System for continuous measurement of osmolarity and sensor as well as its use

Inventors

DREHER, Yannik • GOEPFRICH, Kerstin

Assignees

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften eV

Abstract

In a first aspect the present invention relates to a system for continuous measurement of osmolarity in situ. Said system comprises phase-separated membrane enclosed compartment as the sensor in osmolarity; detection means: a processing unit, and, optionally, an output unit of absolute or relative osmolarity and/or osmolarity changes. Further, the use of the phase-separated membrane enclosed compartment, whereby the membrane is permeable to a solvent and non-permeable to the osmotically active substance for non-invasive osmolarity measurement in a liquid system is described. In addition, a method for determining osmolarity and/or osmolarity change in a system is provided including the phase-separated membrane enclosed compartment, whereby the membrane is a permeable to a solvent and non-permeable to the osmotically active substance. Finally, a set of phase-separated membrane enclosed compartment, whereby the membrane is permeable to a solvent and non-permeable to the osmotically active substance, having predetermined different inner osmolarities useful for calibrations of osmolarity of an osmolarity measuring system is disclosed.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to a continuous in situ osmolarity measurement system that uses a phase-separated membrane enclosed compartment, in particular phase-separated giant unilamellar lipid vesicles, whose membrane is permeable to a solvent and non-permeable to an osmotically active substance. Osmolarity and/or osmolarity change is determined by optical means by determining the shape or a change of shape of the compartment.

A parameter-free analytical model is applied that links the vesicle shape and/or shape change to external osmolarity. Optical detection includes microscopy-based observation, including fluorescence, brightfield, and phase contrast approaches, and use of appropriate optical detection hardware such as CCD and photomultiplier as stated.

The approach enables absolute and relative osmolarity and time-resolved or real-time monitoring based on local and spatiotemporal evolution of compartment shape. Calibration is documented using a set of compartments with predetermined different inner osmolarities, and localized osmolarity measurement is described as mapping spatiotemporal osmolarity changes using localized osmolarity changes affecting compartments over time.

Claims Coverage

The independent claim covers determining osmolarity and/or osmolarity change in a system using optical determination of the shape or change of shape of a phase-separated membrane enclosed compartment, where the membrane is solvent-permeable and solute-nonpermeable. The inventive features are centered on the phase-separated compartment membrane permeability selectivity combined with an optical shape-based readout to obtain osmolarity or osmolarity change.

Across the dependent claims provided, the claim set refines the optical determination, including microscopic imaging and different time points, narrows the use to non-invasive and in situ measurements in biological systems, includes possible intracellular determination, and further adds calibration using a different phase-separated membrane enclosed compartment with a different inner osmolarity.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications