IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,453,495
Granted Patent B2
US 12,453,495 · App. 18/462,190 · Granted Oct 28, 2025

Hormone electrochemical biosensor

Inventors: James Galagan (Needham, MA); Uros Kuzmanovic (Brookline, MA); Abdurrahman Addokhi (Cambridge, MA)
Assignee: Trustees of Boston University
A61B5/14546A61B5/1451A61B5/14517A61B5/1477A61B5/1486
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,453,495
App. No.
18/462,190
Granted
Oct 28, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed is a hormone electrochemical biosensor, e.g. an amperometric biosensor, for the detection of a hormone and measurement of the concentration of a hormone. The disclosed hormone biosensor comprises a hormone-catalyzing enzyme, such as KSDH1. Also described herein are systems comprising an amperometric biosensor, e.g., chronoamperometric biosensor and methods of using the chronoamperometric biosensor.

Claims (26)

1. A biosensor comprising:

an enzyme configured to catalyze a hormone to produce an electrochemical signal, wherein the biosensor is configured to detect a presence or a concentration of the hormone in a biological sample based on the electrochemical signal produced, wherein the hormone is progesterone and the enzyme comprises a recombinant 3-ketosteroid-Δ1-dehydrogenase (KSDH) enzyme.

2. The biosensor of claim 1 , wherein the biological sample is selected from a group consisting of: bodily fluid, mucus, saliva, sputum, tear, sweat, interstitial fluid, urine, exudate, blood, plasma, and vaginal discharge.

3. The biosensor of claim 2 , wherein the biosensor is configured to provide continuous monitoring of the hormone in the sweat or the interstitial fluid of a subject.

4. The biosensor of claim 1 , wherein the biological sample originated from a human subject.

5. The biosensor of claim 4 , wherein the electrochemical signal produced is used to determine levels of the hormone in the human subject or metabolism of the hormone in the human subject.

6. The biosensor of claim 1 , wherein the biosensor is a wearable hormone biosensor device.

7. The biosensor of claim 6 , wherein the biosensor is connected to a data acquisition system and to a portable display system.

8. The biosensor of claim 1 further comprising a redox mediator electronically coupled to the enzyme, wherein the redox mediator is selected from a group consisting of: one or more multivalent metal ions, organometallic compounds, phenazine methosulfate, dichlorophenol indophenol, short chain ubiquinones, ferrocene complexes, one or more cofactors, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+), ascorbic acid, flavin mononucleotide (FMN), flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), coenzyme F420, coenzyme B, Coenzyme Q, glutathione, heme, lipoamide, cytochromes, quinones, aminophenols, tetratiafulvalene (TTF), N-methylphenazine (NMP), tetrakyano-p-quinodimethane, organic conductive salts, tetratiafulvalene-7,7,8,8-tetrakyano-p-quinodimethane, N-methylphenylene-7, 7,8,8-tetracyano-p-quinodimethane, organic dyes, metallocenes, organometallic complexes of osmium, ruthenium and duct, inorganic iron complexes, ferricyanide ferrocene, 1,1-dimethyl-ferrocene, hexacyanoferrate or hexacyanoferrate, and platinum.

9. The biosensor of claim 8 , wherein the redox mediator generates a detectable signal that is electrochemical or colorimetric.

10. The biosensor of claim 8 , wherein the redox mediator produces an optical readout detectable by fluorescence, bioluminescence, or luminescence.

11. The biosensor of claim 1 , wherein the biosensor does not include a redox mediator.

12. The biosensor of claim 1 , wherein in the presence of the hormone, the biosensor is configured such that the enzyme reduces an internal enzyme cofactor that releases electrons to produce the electrochemical signal, wherein the electrochemical signal is detected by current passed to an electrode.

13. The biosensor of claim 1 , wherein the enzyme additionally comprises an internal cofactor in an enzyme system to produce the electrochemical signal.

14. The biosensor of claim 13 , wherein the enzyme is a recombinant 3-ketosteroid-D1-dehydrogenase enzyme 1 (KSDH1).

15. The biosensor of claim 1 , wherein the enzyme is immobilized on an electrode of the biosensor with a crosslinked redox polymer or chitosan.

16. The biosensor of claim 1 , wherein the enzyme is deposited on an electrode of the biosensor without an immobilizing agent.

17. The biosensor of claim 1 , wherein the biological sample comprises testosterone.

18. A wearable electrochemical hormone biosensor device comprising:

a working electrode comprising a recombinant 3-ketosteroid-Δ1-dehydrogenase (KSDH) enzyme configured to catalyze a hormone to produce an electrochemical signal; and

a potentiostat electrically connected to the working electrode,

wherein the working electrode is arranged to receive a biological sample,

wherein the hormone is progesterone, and

wherein the wearable electrochemical hormone biosensor is configured to detect a presence or a concentration of the hormone in the biological sample based on the electrochemical signal produced.

19. The wearable electrochemical hormone biosensor device of claim 18 , wherein the biological sample is selected from a group consisting of: bodily fluid, mucus, saliva, sputum, tear, sweat, interstitial fluid, urine, exudate, blood, plasma, and vaginal discharge.

20. The wearable electrochemical hormone biosensor device of claim 18 , wherein, when attached to skin of a human subject, the wearable electrochemical hormone biosensor device is configured to detect an amount of the hormone in sweat or interstitial fluid of the human subject, in a real time, quantitative and chronoamperometric manner.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 21, 2023
From: ADDOKHI, ABDURRAHMAN
To: TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Reel/Frame 065933/0436 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 21, 2023
From: GALAGAN, JAMES; KUZMANOVIC, UROS
To: TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Reel/Frame 065933/0571 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17734042 · Apr 30, 2022
Provisional Application 63182169 · Apr 30, 2021
Related Publication 20240099614A1 · Mar 28, 2024
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