(429d) (Invited Plenary Talk): Continuous, Real-Time, Physiological Monitoring with Nanosensors

Continuous physiologic and therapeutic monitoring has the potential to redefine prediction, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Current approaches focus on intermittent blood sampling and analysis – an approach that is not scalable or predictive with decisions based on cohort values rather than individual history. Future approaches will draw on continuous monitoring to track metabolic parameters before, during, and after treatment. This enables real time feedback, as well as comparison to a patient’s own historical trends and fluctuations. Our nanosensor platform has the ability to continuously monitor analyte levels with straightforward optical measurements. We, and others, have developed sensors for a wide variety of ionic analytes (e.g. sodium, potassium, lithium, pH) as well as nonionic analytes (e.g. glucose, histamine) which are relevant for monitoring in clinical and research settings. In this presentation I will discuss design and fabrication of nanosensors, control of sensor response, incorporation of next generation fluorescent tools into our sensors, and applications of this platform for physiological monitoring and the study of biofilm metabolism. This sensor approach shows potential as a research or medical tool for continuous monitoring of drug and metabolite concentrations without the need for direct blood samples.