Research

oronic acids (BA) are well-known for their interactions with diol-containing compounds like glucose. Fluorescent moieties are commonly incorporated into a BA derivative’s framework to monitor the effect of increased glucose concentrations in a given environment. In this study, a novel carboxylic acid BA derivative, o-COOHBA, has been synthesized and investigated for glucose sensing, in solution and when immobilised onto a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) “lens”-like surface. In both cases on increased glucose concentrations, a decrease in fluorescence intensity was observed in the range of 0-10mM in solution and similarly, in the range of 0-5mM when anchored to a PDMS surface, corresponding to the ocular-glucose concentrations for diabetics (~500μM – 5mM). This approach aims to develop smart contact lenses that will allow people suffering from diabetes to track their condition non-invasively.