Clinical Sensors
Research Triangle Park, N.C.
Founded: 2014
Clinical Sensors is developing medical devices and diagnostics that harness the biological activity of nitric oxide to improve the management of both severe acute disease (such as sepsis) and chronic disease (such as diabetes). It has developed point-of-care devices that directly measure a patient’s blood nitric oxide level within a few seconds. Nitric oxide is connected with the progression of sepsis, a life-threatening illness where early and rapid recognition is critical to accelerate life-saving care. Nitric oxide is also a physiologic regulator in cardiovascular health, neurophysiology and the immune system. It could serve as a promising biomarker for treating complications such as hospital-acquired infection.
The company’s diabetes product consists of a nitric oxide–releasing membrane applied to continuous glucose monitoring sensors to improve sensor accuracy and longevity for improved diabetes management by the patient. This technology has the potential to enhance sensor lifetime, improve sensor accuracy and reduce the number of finger stick calibrations required by patients.
The company was founded by professor Mark Schoenfisch’s lab at the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Chemistry. It has won nearly $4 million in NIH and State of North Carolina awards.
–Heather Thompson, Senior Editor