Can You Reuse Bio Sensors? A Candid Look at Commercial Reality vs. Research Potential
A question from our YouTube community recently caught our attention: “Can you reuse bio sensors?”
It’s an excellent question, but the answer is far from simple. The feasibility of reusing a biosensor isn’t a matter of absolute yes or no; it hinges entirely on context—specifically, whether you’re discussing a regulated commercial product or a research and development prototype.
I want to offer my perspective on this complex issue. Please note: these are my opinions based on experience. Making absolute statements in science and engineering is tricky, but I’ll do my best to outline the critical considerations.
The Commercial Reality: Why Reuse is a Bad Idea
When developing a product for the mass market, especially in the medical field, the idea of reusing a biosensor is fraught with challenges. Let’s look at two common examples:
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Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs): A CGM sensor is inserted into the interstitial fluid and remains on the body for up to 15 days. The sensor is in intimate contact with bodily fluids. The thought of retrieving that sensor, creating a cleaning protocol robust enough to ensure sterility and safety, and then convincing regulatory bodies like the FDA or EMA that it’s safe for reuse on another person is a monumental, and likely insurmountable, hurdle. Commercially and regulatory-wise, it’s not a viable path.
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Glucose Test Strips: To make this even clearer, consider a single-use glucose strip. Once blood is applied, the chemical reaction on the strip is complete. Attempting to clean the blood off the delicate electrode without damaging it is practically impossible. More importantly, from a regulatory standpoint, developing a product with the intention of recycling a biosensor that has contacted human blood is a non-starter. The risk of cross-contamination and unreliable readings is far too high.
The Commercial Verdict: For wearable sensors (like CGMs) or point-of-care devices (like test strips) that have intimate contact with the human body, reusability is generally a commercially and regulatory bad idea. The focus must be on safety, sterility, and reliability, which overwhelmingly favors single-use design.
The Research Potential: Reuse is Possible (With Nuance)
However, the question often comes from researchers, startups, and engineers in the prototyping phase. In this context, the answer shifts.
At Zimmer and Peacock, our research-grade enzymatic sensors (for glucose, lactate, alcohol) and ion-selective electrodes are absolutely designed to be reused. This is a core feature that allows for rapid prototyping, testing, and iteration without the cost and waste of a new sensor for every experiment.
But there are important nuances:
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The Right Electronics Matter: Using incorrect electronics can easily damage sensitive sensors. For optimal performance and reusability, we recommend using our dedicated electronics (like our OEM solutions or the Sensit Smartphone Potentiostat), which are designed to correctly interface with our sensors.
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The “Wetted Solution” is Key: We manufacture the sensor, but we have no control over what you put on it. Will it be blood, urine, soil, beer, or a chemical solution? Each sample has a different composition that can affect the sensor’s lifespan and performance over multiple uses.
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The Application Defines the Lifespan: This is the most critical point. We are frequently asked, “How many times can I reuse a ZP sensor for my specific application?” The honest answer is that we cannot give a definitive number. The longevity depends on your sample matrix, your measurement protocol, and your storage conditions.
The Bottom Line: Test, Don’t Assume
The philosophy we advocate for, famously echoed by Y Combinator, is to find your first customers before you over-engineer your solution. Don’t spend years perfecting a reusable biosensor system only to discover there’s no market need.
Instead, use reusable research sensors to rapidly validate your concept and gather crucial real-world data on how your specific sample affects the sensor’s lifespan. The “true certainty” in science and engineering comes from testing it yourself in your intended application.
To summarize:
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Commercial Medical Devices: Reuse is generally not feasible or advisable due to regulatory and safety constraints.
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Research & Prototyping: Reuse is not only possible but encouraged with ZP sensors to accelerate development.
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Your Application is Unique: The number of reuses is highly dependent on your specific use case, and the only way to know is to empirically test it.