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The diagram shows an enzyme electrode from a glucose biosensor.
(a) Explain what is meant by the term ‘biosensor’.
(b) Describe how the biosensor works to measure blood glucose concentration.
(c) How has the development of the glucose biosensor made life easier for sufferers from sugar diabetes?
The diagram shows an enzyme electrode from a glucose biosensor.
(a) Explain what is meant by the term ‘biosensor’.
(b) Describe how the biosensor works to measure blood glucose concentration.
(c) How has the development of the glucose biosensor made life easier for sufferers from sugar diabetes?
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A biosensor is an analytical device for the detection of an analyte that combines a biological component with a physicochemical detector component.
A common example of a commercial biosensor is the blood glucose biosensor, which uses the enzyme glucose oxidase to break blood glucose down. In doing so it first oxidizes glucose and uses two electrons to reduce the FAD (a component of the enzyme) to FADH2. This in turn is oxidized by the electrode (accepting two electrons from the electrode) in a number of steps. The resulting current is a measure of the concentration of glucose. In this case, the electrode is the transducer and the enzyme is the biologically active component.
Diabetes sufferers can regularly measure the glucose concentrations in their blood, if it gets too high then they could reduce the amount of sugary food they ingest. Thus controlling their diabetes symptoms and remain healthy.
A common example of a commercial biosensor is the blood glucose biosensor, which uses the enzyme glucose oxidase to break blood glucose down. In doing so it first oxidizes glucose and uses two electrons to reduce the FAD (a component of the enzyme) to FADH2. This in turn is oxidized by the electrode (accepting two electrons from the electrode) in a number of steps. The resulting current is a measure of the concentration of glucose. In this case, the electrode is the transducer and the enzyme is the biologically active component.
Diabetes sufferers can regularly measure the glucose concentrations in their blood, if it gets too high then they could reduce the amount of sugary food they ingest. Thus controlling their diabetes symptoms and remain healthy.