New Collaborative Partnership with Pinnacle Technology Inc.

Sarissa Biomedical is very pleased to have signed a new collaborative working agreement with Pinnacle Technology Inc. which will see the very best of the two companies's skill sets in force. Pinnacle is a significant manufacturer and re-reseller of biosensors around the globe, and a maker of instrumentation for behavioural recordings from freely moving rodents. The company is pleased to able to acccess Sarissa's patented coating technology. Sarissa Biomedical's founder, Prof. Nick Dale commented:

"With our coating expertise, we're very confident we can add value to Pinnacle Techology's biosensor portfolio. In return, we will gain much wider access to new markets in which we can showcase our own biosensor products... I've known Donna [Johnson] - the President of Pinnacle Technology - for a while now, and although the agreement took a while to formulate, we both think it was worth the wait. We are both very excited about the future for both our respective businesses."

"Pinnacle is excited to be working with Sarissa. We have developed turnkey wireless data acquisition systems for our sensors. By adding Sarissa's coating technology to our sensor blanks, we will be able to provide our customers with a variety of new sensors that are fully compatible with our hardware. This is a clear win for Sarissa, Pinnacle, and most importantly, for our customers."

Nedergaard group

Two recent studies from the Nedergaard group demonstrate adenosine release in two contexts by means of the SarissaProbe® sensors. One in The Journal of Neuroscience demonstrates the production of adenosine during hypoxic preconditioning and the other in Nature Medicine examines the release of adenosine during typical deep brain stimulation paradigms.

Massé et al

sarissaprobe®-ATP sensors used to measure ATP release in early embryonic development In a recent paper in Nature, Massé et al demonstrate that ATP release in the early frog embryo, and its subsequent conversion to ADP, is a key step in triggering the gene expression required to make the eye. This is the first time that ATP release has been directly demonstrated during very early development -demonstrating the versatility of sarissaprobe® biosensors for investigating a wide range of signalling during development and physiology.

Screening makeover of the sarissaprobe® range

The trials of the screened biosensors have proved a succes. As these sensors have superior analytical performance and operational life, our entire sarissaprobe® product range is now based on this new technology. This removes the majority of the interfering signals from eletroactive agents such as 5-HT, noradrenaline, dopamine, urate and ascorbate, giving much more specific measurements. See our Technical Tips section for more information.

Early warning sensor could save babies' lives

Warwick researchers led by Professor Nick Dale (Department of Biological Sciences) have devised a new way of monitoring babies for oxygen deprivation during birth - a situation known as foetal hypoxia that poses a threat of possible brain damage to the baby. Current tests for foetal hypoxia are unreliable and involve laboratory analysis of blood samples taken from the baby's head during labour. Rather than risk delay waiting for the results, doctors often take the decision to deliver the baby by emergency caesarean section.

Professor Dale's team have now devised a probe with a biosensor that checks for high levels of a chemical (hypoxanthine) in the unborn baby's blood that has been found to indicate low levels of oxygen. The sensor would provide instant data for medics in the delivery room, enabling them to take a more informed decision as to whether to proceed with an emergency caesarean. This has been welcomed by colleagues in Warwick Medical School: the present British rate of caesarean deliveries is considerably higher than that recommended by the World Health Organisation.