Measurement of blood l-lactate is used to assess and monitor exercise performance in sports medicine. This report describes the initial development of a holographic sensor, which employs a synthetic receptor, to enable the selective and continuous real-time measurement of l-lactate for eventual in vivo application. Three boronic acid-based receptors have been synthesized, integrated into thin acrylamide hydrogel films, and then subsequently transformed into holographic sensors. Changes in the replay wavelength of the sensors were used to characterize the swelling behavior of the matrix as a function of l-lactate concentration. It was found that the incorporation of 3-acrylamidophenyl boronic acid into an acrylamide hydrogel produced the largest response toward l-lactate. The effects of hydrogel composition, fluctuating l-lactate concentrations, and the response of potential interfering agents to the sensor have been investigated.
