Microfluidic System with Extended-Gate-Type Organic Transistor for Real-Time Glucose Monitoring

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) can be potentially employed to monitor cell activities for healthcare and medical treatment because of their attractive properties such as ease of use, flexibility, and low-cost manufacturing processes. Although current OFET-based sensors are suitable for point-of-care testing, the establishment of real-time monitoring methods is in high demand for continuous monitoring of health conditions and/or biological cell activities. In this regard, we herein propose a microfluidic platform integrated with an extended-gate-type OFET for real-time glucose monitoring. The mechanism of glucose detection depends on the artificial receptor phenylboronic acid and its boronate esterification. After optimization of the microfluidics for the OFET-based sensor, the sensor was used to monitor glucose consumption and release in a model of pseudo-liver cells. Random increases or decreases in the glucose concentration were reproducibly monitored.