The present disclosure relates to an optical sensor having a light source that emits light on a sensor layer, wherein the sensor layer can be brought into contact with a medium, wherein the first sensor layer emits emission light as a function of the incident light and a concentration of a measured value of the medium; a receiver, which receives the emission light; a first light guide, which conducts light from the light source onto a first region of the sensor layer and conducts emission light from the first region of the sensor layer to the receiver; and a second light guide independent of the first light guide which conducts light from the light source onto a second region of the first sensor layer and conducts emission light from the second region of the sensor layer to the receiver.

A pH micro-probe, a temperature micro-probe, and an immuno-based micro-probe each include a shaft for transmuting an input light signal and a tip for inserting into a cell or other substance for measuring pH, temperature, and/or antigens. The pH micro-probe and the temperature micro-probe each include a luminescent material positioned on the tip of the micro-probe. The light signal excites the luminescent material so that the luminescent material emits a luminescent light signal. The luminescent light signal has a property value dependent on the pH or temperature being measured and reflects back through the shaft for being measured by a light signal measuring device. The immuno-based micro-probe includes a reflective material that has an effective refractive index dependent on the number of antigen-antibody bonds present on the reflective material.

A sensor membrane for an optical sensor, wherein the outer layer in contact with the medium and/or a layer adjacent thereto has a graft copolymer to form an omniphobic surface in contact with the medium, as well as a sensor cap and/or an optical sensor and a method for manufacturing the sensor membrane.

A sensor provides a measurement of an analyte such as glucose in a sample via a competitive binding FRET assay. A multi-wavelength radiation source comprises two or more distinct wavelengths such that at least two of the wavelengths are within the absorption band of the fluorescent energy donor of the FRET assay and at least one of those wavelengths is also within the absorption band of the energy acceptor of the FRET assay, giving rise to the phenomenon of spectral bleed-through. Because the degree of bleed-through varies with excitation wavelength, the multi-wavelength source allows the sensor to provide multiple measurement channels, which can be used to reduce errors in the analyte measurement.

A composite comprises a polymer matrix and a luminophore dispersed therein. The composite is useful as a sensing film that is used as an optical sensor for oxygen measurement comprising the composite sensing film; a source of photons for photo-exciting the luminophores and a waveguide, transparent in the frequency range of the excitation photons, for guiding the excitation photons from the source to the composite sensing film; a detector for measuring properties of photons emitted from the luminophores. A system including a computer may be useful for coordinating the activities of the sensor.

A continuous glucose monitoring system may include a hand-held monitor, a transmitter, an insulin pump, and an orthogonally redundant glucose sensor, which may comprise an optical glucose sensor and a non-optical glucose sensor. The former may be a fiber optical sensor, including a competitive glucose binding affinity assay with a glucose analog and a fluorophore-labeled glucose receptor, which is interrogated by an optical interrogating system, e.g., a stacked planar integrated optical system. The non-optical sensor may be an electrochemical sensor having a plurality of electrodes distributed along the length thereof. Proximal portions of the optical and electrochemical sensors may be housed inside the transmitter and operationally coupled with instrumentation for, e.g., receiving signals from the sensors, converting to respective glucose values, and communicating the glucose values. The sensors' distal portions may be inserted into a user's body via a single delivery needle and may be co-located inside the user's body.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for quantifying bacteriophage virulence, measuring phage-host dynamics and parameters, including phage-host range, phage interactions with biological samples and with immune systems, and label-free bacterial detection/diagnostics, that are amenable to automation, high-throughput, and functional in complex media. In some embodiments, a label-free interferometry system transduces the light reflected by a sensor and any molecules attached thereto to a real-time signal comprising a sensorgram from which infectivity parameters such as binding kinetics and lysis time can be derived.

Methods for determining MHC class II binding activity of a preparation comprising lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3) protein, or a fragment, derivative, or analogue thereof, is described. The methods comprise determining binding of the LAG-3 protein, fragment, derivative, or analogue to MHC class II molecules using bio-layer interferometry (BLI). Such methods can be used as a quality control assay in good manufacturing practice (GMP) grade production of such compounds. Probes and kits for carrying out the methods are also described.

An optical sensor for detecting hydrogen in a fluid in physical contact with the sensor is provided. The sensor includes an optical fiber, wherein an end portion of the optical fiber is coated with a multilayer including: a sensing layer, including a film of an alloy, the alloy including Mg, Ni, and M, wherein M is at least one of Zr, Ta, and Hf, and wherein the alloy has the composition Mg.sub.xNi.sub.yM.sub.z, and wherein x is from 40 to 60, y is from 10 to 40, and z is from 10 to 40, and a catalyst layer including Pd. Further, a detection system for hydrogen, including such an optical sensor, and an electrical device having such a detection system are provided.

An optochemical sensor for determining a measurement signal, which correlates with a concentration of an analyte of a measuring fluid, comprises: a sensor cap including a sensor spot, wherein the sensor spot contains at least one analyte-sensitive indicator dye and a state description indicator which reflects the aging state of the sensor spot; a radiation source to radiate excitation radiation onto the sensor spot and to excite a luminescence of the indicator dye; a radiation receiver to receive reception radiation emitted by the sensor spot; and a sensor circuit electrically connected to the radiation source and the radiation receiver and configured to control the radiation source and to generate, based on an intensity of luminescence and/or a phase angle of luminescence, a measurement signal representing the concentration of the analyte in the measuring fluid in contact with the sensor spot.