Process Monitoring with Disposable Chemical Sensors Fit in the Framework of Process Analysis Technology (PAT) for Innovative Pharmaceutical Development and Quality Assurance

The innovative principle of enzymatic sensors applied to monitor the feeding process in disposable bioreactors is described. Innovative is the type of enzyme immobilized within the 'paste' to monitor L-glutamate. Innovative is the application of the miniaturized disposable sensor developed at C-CIT AG for continuous monitoring. The sensor allows the amount of the digested nutrient to be estimated from the amperometric signal. Innovative is the wireless signal transduction between the sensor mounted to the bioreactor and the signal receiver. An example of a process control run is given and, also, the biocompatibility and the specifications of the biosensors. The comparison of results evaluated by different analytical methods is discussed

The Centre for Chemical Sensors/Biosensors and bioAnalytical Chemistry, CCS, at the Interface between Science and the Market Place

In the following article, a very brief overview describing the general strategies and the main goals tackled by CCS is given. The latest news, as well as projects running in collaboration with companies are not discussed here. For more details see homepage, http://www.chemsens.ethz.ch

Center for Chemical Sensors and Chemical Information Technology (CCS): Molecular Recognition and Chemical Sensor Development at CCS

The Center for Chemical Sensors and Chemical Information Technology (CCS) at ETH-Zürich has devoted its activities to the development of highly selective devices that access chemical information about the composition of a specimen. In this article the most prominent projects and activities are summarized and the most relevant scientific results and research strategies are described. Apart from design and synthesis of novel ionophores for electrochemical sensors, research was focused on optical sensors, chromophores with specific characteristics as well as micro- and nanodevices. Generally the research focus shifted from using small organic molecules to the development of oligopeptides to solve analytical problems in biotechnology, food technology and bioassays. Many collaborations with industrial partners have been established, and profit and drawbacks of such collaborations are reconsidered at the end of the article. One so far unpublished feasibility study is described in more detail. In order to make commercial use of some of these developments, the spinoff companies SENSORIX and C-CIT AG were founded

Columna Analytica: News and Trends in Analytical Chemistry – PITTCON'98 Report: New Orleans, March 1–5, 1998: Columns

A personal view of some challenging and remarkable news in general analytical chemistry shown at Pittcon'98 in New Orleans is presented. Mergers of companies, which are involved in the development of instrumentation, have changed the face of the exhibition. Developments forced by the requirements of high efficiency and high throughput in the drug-discovery area are described in the second and third section. Medals awarded by journalists for the most outstanding products are presented in the forth section. Last, but not least, advancements in a more scientific area such as electrochromatography are discussed

The Centre for Chemical Sensors and Chemical Information Technology (CCS) in Micro- and Nanotechnology

A selection of the most challenging projects in micro- and nanotechnology tackled at CCS during the last few years are discussed. The ultimate challenge was to localize voltage-gated and ligand-gated ion channels on membranes of living cells by ion-selective AFM-tips. In order to address this goal, a procedure to simulate the ion transport over ion-channels was developed. Two types of living cells were investigated; Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK-F) cells and adult rat cardiomyocytes (ARC). The results of force microscopy were compared to the patch clamp technique and to immunoselective staining and localization by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The lateral resolution of the AFM imaging technique, the rate-limiting steps, the force applied to the cells by the AFM-cantilever and the mechanism of the detection principle are addressed