By Polly-Anna Ashford, Web Writer
Mao et al., Analyst, 2013, Advance Article
The study of neurochemistry offers a powerful insight into the mechanisms and molecules responsible for brain function. Lanqun Mao and co-workers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, have developed a simple approach towards the continuous monitoring of glucose in the brain of a living rat. Their technique couples in vivo microdialysis with biofuel cell technology, using a self-powered biogenerator as the detector for neurochemical sensing. This method is shown to be highly specific for the analyte of choice, with no interference from other chemicals commonly present such as dopamine or uric acid. Biofuel cells are of particular interest to scientists because they harness the energy produced by biochemical reactions in living systems. As this report shows, their use in biosensing opens up the potential for greater investigation of brain function at the molecular level. This paper will be free to read until Nov 28th.
Biofuel cell-based self-powered biogenerators for online continuous monitoring of neurochemicals in rat brain
Hanjun Cheng, Ping Yu, Xulin Lu, Yuqing Lin, Takeo Ohsaka and Lanqun Mao
Analyst, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN36385B
