose levels.
· Trend indicator with each glucose reading.
· Event flags to record different events (e.g. meal, insulin).
· Time icon-indicating time to next measurement.
· Real time clock, Alarm Clock function
· Discreet, portable & user friendly.
· Highly suitable for children and brittle Type 1 diabetes.
· Ease of calibration and re-calibration non-invasively.

Drug Research

Animals are used in drug research to monitor the effects of putative drugs on key physiological parameters. Implanted telemetric sensors would have considerable advantages for such applications, allowing freedom of movement, reduced stress and a simpler system for the researcher.

Industrial - Manufacturing Process Control

Food Packaging and Transportation

Many foodstuffs i.e. meat and dairy products, are bulk-transported in sealed containers or packages. The packages contain an oxygen-free environment to minimize spoilage. Losses due to failure of package integrity, leading to oxygen ingress can be as high as 9%. The combination of micro radio technology and an oxygen sensor is a low cost passive device, small enough to be introduced inside the wall of the packaging. This provides for condition monitoring of the packaging environment in storage and transit, thus providing early detection of oxygen ingress. From the information retrieved, corrective action can be taken, and evidence collected to aid packaging design improvements, thereby reducing losses.

Fermentation and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

The use of continuous sensors for monitoring specific analytes can prove beneficial in the industrial environment by offering real time results, accuracy, and long term stability. Industrial applications include bioreactors, fermentation, pharmaceutical manufacturing, process control etc.

Medical - Treatment of Chronic Conditions

Other examples of commercial applications with high volume international scope, which are being addressed within the current feasibility product development programme are:

In Vivo Sensors [Creatinine, Lactate]

Widespread conditions involving dialysis patients could benefit from this approach. UK kidney patients in relevant treatments number 30000 - worldwide this figure is 300000 and increasing at 10% per year. An implantable creatinine sensor would be particularly useful and, if produced, could be more widely used than in intensive care situations. Note: similar devices for lactate measurement may also be used in cardiac surgery and in sports medicine.

Gastro-Intestinal Sensors [pH and Pressure]

Cybersensors is developing a radio telemetric sensor device suitable for insertion into the gastro-intestinal tract for measuring remotely; pH and pressure levels at selected points within a patient. The telemetric device is approx. 1.5 cubic centimetres in volume; and is capable of being swallowed. Typically the telemetric read range is 0.75metres with a reading accuracy of no less than +/- 2.5% for pH values of 1.0 to 10 and +/- 1.5% for pressures of 0 to 300 milligrams of mercury. The operating life in a patient would be 200 hours minimum. The measurement information is transmitted from the gastro-intestinal tract to a small portable remote recording unit, external to the patient.

Epidural Pressure Sensors [Intracranial, Cardiac]

In this critically important field, the use of sophisticated sensors is growing steadily. For example, in brain trauma surgery, a miniature telemetric pressure sensor(s) can be introduced through a small hole (3mm) in the skull, and communicate pressure readings to a remote monitor using low energy radio signals. The technology of this new low-cost measuring system includes an encapsulated piezo-resistive sensor, interconnected to a micro miniature radio device. The radio device is 3mm x 3mm x 0.5mm and includes "on-chip" memory which can store sensor calibration parameters, data, event history. The implanted devices are completely passive i.e. no batteries - power is provided remotely over the "radio interface" from a small read/write probe. The external reader stores pressure readings from the brain, which can be downloaded to a computer for data storage or processing. There are obvious advantages to using implanted telemetric pressure measuring devices i.e. non-invasive interface, low infection fixture, patient mobility, remote processing, and data storage. These devices are proposed as a replacement for invasive fibre-optic cables and/or wires.