High-throughput spectral system for interrogation of dermally-implanted luminescent sensors.

Ratiometric luminescent microparticle sensors have been developed for sensing biochemical targets such as glucose in interstitial fluid, enabling use of dermal implants for on-demand monitoring. For these sensor systems to be deployed in vivo, a matched optoelectronic system for interrogation of dermally-implanted sensors was previously designed, constructed, and evaluated experimentally. During evaluation experiments, it revealed that the system efficiency was compromised by losses due to fiber connections of a commercial spectrometer. In this work, a high-throughput spectral system was presented to solve the photon loss problem. This system was designed, constructed, and tested. The throughput was around hundred time more than the previous system we used, and it was cost-effective, as well. It enables use of an integrated system for excitation, collection and measurement of luminescent emission, and will be used as a tool for in vivo studies with animal models or human subjects.