This year's Empa Innovation Award goes to a team from Empa and ETH Zurich led by Alexander Jessernig, Alexandre Anthis and Inge Herrmann for their SensAL technology for the early detection of post-operative complications following abdominal surgery. 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. Due to the originality, patent strength and market potential of “SensAL”, the technology has also been nominated for this year's Spark Award from ETH Zurich.

Clear color change warns of leaking sutures

After an operation in the abdominal cavity, leaks at the sutures are particularly feared, as the contents of the digestive tract can penetrate into the abdominal cavity. This can result in abdominal cavity inflammation or even life-threatening sepsis. It is currently difficult to detect such complications at an early stage. And the later the leak is discovered, the lower the chances of survival for those affected.

Researchers at Empa and ETH Zurich have now developed a sensor that quickly and precisely indicates when surgical sutures could be leaking. The principle is inexpensive, convincingly simple and easy to integrate into everyday clinical practice: After a surgical procedure, wound secretions are drained from the surgical site to the outside via a tube. The new sensor is integrated into this conventional drainage system. It contains substrates for various enzymes that are typical of the gastrointestinal contents in wound secretions. If the corresponding enzymes are contained in the wound fluid, the sensor reacts with a color change that can be detected by the nursing staff with 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 together 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 Personalized Health.

SensAL thus complements the innovation portfolio of the team from Inge Hermann's lab, such as a hydrogel plaster for internal wounds, which the spin-off Veltist from Empa and ETH Zurich is currently developing to market maturity. After the Innovation Award 2020 for Nanoglue, a nanoparticle-based wound adhesive, this is the second Empa Innovation Award for Herrmann's team.

Box: The Empa Innovation Award
Every two years since 2006, Empa has given the Empa Innovation Award in recognition of outstanding innovation and technology transfer projects. The prize, endowed with CHF 5,000, honors an individual, a research group or lab for excellent innovations or a successful technology transfer to the private sector. Empa thus honors the efforts of its researchers to strengthen and expand the bridge between science and industry with outstanding applied, market-oriented research.