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Silicon microprobe with integrated biosensorRelated Patent Categories: Surgery, Diagnostic Testing, Measuring Or Detecting Nonradioactive Constituent Of Body Liquid By Means Placed Against Or In Body Throughout TestSilicon microprobe with integrated biosensor description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080097171, Silicon microprobe with integrated biosensor. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
PRIORITY [0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/816,472 filed on Mar. 26, 2001, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] This invention relates to silicon microprobes, and more particularly to microprobes with biosensor capability incorporated therein for measuring analyte concentrations in a subject's blood, tissue, or other bodily fluids. BACKGROUND [0003] Diabetes mellitus is an insidious disease which affects more than 15 million Americans. About 1.5 million of these are Type I diabetics (insulin-dependent) and 12 to 14 million are Type II diabetics (noninsulin-dependent). The characteristics of diabetes include chronic and persistently high levels of glucose in blood and in urine. Although urine glucose has been used to monitor glucose levels, the measurement of blood glucose is more reliable and logistically feasible. Blood glucose has therefore become the most commonly followed clinical marker for monitoring the progress of diabetes (and other diseases) to determine treatment and control protocols. Glucose levels are routinely measured in doctors' offices, clinical laboratories, and hospitals. However, the most convenient and important measuring is in-home self-monitoring of blood glucose levels by the patients themselves to permit adjustment of the quantities of insulin and hypoglycemics administered. Such self-monitoring is known as self-monitored blood glucose. Normal blood glucose levels in humans are in the 70-100 mg/dl range and in the 160-200 mg/dl range after a heavy meal. [0004] There are many products for diabetes related testing of glucose for diagnostic and monitoring purposes. These products range from skin swabs, reagent test strips, portable electronic meters, sensors and other instruments, lancets and needles of various shapes and sizes, syringes and other paraphernalia. Most of the currently available technologies, especially for self-monitored blood glucose measurements, are not satisfactory because they require some kind of deep lancing or finger stick with associated pain and sometimes excessive bleeding. [0005] The smallest lancet or needle currently marketed for blood sampling has a diameter between 300 micrometers and 500 micrometers, and is constructed of stainless steel with beveled edges. Due to the large cross-section of these lancets, fingertip lancing is painful and frequent lancing causes calluses, impairment of the use of hands, psychological trauma and other unpleasant consequences. Further, blood samples recovered from the patient must be transferred to a test strip or cartridge for assaying analyte concentrations. Obtaining blood samples by lancing and performing the analysis can be messy as well as painful for the patient. SUMMARY [0006] It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a miniature microprobe device with integrated analyte sensing capability. The analyte concentration is determined by a biosensor built into the microprobe, which is in data communication with an external meter via an analyte signal. A blood sample is not transferred from the subject to an external test mechanism as in the prior art. The present self-contained process minimizes messy blood smears, which is convenient for the subjects. Further, the closed nature of the present process also minimizes ambient exposure of the subject's blood. Blood may harbor undesirable biological forms (such as HIV) which could contaminate the local environment constituting a biohazard. By eliminating the blood transfer step, the present microprobe avoids such hazard. [0007] It is another object of this invention to provide such a miniature microprobe device which accesses the blood and determines the analyte concentration in one simple step. The subject simply places the microprobe in a holder against the skin and waits for a signal to be sent to an external meter. The microprobe penetrates the stratum corneum (the tough outer layer of the skin) and contacts the tissue within. A separate ex vivo testing step with testing strips and the like is not required. The present one-step process eliminates the following prior art steps: [0008] A) Preparation step in which the subject gathers required materials including a test strip or cartridge to receive the blood sample and absorbent material for controlling blood smear and leakage. [0009] B) Transfer step in which the subject transfers the blood sample to the test strip. [0010] C) Waste blood step in which the subject cleans-up any waste blood, and disposes of the blood. [0011] D) Reset step in which the subject puts away the above material in readiness for the next blood sampling. [0012] It is a further object of this invention to provide such a miniature microprobe device which is fabricated from a silicon wafer. A biosensor may be integrated into the surface of the microprobe. Alternately, the biosensor may be placed in a cavity in the surface of the silicon. [0013] Silicon is compatible with integrated circuit (IC) fabrication and MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) technologies employing well established masking, deposition, etching, and high resolution photolithographic techniques. The present microprobe devices may be fabricated in mass quantities from silicon wafers through automatic IC and MEMS processing steps at minimal cost per device. [0014] It is a further object of this invention to provide such a miniature microprobe device which minimizes subject discomfort during probe penetration and analyte measurement. The dimensions of the probe (length, width, and thickness) are very small and cause minimal tissue displacement and related lateral tissue pressure and nerve ending contact. In some cases the displacement may be so minimal that the subject feels no sensation at all during the process. For example in a clinical trial of 62 patients using a microprobe with a thickness of 100 micrometers, the majority found the insertion and retraction of the microprobe device in the arm to be painless. Of the total patients tested, 15% could not even feel the probe penetration and an additional 58% found the penetration to be barely noticeable. [0015] It is a further object of this invention to provide such a miniature microprobe device which minimizes mechanical probe failure (breakage) during penetration and removal. Only minimal penetration effort is required due to the small probe cross-section defined by the width and thickness dimensions. These dimensions are much smaller than those of conventional metal lancets. The microprobe device retains the single-crystal structure of the silicon starting wafer and can reliably penetrate skin without breakage because of the strength provided by this single-crystal structure. The strength of the miniature probe may be further increased by optimal shaping. Data from skin puncturing tests show that the average force required to puncture the skin (0.038 Newton) is minimal compared to the buckling force required to break the probe (0.134 Newton). [0016] It is a further object of this invention to provide such a miniature microprobe device which functions in vivo. The biosensor may be located near the probe tip for maximum penetration. The biosensors may be placed in a cavity in the surface of the silicon. The probe accesses the blood, and the analyte signal is carried along the length of the probe to the ex vivo environment by conductive leads. [0017] It is a further object of this invention to provide such a miniature microprobe device which functions ex vivo. The biosensor may be distant from the probe on an ex vivo portion of the device, and not in direct contact with the analyte tissue. The blood is transported from the in vivo probe tip to the ex vivo portion by one or more channels. [0018] It is a further object of this invention to provide such a miniature microprobe device which may be emplaced into the skin of the subject for a single measurement of analytes. [0019] It is a further object of this invention to provide such a miniature microprobe device which may be installed on the subject for continuous monitoring of analytes. [0020] It is a further object of this invention to provide such a miniature microprobe device which has multiple biosensors. The biosensor(s) may be formed by IC fabrication and are significantly smaller than the microprobe. Several biosensors may be spaced along a single microprobe for sensing several analytes per penetration, or for sensing the same analyte at different depths. Continue reading about Silicon microprobe with integrated biosensor... Full patent description for Silicon microprobe with integrated biosensor Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Silicon microprobe with integrated biosensor patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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