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The Technology Behind Glucose Meters
The Technology Behind Glucose Meters
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Roche electrochemical
Roche photometric
LifeScan
Abbott
Bayer
New Competitors
Four major players have
lined up between 0.3-1 l
FIG. 1. Overview of sample volume need versus time of product introduction. Test strips have been developed dur-
ing the last decades to work with samples as small as 0.3 L.
time. Furthermore, it enabled shallower lanc-
ing depth to avoid pain. Our feeling is that
this goal has been achieved by all major prod-
ucts at a volume around or below 1 L. Cus-
tomers cannot control lancing to precisely
produce smaller amounts. After lancing, they
either get nothing because lancing depth was
insufficient, or they are easily able to produce
a drop of 1 L or even greater. Such a drop
is necessary to allow easy targeting, espe-
cially when the capillary entrance of a test
strip has to be hit. The lower the volume
gained, the more difficult is the application.
A further reduction of net volume required
would not be advantageous for the customer.
If accompanied by a further miniaturization
of strips and capillaries, it would even make
handling more difficult.
A further development needs to be men-
tioned. In the beginning, visual or photometric
test strips were dosed from the top, and a large
blood drop was placed on the surface. Electro-
chemical strips, in contrast, are filled by con-
tacting the drop with the entrance of a capil-
lary, mostly from an edge of the strip. Even
some current photometric strips like Accu-
Chek
Microfill
strip prod-
uct from PQQ-dependent GDH to FAD-de-
pendent GDH. GOD also seems to be
advantageous in terms of sugar specificity
since mannose is not used in medications to-
day and deoxy sugars are of academic interest
only, but the natural second substrate of this
enzyme is oxygen. The reduced form of this
substrate is the active oxidant hydrogen per-
oxide. Consequently, nonspecific oxidation of
metabolites and drugs by this hydrogen per-
oxide leads to interferences, e.g., from uric acid
and bilirubin. The alternative for GOD is to use
a non-natural mediator instead of oxygen, but
such a mediator needs to compete with oxygen
for the electrons from glucose. Variations in
oxygen content of the sample, e.g., among ve-
nous, capillary, and arterial blood, then lead to
apparent differences in measured glucose. Al-
titude dependency is a frequent interference
with GOD-based strips, too.
Mediators
The enzyme transfers electrons from glucose
to the oxidized mediator. The reduced media-
tor formed transfers the electrons to a working
electrode, producing a current, or to an indica-
tor, forming color. Ferrocene derivatives and
BLOOD GLUCOSE TEST STRIPS S-13
TABLE 1. ENZYME/MEDIATOR SYSTEMS
Additional
Enzyme Coenzyme enzyme Mediator system Indicator Product examples
GOD FAD POD Air oxygen/hydrogen Leuco dye Chemstrip bG,
peroxide One Touch
GOD FAD None Hexacyanoferrate Palladium Accu-Chek
III/hexacyanoferrate II electrode Advantage
GOD FAD None Hexacyanoferrate Carbon electrode One Touch Ultra
III/Hexacyanoferrate II
GDH (GlucDOR) PQQ None Hexacyanoferrate Palladium Accu-Chek
III/hexacyanoferrate II electrode Advantage
(Comfort Curve
strip)
GDH (GlucDOR) PQQ None Quinoneimine/ Phosphomolybdic Accu-Chek
phenylendiamine acid Active, Accu-
Chek Compact,
Accu-Chek Go
GDH (GlucDOR) PQQ None Quinoneimine/ Gold electrode Accu-Chek Aviva
phenylendiamine
GDH (GlucDOR) PQQ None Osmium Electrode FreeStyle
GDH NAD None Phenanthroline quinone Electrode Precision Xtra
GDH FAD None Hexacyanoferrate Palladium Ascensia
III/hexacyanoferrate II electrode Microfill
This is not a complete overview. Other combinations have been used and will be used in the future. Glucose oxi-
dase (GOD) was used first. Glucose dehydrogenase (GDH)/flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is the enzyme most
recently introduced. GlucDOR, glucose dye oxidoreductase; NAD, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide; POD, peroxi-
dase/ PQQ, pyrrolo quinoline quinone.
Accu-Chek is a trademark of Roche Diagnostics, Ascensia Microfill of Bayer Healthcare, Chemstrip bG of Boehringer
Mannheim, Freestyle and Precision Xtra of Abbott Diabetes Care, and One Touch of LifeScan.
hexacyanoferrate are examples of one-electron
mediators working in this relatively simple
manner. Two-electron mediators, e.g., quinones
are used as well. Phenanthroline quinone is the
mediator in Abbott Diabetes Cares Precision
Xtra