New Sensor Detects Complications from Abdominal Surgery

A team from Empa and ETH Zurich was awarded the 2024 Empa Innovation Award for their SensAL technology. Alexander Jessernig, Alexandre Anthis, and Inge Herrmann’s technology is an early detection sensor for post-operative complications following abdominal surgery. 

SensAL has also been nominated for this year’s Spark Award from ETH Zurich for its originality, patent strength, and market potential.

The sensor indicates when surgical sutures could be leaking. After a surgical procedure, wound secretions are drained from the surgical site to the outside via a tube. The new sensor is integrated into conventional drainage systems. It contains substrates for various enzymes that are typical of the gastrointestinal contents in wound secretions. If corresponding enzymes are contained in the wound fluid, the sensor reacts with a color change that the nursing staff can detect by the naked eye.

The team has already delivered an initial proof of principle with a SensAL prototype in laboratory experiments. The clinical application of the technology is currently being developed with the University Hospital Zurich, the Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen, the Charles University in Pilsen, and the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio within the ETH Domain’s strategic focus area of Personalized Health.

The jury, consisting of experts from Empa and its Industrial Advisory Board, decided to award the prize to SensAL as an outstanding innovation and technology transfer project. And just a short time after the prize was awarded, the technology was also recognized at the Falling Walls Switzerland event.

SensAL is an innovation portfolio of the team from Inge Hermann’s lab. Herrmann’s team also won the Innovation Award 2020 for Nanoglue, a nanoparticle-based wound adhesive.

Empa Director Tanja Zimmermann and award winner Alexander Jessernig at the presentation of this year’s Empa Innovation Award. Photo: Empa