Glucose sensor

1. A method of determining whether an interferent is present in a glucose-containing sample that may further comprise the interferent and quantifying the amount of glucose, the method comprising:

(i) providing incident light to a sensing region of a glucose sensor exposed to the glucose-containing sample, wherein the glucose sensor comprises:

the sensing region comprising at least a first indicator system comprising a first receptor for binding to glucose and a first fluorophore associated with the first receptor; a second indicator system comprising a second receptor for binding to glucose and a second fluorophore associated with the second receptor; a polymeric matrix, wherein the first receptor and first fluorophore and the second receptor and second fluorophore are bound to the polymeric matrix such that the polymeric matrix simultaneously carries the first receptor and first fluorophore together with the second receptor and second fluorophore; and

an optical waveguide for directing light onto the sensing region;

(ii) obtaining a first measurement of the amount of glucose by a first measurement method comprising detecting the emission of the first fluorophore;

(iii) obtaining a second measurement of the amount of glucose by a second measurement method comprising detecting the emission of the second fluorophore, wherein the second measurement method differs in its sensitivity to the amount of the interferent in the sample from the first measurement method; and

(iv) comparing the first measurement and the second measurement and thereby determining whether any of the interferent is present in the sample;

wherein the interferent is a substance that is capable of interfering with the binding of glucose to the first receptor,

wherein once the interferent is determined to be present in the glucose-containing sample, the method further comprising:

(v) allowing a sufficient time delay for any of the interferent present in the glucose-containing sample to substantially clear the sample; and

(vi) providing incident light to the sensing region of the glucose sensor and detecting the emission of the first fluorophore, thereby obtaining a third measurement of the amount of glucose in the sample, the third measurement having substantially no or a reduced contribution from the interferent.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first receptor has an association constant K G1 with glucose and an association constant K M1 with the interferent, and

wherein the second receptor has an association constant K G2 with glucose and an association constant K M2 with the interferent, and wherein K G2 /K M2 is different from K G1 /K M1 .

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained in a single emission detection step.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first fluorophore and the second fluorophore have peak emission wavelengths that differ by at least 5 nm.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein [K G2 /K M2 ]/[K G1 /K M1 ] is greater than 2 or less than 0.5.

6. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the first receptor and the second receptor are boronic acid receptors.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the first receptor contains two boronic acid groups and said second receptor contains one boronic acid group.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sample that may further comprise an interferent is an in vivo sample.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sample that may further comprise an interferent is an in vivo sample and wherein the method comprises:

(vii) obtaining the first measurement at a time point t test ;

(viii) obtaining a fourth measurement by a fourth measurement method, wherein the fourth measurement method comprises electrochemically measuring the amount of glucose, or of the interferent, in the sample at the time point t test ; and

(viiii) comparing the first measurement and the fourth measurement, thereby determining whether the first measurement contains a contribution from the interferent in the sample.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the method is carried out on a human or animal subject and the sample is an in vivo bodily fluid of the subject, and wherein step (vii) comprises carrying out an in vivo measurement on the bodily fluid at the time t test , and wherein step (viii) comprises extracting a portion of the bodily fluid from the subject at the time t test and carrying out an in vitro electrochemical measurement thereon.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the method comprises carrying out the sequence of steps (vii) to (viiii) one or more times, each at different time points, until in the step (viiii) of comparing the first measurement and the second measurement it is determined that the first measurement contains substantially no or a reduced contribution from the interferent.

12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein in the step (viiii) of comparing the first measurement and the fourth measurement an estimate of the amount of the interferent in the sample at the time point t test is obtained and wherein the method further comprises:

(iv) allowing a sufficient time delay for any of the interferent present in the sample at test to substantially clear the sample; and

(v) providing incident light to the sensing region of the sensor and detecting the emission of the first fluorophore, thereby obtaining a fifth measurement of the amount of glucose in the sample, the fifth measurement having substantially no or a reduced contribution from the interferent.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the interferent is selected from the group consisting of (a) an interferent that comprises a cis-diol group and (b) an amine.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the interferent that comprises a cis-diol group is selected from the group consisting of a sugar alcohol and a saccharide.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the interferent is selected from the group consisting of mannitol, sorbitol, galactitol, inositol, fructose, galactose, arabinose, glutamine and catechol amines.

16. A glucose sensor for quantifying and performing the method of claim 2 ,

wherein said first receptor has an association constant Km with glucose and an association constant KM1 with said interferent, and

wherein said second receptor has an association constant K G2 with glucose and an association constant K M2 with said interferent, and wherein K G2 /K M2 is different from K G1 /K M1 .

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises calculating the concentration of glucose in the sample.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises correcting for the presence of any of the interferent in the sample.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first receptor and second receptor are boronic acid receptors or comprise one or more groups of formula H 3 AsO 3 , H 2 AsO 3 —, H 6 TeO 6 , H 5 TeO 6 —, Ge(OH) 6 or GeO(OH) 3 —, or derivatives thereof.