Taking the capabilities of RFID implantable microchips beyond simple identification, Verichip received a patent in 2006 for an “Embedded Bio-Sensor System,” that combines an embedded bio-sensor system on an implanted RFID microchip. One potential application of this bio-sensor system is an implantable, bio-sensing RFID microchip that measures glucose levels in the body in real time.
To advance this application, Verichip partnered with RECEPTORS LLC, an expert in the field of proteomics and the development of artificial receptors, to develop a prototype-level glucose sensor to use in conjunction with an implantable, bio-sensing RFID microchip to measure glucose levels in the body. RECEPTORS has successfully completed Phase I and Phase II of the project.
In Phase I of its glucose development, RECEPTORS LLC successfully prepared prototype examples for both the glucose-selective binding environment and the glucose-competitive signaling component. These critical components were used to demonstrate the bench-top format application of the glucose-sensing system to the detection of glucose levels. This demonstration is the proof-of-concept foundation of the glucose-sensing system. In Phase II development, RECEPTORS demonstrated that the closed-cycle continuous glucose-sensing system can produce a consistent, measurable response to physiologically relevant levels of glucose while functioning under biologically relevant conditions.
The companies believe their closed cycle glucose-sensing system may succeed where other in vivo glucose-sensing device development programs have failed due to several critical factors:
- the CARA(tm) and competitor agent components are being built from stable, synthetic (versus biomolecule) building blocks;
- the closed-cycle sensing system will not require any external materials or reagents. This is a direct consequence of the companies’ stable binding and competitor technology platforms;
- the closed-cycle sensing system has been designed around components that incorporate biocompatible functionality as an integral part of the sensing system, not as an afterthought or add-on; and the competitor agents have been designed to maximize mass change on glucose binding as a foundation for effective signal transduction and, as a consequence, operation of the electronics and the in vivo device.