Sensor needs just one drop to gauge blood cholesterol

Citation

(2002), "Sensor needs just one drop to gauge blood cholesterol", Sensor Review, Vol. 22 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.2002.08722aab.010

Sensor needs just one drop to gauge blood cholesterol

Sensor needs just one drop to gauge blood cholesterol

Keywords: Sensors, Medical

A compact sensor able to measure total blood cholesterol from a single drop of blood has been developed by the giant Japanese electrical firm, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. of Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture in central Japan. The measurement can be completed in about three minutes using a blood sample of several microlitres. A microlitre is one-millionth of a litre. Most blood testers work on the blood sample after it has been processed in a centrifuge to separate the plasma from the red and the white blood cells.

This new sensor, though, incorporates a filter that extracts the plasma with high efficiency. The filter is made from a tangle of glass fibres that block the passage of red and white blood cells without rupturing the cells.

The sensor is shaped like a flat plate measuring almost 4 cm in length and 1 cm in width. The filter blocks out blood cells that would otherwise interfere with the measurement, allowing passage of only the plasma, which contains the cholesterol.

Testing itself takes place through an oxidation-reduction reaction between the cholesterol and an enzyme reagent, a chemical reaction that generates an electric current. The measurement of this current can be used to calculate the total amount of cholesterol in the blood.

Matsushita Electric Industrial technicians plan to develop a blood cholesterol test based on the new sensor that can be used by individuals at home. Technicians say they will continue experimenting with this goal in mind, while also working on the development of technology for the simultaneous measurement of blood glucose levels.