SensAL wins Empa Innovations Award

This year's Empa Innovations Award goes to a group of researchers from Empa and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich(ETH), Empa announced in a press release. The group led by Alexander Jessernig, Alexandre Anthis and Inge Herrmann received the award for their technology for the early detection of potentially life-threatening complications following abdominal surgery. Your SensAL sensor detects the presence of leaks in surgical sutures through which fluid from the digestive tract can enter the abdominal cavity.

SensAL uses the wound secretion drained from the surgical site for this purpose. It is examined by the sensor for enzymes that are typical of the gastrointestinal contents. If the results are positive, the sensor changes color. The technology is "cost-effective, convincingly simple and easy to integrate into everyday clinical practice", Empa writes in the press release.

SensAL has already achieved an initial proof of principle in a laboratory experiment. The sensor is currently being tested for clinical application.

The Empa Innovations Award comes with prize money of 5000 Swiss francs. In addition to receiving the Empa Innovations Award, the SensAL was also honored at the Falling Walls Switzerland science event. The sensor has also been nominated for this year's ETH Spark Award. ce/hs