Patent ID: 8088595

Claim:
A method of measuring a glucose concentration metric, said method comprising: contacting an implantable glucose-sensing device with a test sample under conditions that permit a sugar-binding molecule comprising Concanavalin A, other sugar-binding lectins, glucose binding protein, glucose oxidase, or glucose apo-oxidase, the sugar binding molecule present throughout a matrix of a hydrogel in the glucose-sensing device and a functionalized polymer or functionalized nano-particle ligand present throughout the matrix of the hydrogel in the glucose-sensing device to interact in a glucose-concentration dependent manner to produce a glucose-concentration-dependent optical signal resulting from quenching of a first fluorophore comprising a fluorescein, a rhodamine, a cyanine, or fluorescent dye, the first fluorophore linked to the ligand or sugar-binding molecule and having a fluorescent emission spectrum quenchable upon binding or release of glucose by the sugar-binding molecule; exciting the first fluorophore with light of a wavelength sufficient to excite the fluorophore; detecting at least one wavelength of light in the glucose-concentration-dependent optical signal from the fluorophore with a detector to produce a detected light signal; and processing the detected light signal to produce a glucose concentration metric.