FOODSENSE - E Coli. BIOSENSOR

The FoodSense from Zimmer and Peacock is a biosensors system, where within a 30 minutes the E. Coli population in a sample can be determined.

The biosensor on the FoodSense is very specific to E. Coli . When asking broader questions regarding whether a system is or is not clean,  it is necessary to have a biosensor with broader sensitivity to pathogens.

CLEANLINESS/DIRT SENSOR

The FoodSense platform is designed to answer the question 'is a specific bacteria present', but when asking the more broader question on whether is a system is clean or  'dirty'  then this question can't be answered by la biosensor with very high specificity.

For example a FoodSene E Coli Sensor can detect E Coli but it can't be used in a hospital setting to  detect methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This is because the sensor is working as intended and is specific to E coli and is otherwise 'blind' to Staphylococcus aureus.

When asking the question is a system clean then a biosensor that is broader in applicability is required, therefore for these broader questions around cleanliness ZP recommends our patent protected purine sensing technology.. The purines associated with bacteria includes: hypoxanthine, adenosine, ATP and inosine; their presence in the sample/environment is linked to the microbial load. The advantage of the purine biosensor is it can detects general bacteria activity whether it is E Coli, Staphylococcus aureus etc. 

FORM FACTOR AND DEVELOPMENT

ZP is the World's biggest ISO13485 contract developer and manufacturer of electrochemical biosensors, including disposable sensors and wearable sensors. 

ZP is able to accelerate the development of new sensors, sensor form factors and new sensor applications using our ZP Accelerator platform, please contact us to discuss more.

Zimmer and Peacock are the World's leading manufacturer of biosensors and screen printed electrodes, and so we are delighted to be partnering again with PalmSens and their fully functional potentiostat the SensitSmart in another live streaming webinar  from the ZP labs.

ZP is an experienced ISO13485 manufacturers of microneedles, these microneedles are used by our collaborators in a number of applications including: biosensing, drug delivery, inoculation, etc.

ZP is delighted to be exhibiting at Medica 2021

ZP is delighted to be exhibiting at Sensors in Medicine 2021.

Zimmer and Peacock (ZP) is currently in a position to acquire technology and/or technology businesses. We are particularly interested in IP in terms of granted patents, and businesses with ISO certifications, including ISO13485. Our core business at ZP is the development and manufacture of electrochemical biosensors, and so we are interested in the entire technology stack from the electrodes to the actionable information. Please feel free to contact ZP if you know of such an opportunity.

PROCEDURE

1. Connect the SPE ZP pH sensor to the connector on GFET 

2. Connect the GFET using a micro USB cable to the PC

3. To verify if the device is connected properly and enumerated as a COM port, open Control Panel->Device Manager->Port and find COM number (COM5 in this case).

4. Open any terminal application such as TeraTerm (https://osdn.net/projects/ttssh2/releases/) to view the data from the GFET. The baud rate must be set 57600 bps.

5. Once the device is connected the user can see the pH measurement values in volts displayed in the user interface (see image). The data can be later used in Microsoft Excel or python script for further processing and visualization.

PROCEDURE

1. Connect the SPE ZP pH sensor to the connector on GFET 

2. Connect the GFET using a micro USB cable to the PC

3. To verify if the device is connected properly and enumerated as a COM port, open Control Panel->Device Manager->Port and find COM number (COM5 in this case).

4. Open any terminal application such as TeraTerm (https://osdn.net/projects/ttssh2/releases/) to view the data from the GFET. The baud rate must be set 57600 bps.

5. Once the device is connected the user can see the pH measurement values in volts displayed in the user interface (see image). The data can be later used in Microsoft Excel or python script for further processing and visualization.

Rapid prototyping for biosensor development at ZP is not a single 3D printer in the corner of the mechanical workshop, but rather it is a set of 3D printers with different printing modalities.in their own dedicated room.

To find out how the large, strong and well equipped ISO13485 contract development and manufacturing team can support you please click below.

At ZP we recognise that there are many good biosensors and IVD ideas that do not make it to market. One of the reasons for this lack of progression is that the right commercialisation team is not in place to take the product beyond the proof-of-principle. 

It is not hyperbole to say ‘…a great product is 5 % determined by the technology and 95 % based on the commercialisation team that brings it onto the market, and sticks with the product through to adoption by the majority of the market...’

At ZP we have the mindset, technology, manufacturing, and network to put technologies onto the market, and so in the right environment we can support product beyond the development and manufacturing phases and into sales, marketing, and customer support.

Zimmer and Peacock are delighted to be featured in Craig Bank's review on measuring the pungency of chilli, see Craig's article and link to the next generation of  chilli sensor.

At ZP we believe in our electrodes and our ability to collaborate with clients on the contract development and manufacture of their electrochemical biosensors and IVDs.

In a meeting today our CSO was able to quickly demonstrate to a client that our sensors are perfect for single drop analysis by pricking his finger and dropping a single  blood of blood onto the tip of the electrode.

At ZP we are passionate about our electrochemical biosensors. At ZP we understand that using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy as the mode of detection for electrochemical biosensing does not necessarily require gold sputtered interdigitated electrodes.

At ZP we are biased and so of course we recommend our gold screen printed electrodes for immunosensor type sensing.

In a world first ZP and PalmSens are hosting a joint webinar where we will be demonstrating live a PalmSens Sensit Smart in conjunction with a ZP biosensor. 

This free webinar is perfect for everyone interest in biosensors, the development of biosensors and the manufacture of biosensors.

As ZP opens Europe's largest full service contract development and contract manufacturing centre for electrochemical biosensors we are delighted to be flying the ZP flag. 

On this page we discuss the use of ZP pH Sensors with the PalmSens Sensit powered by Analog Devices.

At Zimmer and Peacock we strongly believe in people and the ability of a great team to change the world for all our benefits. This is why we are delighted that ZP Ltd has been certified by the United Kingdom Home Office to sponsor Skilled Workers.

This morning one of our engineers was driving to work, when they looked up onto the hill they saw  a new building with the ZP logo on it and took a picture.

Welcome to the newest building in the family

This week in the ZP Developer Zone Live Streaming Webinar we talked about cortisol biosensors and electronics for implantable biosensors.

The pea is the perfect electronics for electrochemical biosensors.

The biosensors of the future are wearable, implanted and point of need.

The pea from ZP is the perfect compliment to the next generation of  biosensor applications.

Click to see biosensors

ZP is an ISO13485 manufacturer with core competencies of: electrode design and fabrication, electrode manufacturing and electrochemistry.

At ZP we are expanding our electrode manufacturing capabilities through the occupation of a new 4000 square meter facility; the heart of our new facility are the production lines for electrodes for multiple electrochemical applications. In addition to support our expansion we are currently one of the largest sponsors of academic electrochemical research in the United Kingdom, with multiple PhDs and Masters students at: Swansea University, Plymouth University, Glasgow University, and with more in the pipeline.

Zimmer and Peacock are giving the first talk at Biosensors 2021; Dr Martin Peacock's talk is titled, 'The good, the bad and the ugly - a life in business'.

ZP is  a unique company as our raison d'etre is to get our clients and collaborators to the biosensor market.

If you want hear Martin's talk please register at Biosensors 2021.

PROBLEM SEVEN - There are many applications where the sample itself is very precious, hard to obtain or expensive. The ZP electrodes are perfect as there size means that a sample as small as one drop of blood will cover the electrodes as illustrated in the adjacent image, where a drop of the authors blood has been used to cover all three electrodes of a carbon 303.

PROBLEM TEN - There is a lack of customer support and bioelectrochemistry expertise among the manufacturers of screen printed electrodes, at ZP we have over come this though our free questions and answers forum, click image to find out more.

ZP is a very collaborative biosensor development and manufacturing business; as part of our collaborative nature we are supervising several Master Programs in collaboration with USN.

ZP has been collaborating on the development on smart phone applications and Cloud Databases for biosensor applications.

ZP has been collaborating on the development of sensors for the food and beverage industry.

A webinar focused on Biosensors, BioMEMS and MEMS for Agriculture, Aquaculture and Foods. This webinar has a particular focus for industries and academics in Vietnam, but registration is open to the rest of world. The webinar is presented by the University of South-Eastern (USN) Norway and Zimmer and Peacock AS.

Who should attend?

People interested in the development, manufacturing of BioMEMS and Biosensors, including those interested in collaborating with USN and ZP.

Bao Quoc Ta

Associate Professor

Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences, USN

At ZP we do receive a lot of enquires regarding our ability to develop and manufacture biosensors for COVID-19 and whether we 'can do it', the answer is 'of course we can', but in the specific case of COVID-19 the number of biosensors in development or are developed means that the market is now a little saturated, and the global capacity to manufacture biosensors is in addition fairly saturated. Further a lot of governments now have their testing strategies in place for this pandemic.

The advice from ZP is to accept that our planet is more connected than ever and so it is not to focus on COVID-19 biosensor development but rather focus on the next pandemic and help the World be be better prepared next time. At ZP we are encouraging the biosensors entrepreneurs to think further out, for example: Influenza, Ebola, Zika, Polio, etc.

If  you are interested in answering the question 'what's after COVID-19'  then please contact ZP to discuss our market analysis' group predictions for the next pandemic and how we can be better prepared.

At ZP we are a Cloud based paperless organisation, in line with our company structure which is a Dispersed Matrix Organization.

The eTools deployed at ZP are a  mix of proprietary and third party tools. If you are a client of ZP you can expect that:

• ZP will have all experimental records saved in electronic format
• ZP will have all electrochemical biosensor and manufacturing data saved in Djuli, our proprietary Cloud based system for electrochemical biosensor data
• ZP will be able to account for all efforts on your programme down to a 1 second resolution
• If you are enrolled on an ISO13485 contract development and manufacturing programme with ZP then the quality aspects of your programme are controlled within our eQMS system

ZP is an ISO13485 contract developer and manufacturer of biosensors. Along with our core focus on biosensor  and we are experienced in the entire technology chain from the biosensor, to the raw data and all the way to information displayed upon the smart devices.

At ZP we understand that the end purpose of a biosensor is not the biosensor itself, but rather the information and actions that can be taken from the biosensor data.

ZP has  the entire chain of products and services  going from the biosensor to the final actionable information, these include: biosensor, electronics, connectivity to the Cloud, calculations upon the Cloud, display of the information on the end user smart device.

The products and services from ZP includes:

• ZP has the largest range of off the shelf biosensors
• ZP is an ISO13485 contract developer and manufacturer of biosensors
• ZP is a developer and manufacturer of analogue and digital electronics
• ZP has an existing Djuli Cloud platform for receiving biosensor data 
• ZP is a certified iOS and Android developer

At ZP we love data and data science, in our buisness, our client programs and the markets we address we see that products, technologies and services are accelerating to market when supported by the data tactics and data strategies  implemented by the ZP Data Sciences Team.

One of the most important efforts in any biosensor data sciences effort is data cleaning; at ZP we clean biosensor data in the context of a full understanding  of the implications of what this data cleaning could mean to the quality of the data and the impact this cleaning can have upon the conclusions drawn from the data.

At ZP we are an ISO13485 contract developer and manufacturer of electrochemical biosensors and IVDs.

When project managing our customers' projects and programs we are  always applying Project Management Institute (PMI) principles, and so we are trained in the nuances of balancing the conflicting demands of: Good, Cheap and Fast.

The ZP Project Triangle asks the question, which combination of Good, Cheap and Fast is important to you:

• Good and Cheap, therefore the project will not be Fast.
• Good and Fast, therefore the project cannot be Cheap.
• Fast and Cheap, here the output can't be Good; in ZP's opinion this is the worst combination as it is not inline with our ISO13485 based philosophies.

Biosensors can offer:

• Quantitative data- the concentration of analytes.

• Longitudinal data – how concentration changes as a function of time.

• Spatial data – An array of sensor, or sensors placed within flows can give the spatial resolution of how an analyte such as pH changes both temporally and spatially. 

Quantitative data

The range of electrochemical biosensors suitable for monitoring the environment of cells has increased considerable in recent times.

Biosensors, including the ZP Glucose Sensors, provide a signal that is proportional to the analyte. In the figure below we show the signal as a function of glucose concentration, see Figure 1.0.0.

Longitudinal data

Biosensors can operate for extended periods, for example the glucose sensor from ZP has an operational life greater than 90 days, see adjacent image, and so ZP sees well designed sensors operating throughout the cell-based experiment.

Spatial data

Very recently biosensor arrays of nine biosensors haven been reduced to sensing areas less than 12 mm x 12 mm, see adjacent figure, and further miniaturization is also possible.

The biosensors from ZP can also provide spatial resolution, where an array of sensors provides a time course and spatial resolution of the analyte. The ZP biosensor array technology most matured in this respect is the ZP pH sensor arrays.

ZP takes a holistic approach to ISO13485 contract development and manufacturing of electrochemical biosensors including:

• Market research, analysis, and business case development
• Proof of principle studies
• Contract development of point of care devices and in field testing technologies
• ISO13485 Quality Management System consulting and development for biosensor development and manufacturing 
• Contract biosensor development
• Clean room processes and assembly 
• Clinical support and strategy
• Development and manufacturing of microfluidics, lab on a chip (LoC), total analytic systems (TAS)

The range of services and products from ZP reflect that we have to take a holistic view when engaging with a client on the subject of electrochemical biosensor and IVD development and manufacturing as biosensor development, biosensor manufacturing, quality, clinical approval, market acceptance are not mutually exclusive or isolated functions. 

The holistic philosophy at ZP imeans that we are able to support clients on each step to build a biosensor and IVD product and/or business.

At Zimmer and Peacock we are an ISO13485 contract manufacturer of electrochemical biosensors and in-vitro diagnostics. As part of services to our clients and collaborators we provide a range of services and products including screen printing of electrodes. 

At ZP we have off the shelf screen printed electrodes and we make custom screen printed electrodes, but we also take a pragmatic view on small volume prototyping. For small scale manufacturing we suggest rather than investing money and time into having customized screen printing services we encourage people to hand paint their electrodes

For those who want a more professional finish of electrodes we can supply stencils in addition to the biosensor and electrode paints.

ZP can custom fabricate a stencil, through which the scientist/engineer can paint our paints and inks onto a suitable such as PET, see below.

ZP will create a repeat of your sensor in a 100 mm x 100 mm sheet

Some fields benefiting from biosensors are:

• Food Industry - Sensors and Biosensors are finding their way into the Food and Beverage Industry, where they are use for Food Quality and Food Safety. These applications include the measurement of the hotness of food to the E. Coli in food.

• Agriculture - Sensors and Biosensors are finding their way into the Agricultural industry, which like many industries is moving to a more precise applications of chemical inputs such as nitrate fertilizers.

• Medical - Sensors and Biosensors have always been synonymous with medical and human health. The largest medical market for biosensors is self monitoring blood glucose (SMBG), where diabetics are able to monitor their blood glucose by testing capillary blood. At the time of writing this article continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is rapidly growing and though the market is dominated by three vendors, new players such as Apple and Glucose are also trying to enter the market.

Biosensors are transducers that convert a biological event into an electrical signal. Biosensors were invented by Leyland Clarke in 1956. The first electrochemical sensors made by Clarke was an oxygen sensor, but the later addition of glucose oxidase turned the oxygen sensor into a glucose sensor.

The development and manufacture of biosensors is complex due to their inherent multi-disciplinary nature. A modern biosensor team will include engineers and scientists with backgrounds in: biology, chemistry, materials science, electrochemistry, electromechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, regulatory affairs etc.

The materials used in biosensors are in four main categories:

• Enzymes - The commonly used enzymes are the oxidases, peroxidases, the dehydrogenases and the isomerase. These types of sensors are commonly interrogated by amperometry and/or voltammetry.
• Bioaffinity - The commonly used molecules here are: antibodies, aptamers, single stranded DNA/RNA nucleic acids, molecular imprinted polymers (MIPS). These types of sensors are commonly interrogated by amperometry and/or voltammetry.
• Ionophores - For the detection of ions such as sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, ammonium etc, a corresponding ionophore exists. These types of sensors are commonly interrogated by potentiometry.
• Microbial - These are sensors where microbes are used to sense. These types of sensors are often based on electrochemical fuel cells, where the power out put of the microbial fuel cells is proportionate to the health of the microbial population, and so nutrients and/or toxins in the sample effect the power (signal) proportionally. 

Zimmer and Peacock – Biosensor and Medical Diagnostic Placement Opportunities in the UK and Norway

Zimmer and Peacock is a world leading biosensor development and manufacturing team located primarily in the UK and Norway, so we have placement opportunities across multiple sites for the right candidates. 

Our biosensors are used across a variety of applications from medical devices, precision farming, wearable biosensors and the Internet of Things, making this the perfect opportunity for someone who cares about making a difference to peoples’ livelihoods. At Zimmer and Peacock, we are partnering with academia and industry to ensure that there are enough good and commercially available sensors to meet the requirements of these new and growing markets. We innovate around our collaborators’ inventions to help bring ideas to market.

We are looking for highly motivated scientists with backgrounds in either biology, chemistry, material science or biomedical sciences to join our team in the production and testing of biosensors. You will collaborate with our production teams on the creation of biosensors, as well as data analysis and interpretation of the results. Alongside working with the production team, you will undertake independent working on report compilation and presentations for colleagues and clients.

Whilst the science background is important, we are more interested in you, your attitude and what you can bring to the table than necessarily the course you have taken so far. 

Zimmer and Peacock – Biosensor and Medical Diagnostic Placement Opportunities in the UK and Norway.

Zimmer and Peacock is a world leading biosensor development and manufacturing team located primarily in the UK and Norway, so we have placement opportunities across multiple sites for the right candidates.

Our biosensors are used across a variety of applications from medical devices, precision farming, wearable biosensors and the Internet of Things, making this the perfect opportunity for someone who cares about making a difference to peoples’ livelihoods. At Zimmer and Peacock, we are partnering with academia and industry to ensure that there are enough good and commercially available sensors to meet the requirements of these new and growing markets. We innovate around our collaborators’ inventions to help bring ideas to market.

We are looking for highly motivated engineering students from Plymouth University, across a spectrum of disciplines including, mechanical, electronic, biomedical, materials, etc., to join our team. You will need to be able to take a broad perspective to our work and be willing to understand the mechanical, electronic and biological elements of biosensors and invitro diagnostics.

You will collaborate with our engineers in the designing, testing and validation of prototypes and hardware, as well as data analysis and interpretation of the results. Alongside working with our engineers, you will undertake independent working on report compilation and presentations for colleagues and clients.

Whilst the engineering background is important, we are more interested in you, your attitude and what you can bring to the table than necessarily the courses you have taken so far. 

Whilst your academic background is important, we are more interested in you, your attitude and what you can bring to the table than necessarily the courses you have taken so far. 

Please complete the form below to apply.

Zimmer and Peacock has Digital Design/Animation Placement and Internship Opportunities in the UK and Norway.

Zimmer and Peacock is a world leading biosensor development and manufacturing team located primarily in the UK and Norway, so we have placement opportunities across multiple sites for the right candidates.

Our biosensors are used across a variety of applications from medical devices, precision farming, wearable biosensors and the Internet of Things, making this the perfect opportunity for someone who cares about making a difference to peoples’ lives. At Zimmer and Peacock, we are partnering with academia and industry to ensure that there are enough good and commercially available sensors to meet the requirements of these new and growing markets. We innovate around our collaborators’ inventions to help bring ideas to market.

We are looking for  highly motivated Arts and Humanities students from Plymouth University across a spectrum of disciplines including: Product Design, Animation, Graphic Design, etc., to join our team. You will collaborate with our Marketing team, using a variety of tools, to showcase Zimmer and Peacock and our products across multiple social media platforms. You will also undertake independent working on your designs, posts and presentations for colleagues and clients.

Whilst your academic background is important, we are more interested in you, your attitude and what you can bring to the table than necessarily the courses you have taken so far. 

Please complete the form below to apply.

ZP is the world leading ISO13485 contract developer and manufacturer of electrochemical biosensors and IVDs, including the manufacture of screen printed electrodes.

At ZP we take a pragmatic view and though we think the potentiostats that we make and/or sell are the best we are also appreciative that engineers and scientists like to build their own instruments.

In the adjacent table we have compared and contrasted the low cost/open source/free potentiostats and linked tothem below.

In our opinion the best lower cost potentiostat on the market at the time of writing this article is the Sensit Smart, which is available from ZP, but we have also linked to the open source potentiostats.

ZP are supporters of KTP.

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme helps businesses in the UK to innovate and grow. It does this by linking them with an academic or research organisation and a graduate.

A KTP enables a business to bring in new skills and the latest academic thinking to deliver a specific, strategic innovation project through a knowledge-based partnership.

The academic partner (known as the Knowledge Base) will help to develop the project, provide academic input and recruit a suitable graduate, known as an associate. They will act as the employer of the associate, who then works at the business for the majority of the project.

The scheme can last between 12 and 36 months, depending on what the project is and the needs of the business.

At ZP we truly understand our biosensors and we are happy to share our knowledge with the biosensor development community.

This week our head of production was testing a batch of pH sensors when he noticed that the sensitivity ws 59 mV/pH. This was immediately brought to the attention of our CSO as it is rare that the performance of an ion sensitive electrode such as a pH electrode are exactly in line with theory.

At Zimmer and Peacock we have a range of gold for electrodes for many applications including biosensors.

The gold electrodes we manufacture include:

• Low temperature screen printed gold
• High temperature screen printed gold
• PCB gold
• Vapor deposited gold on glass
• Vapor deposited gold on polymer

ZP is the only ISO13485 manufacturer of electrodes with electrochemistry at our core so we are able to characterise the electrodes that we manufacture.

Zimmer and Peacock is the World's Leading ISO13485 contract developer and manufacturer of electrochemical biosensors.

As part of our mission statement ZP is supporting the wider biosensor developer community, and as part of this commitment we are match funding grants from the Analytical Chemistry Trust Fund.

Upon our agreement to collaborate with you, and if you apply for and receive funding from the Analytical Chemistry Trust Fund to come and train at one of ZP's UK facilities for a 3 month period, then ZP will match fund your grant.

This support is only open to members of the ZP Developers Zone.

Click here to see fund details.

On this page you can find multiple reference resources for using the Sensit Smart, and how the Sensit smart integrates with ZP Biosensors screen printed electrodes and bio-sensing technologies. 

We link to courses on the ZP Academy where we demonstrate how to use the Sensit smart for glucose sensing, pH measurements, orange juice analysis, wine analysis and  caffeine analysis. Please contact ZP for a 100 % discount on these courses.

pH measuring with Sensit Smart

potassium measuring with Sensit Smart

Module 2B1 - Introduction to Generation One Glucose Sensors

Module 2C2 - Introduction to the Cyclic Voltammetry Analysis of Red and White Wine

At ZP we have the largest online range of technologies for continuous glucose monitoring technology (CGM) developers.

As part of our characterization of these technologies we have been continuously testing some of our CGM sensors and changing the temperature in order to understand the coefficient of temperature on the sensor.

At ZP we have the largest online range of technologies for continuous glucose monitoring technology (CGM) developers.

As part of our characterization of these technologies we have been continuously testing some of our CGM sensors on our screen printed platform, at the time of writing we are 93 days into continuous use.

At ZP we understand that the biomolecules at the heart of the ZP electrochemical glucose biosensors are intrinsically robust and hence why the sensors have such longevity. 

ZP is an ISO13485  contract developer and manufacturer of electrochemical biosensors and in-vitro diagnostics (IVDs), as part of our accelerating growth we are now expanding our clean room capacity.

Welcome to the 3D printed microfluidic solutions page from Zimmer and Peacock On this web page we have brought together the information from Zimmer and Peacock regarding printing microfluidic solutions for biosensor developers.

In order to fabricate these 3D printed biosensors you will to follow the three steps below.

You will require a ZP Hyper Value electrode, we recommend starting with a pack of 200 screen printed electrodes (SPE), part number ZPS HYP-000-00150. Please click the adjacent image.

You will require the ZP adhesives for screen printed electrodes.

You will require a 3D printable STL file.

ZP has a large number of academic collaborations and we are delighted when the results are excellent.

In a recent collaboration with Heriot Watt University, the ZP and HWU team have been developing  a sensor capable of spatially resolving both  differences and gradients of pH. 

FREE COURSES

To access free courses on ZP academy please search using the search term 'free' by clicking the ZP Academy logo here.

FREE TECHNICAL SUPPORT AT ZP DEVELOPERS ZONE:

To access free advice from ZP follow these three steps

• STEP ONE - Join the ZP Developers Zone.
• STEP TWO - Post your question in the forum.
• STEP THREE - Watch our liver webinar at 8 AM  every Thursday and 8 PM every Sunday London time where we answer questions from the forum during a live streaming webinar. The webinar is saved and is available on YouTube after the live streaming.

PRIVATE CONSULTATION

For many commercial clients or where the questions require in depth analysis ZP offers private consulting.

ZP is an ISO13485 certified developers and manufacturers of electrochemical biosensors and IVDs.

The substrates we manufacture upon include: silicon wafers, ceramic, PET, glass, card, PCB  and paper.  At ZP we take a pragmatic view on which substrate we manufacture and chose the material most suitable for the application. 

One of the materials that is popular at the moment is paper, and so at ZP we are able to print our designs onto paper as the fabrication onto PET and ceramic is fairly straightforward to translate onto paper. ZP advises that you can go onto paper if there paper itself offers a material property that is useful to the final application, we make this comment as you should not move to paper simply because of a perceived cost saving. 

THE COST ARGUMENT FOR PAPER

The argument that paper is the only material that offers low cost products is diminished when you consider that the screen printed hypervalue electrodes from ZP are:

• 99 cents each in packs of 200,
• 50 cents when in packs of 10,000
• 25 cents when in packs of 100,000
• 5 cents in packs of 10,000,000.

This example demonstrates a common point with manufactured goods, which is the higher the production volume the lower the cost. As can be seen from the example above the cost of the SPE can be reduced to 5 cents and below by simply increasing the production volume.

THE FOUR  IMPORTANT FACTORS THAT DRIVE COST OF SPE ARE

Below we have listed four factors that can drive the cost of screen printed electrodes/SPE/biosensors, it should be noted that the materials of construction are not listed because materials of construction as an important parameter is outside of the top four parameters when considering what drives cost.

1) QUANTITY - How many screen printed electrodes/biosensors do you require?

2) QUALITY - What is the quality you require?

3) SIZE OF SPE/Biosensor - You can often reduce the cost of a biosensor or screen printed electrode by 75 % by halving the length and width of the design.

4) STANDARD versus CUSTOM DESIGN - Customization is always more expensive, than an off the shelf product. In a customization program you often have a team of R and D engineers and scientists involved and so the cost of their efforts have to recouped through the price of the products and programme.

QUANTITY 

Commercial screen printed electrodes and biosensors are often sold at a price that is proportional to the volumes sold. When a product is ordered in the 10s and 100s the manufacture of the product has a high administration cost to ship a relatively small number of items and so many manufacturers and distributers have a pricing accordingly. The ZP hypervalue screen printed electrodes show a price range form 99 cents to 5 cents based on the number of screen printed electrodes required.

QUALITY

A common practice in the manufacture of screen printed electrodes is to manufacture and ship. At ZP we manufacture, we electrochemically test and then we ship. ZP is the only ISPO13458 contract developer and manufacturer of screen printed electrodes that electrochemically tests our screen printed electrodes to ensure that they are electrochemically functional before shipping.

SIZE OF SPE/Biosensor

The simplest way of reducing the cost of many products is to reduce their size in doing so you can often increase the production rate. At ZP we imagine that our clients are truly wanting to get to market and so our standard products such as the hypevalue screen printed electrodes are sized so that they can make sense when produced in sufficient manufacturing volumes. How size can impact price of biosensors and screen printed electrodes can be seen in the adjacent button.

STANDARD VERSUS CUSTOM DESIGN

Customization is always more expensive, than an off the shelf product. In a customization program you often have a team of engineers and scientists involved and so the cost of their efforts have to recouped through the price of the products and programme.

At ZP we know that electrochemistry is the most robust science for the everyday detection of chemical and biological molecules. 

As part of ZP's innovative approach  we offer a range of courses that are free to our customers and collaborators including a module on the measurement of vitamin C/ascorbic acid in orange juice.

Click the course image below to see our orange juice module.

Zimmer and Peacock are expert at adding features to the surfaces of screen printed electrodes to act as barriers or microfluidics.

The quality of ZP's screen printed electrodes is due to the technical skills of the ZP Team and the range of the technical instruments we are able to call upon.

This week the ZP team has been determining the print thickness and the arithmetic surface  roughness using our profilometer to measure print thickness and the print roughness.

Zimmer and Peacock is the world's only ISO13485 contract manufacturer of biosensors, screen printed electrodes and IVDs who can individually label each product with a unique QR code.

These QR codes can carry a range of data, including: manufacturing data, calibation data, expiration data etc.

Please contact ZP to find out how we can go beyond manufacturing.

A proof of principle (POP) study at ZP is a short programme, typically about 111 hours of effort spread over 3 months, where ZP takes the work and understanding already with our collaborates and translates it onto our ZP platforms.

The purpose of the work is to bring the work from its current status and move it onto a platform that ZP sees can be manufactured within our ISO13485 facility. The client and ZP are not obliged to perform later phases after this POP phase.

The understanding that the client has regarding their electrochemical assay or biosensor, this can include:

1) Practical work already undertaken.

2) Academic papers from the literature.

3) Patents licensed/owned by the collaborator.

The effort in a ZP proof of principle programme (PoP) is a time and materials effort and ZP will work within the constraints of the budget of approximately 111 hours.

In a POP programme ZP will:

1) STEP ONE - Perform a tech transfer or discussion with the client to understand the status of the technology and learn all the tips, tricks and anecdotes that the client can give to make ZP's efforts as efficient as possible.

2) STEP TWO - ZP will suggest one or more first small pieces of work within the POP, which we will discuss with the client before proceeding. These suggestions are based on where the technology is today and where does the technology need to be in terms of the market/clinical  requirements. ZP will work through the work to see which of the ideas both works and is commercially viable. The number of ideas worked upon is constrained by the budget.

3) STEP THREE - ZP will give  online update meetings where we will give a presentation on the work done and the results so far. ZP is happy to receive comments and feedback from the clients.

Please note that ZP will build a presentation for the client as we work, in addition ZP can produce reports, procedures etc. All work can be done within the constraints of the budget.

Zimmer and Peacock has a series of training and educational videos that are designed to integrate directly with our ZP Hyper Value Electrodes. In this box are 200 carbon screen printed electrodes, which are exactly the ones featured in the training modules on the ZP Academy.

On the back of the box is a promo-code that allows free access to the relevant training and educational modules on the ZP Academy; these courses are listed below.

Module 2C2 - Introduction to the Cyclic Voltammetry Analysis of Red and White Wine

Module 2H2 - Introduction to the Cyclic Voltammetry Orange Juice

Module 2I2 - Introduction to the Cyclic Voltammetry Coffee and Red Bull

Module 2B1 - Introduction to Generation One Glucose Sensors

Zimmer and Peacock is reaching out among our existing clients and seeking new ambitious clients to part of our next wave of expansion. 

As we expand into a new facility we can add 4000 square meters on top of our current Norway infrastructure, we are therefore welcoming our clients to potentially co-locate with us as part of our client incubator lab and contract manufacturing. 

The building has have the following amenities:

1) State of the art boardroom for online conference calls and face-to-face meetings.

2) Excellent connectivity to Oslo

3) Lockable Client Offices

4) Cleanrooms

5) ISO13485 Manufacturing Hall

6) Lecture Theatre

7) Laboratory

8) Dedicated Dining Hall

9) Catered Commercial Kitchen

10) Manned Reception

Please contact ZP to explore this opportunity to engage more closely with the World's leading ISO13485 contract developer and manufacturer of electrochemical biosensors and medical diagnostics.

 Zimmer and Peacock AS (ZP AS) are sponsors of the Industrial Master of Science Programme at USN - Micro and Nano System Technology, and is Norway's fastest growing biosensor and in-vitro diagnostic company. Head-quartered in Horten Norway, our team engages with clients and collaborators from Australia to California.

USN Industrial Masters @ZP

The USN Industrial Masters at ZP AS means you will work between USN and ZP AS. When at ZP AS you will be embedded within an international  team helping us to fulfill our mission to develop electrochemical biosensing systems that can positively impact society, our applications include: health, wellness, food and beverage, agriculture, aquaculture, environmental and process control.

The mission at ZP is to focus on the biosensors required for the internet of things (IoT) revolution, but to tackle the hard to develop sensors for molecules, bacteria and viruses. As part of our team engineers and scientist work across disciplines including: electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, biosensing engineering, chemistry,  microbiology, molecular biology, firmware coding, data-sciences and Cloud solution development.

Though our scientists and engineers have specific subject matter expertise, they  apply their skills within a multi-disciplinary team and have the satisfaction that all the efforts at Zimmer and Peacock AS lead to products on the market, that make  a direct difference to our world.

As  part of our continuing close relations with USN, ZP is looking to recruit a full time or part time post-graduate students/graduate students, who have gained a considerable degree of practical training within the  USN clean room facility.

You must be:

• A USN graduate or currently studying at USN
• You are at a senior level in regard to your experience and time spent within the USN clean room
• You must be ready to work now, either  part-time or full-time

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Micro-fabrication Engineer

Micro-fabrication Engineer Job Responsibilities:

• Micro-fabrication within cleanroom environment using dry etching machine, baking oven, sputter coating machine, thermal evaporation and copper plating machine.
• Following existing microfabrication work instruction and possibility improvement of the current fabrication process.
• Reporting fabrication process and drafting work instruction

Essential attributes:

• More than two years’ experience in microfabrication.
• More than two years’ experience of MEMS device design
• Experience of bulk micromachining and fabrication processes with multiple stages of photolithography, dry etching, wet etching, baking, metal sputtering and metal plating, gained through working in a cleanroom environment.
• Experience of using SEM and EDX to characterise fabricated device.
• Ability to establish and develop new cleanroom processes.
• Ability to present work at technical meetings.
•  Ability to write work instruction.
• Comfortable working unsupervised after initial training

Desirable attributes: 

• Cross discipline working to identify potential process and device improvements
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary project team

For anyone working on a continuous glucose monitoring technology, whether implantable, trans-dermal, minimally invasive or even noninvasive then please do read 'The Pursuit of Noninvasive Glucose - Hunting the Deceitful Turkey' by John L. Smith.  You really can't claim to be in the CGM club until you have read this book.

At ZP we have been checking back into this book for about 15 years and we will often recommend it to others, especially those working on noninvasive glucose technology.

We have linked to the book in the buttons below and have included a button to ZP resources for anyone interested in CGM development.

At ZP we receive  a lot of enquires about gold electrode and their use as biosensors.

On this page we provide links specifically  for those wishing to develop a COVID-19 biosensor upon our gold electrodes, please see the buttons below.

Please click this button to see a discussion on cleaning gold screen printed electrodes.

Zimmer and Peacock is the only company that electrochemically characterises its screen printed electrode as part of the manufacturing process.

We have a resources page for people wishing to form a self-assembled monolayer on a gold electrode.

At ZP we receive  a lot of enquires about gold electrode and there use as biosensors, along with the use of impedance spectroscopy to  read the sensor. Therefore  to help developers we have put this resources page together.

If you intend to use impedance measurements with gold electrodes then please watch this video.

Please click this button to see a discussion on cleaning gold screen printed electrodes.

Zimmer and Peacock is the only company that electrochemically characterises its screen printed electrode as part of the manufacturing process.

We have a resources page for people wishing to form a self-assembled monolayer on a gold electrode.

The print thickness of our gold screen printed electrodes can be found here.

The resistance of our  gold screen printed electrodes can be found here.

Congratulations to Exhalation Technology for their less than 5 minute breath test for COVID-19.

The Exhalation team's clinical testing has shown amazing Clinical  sensitivity.

ZP is delighted with these screen printed electrode (SPE) holders designed for our ZP biosensors and ZP screen printed electrodes.

ZP is the world's leading independent ISO13485 contract developer and contract manufacturer of electrochemical biosensors and electrochemical in-vitro diagnostics. Therefore we are very used to working with start-ups and entrepreneurs. 

Below we have posted videos, links and materials that we have made specifically with biosensor entrepreneurs in mind.

If you are an entrepreneur with an electrochemical biosensor idea please don't hesitate to contact ZP.

In the adjacent data we show the data screen printed silver/silver chloride electrode treated with ZP's chloride resilient formulation.

The intention of the chloride resilient formulation is to make the reference electrode less sensitive to chloride, which is useful in applications where the chloride is otherwise a variable.

ZP is looking to hire senior scientists and/or senior engineers. 

In the first instance you will be working from our ZP AS site in Horten Norway, though you can expect to work both from London UK and Norway.

Technical positions at ZP are always fun and demanding, so you need to feel that you are world class, self motivated, a problem solver and a team player.

ZP has deliberately not specified your technical background as we find senior  scientists and engineers are not defined by their formal training, but rather by their wiliness to learn and self-educate through their careers. You can expect that you will be working on programmes where electrochemical biosensors is at the heart of the technology.

At ZP our unique expertise is electrochemical biosensors, so experience with this technology is an advantage, and if you would like to get a sense of our core science then please click the video link below.

If you are interested in finding out more please use the apply button below, and follow us on social media to see future opportunities.

Zimmer and Peacock has put together a resources pages around electroplating for medical devices. Please read more.

Zimmer and Peacock has had the working electrode of our hyper value screen printed electrode characterized by microscopy, please read more.

QUESTION ONE  -  How many hours of continual use in simple aqueous solutions at pH 3-5 could the printed sensors withstand before significant degradation?

QUESTION TWO  -  How long would the sensor lifetime be in complex bio-fluids with additional ions (eg Na+, K+)?

QUESTION THREE - Can the sensors be reused (eg with a suitable washing step) or would you recommend one-time use?

QUESTION FOUR -  Approximately how many bending cycles can the pH sensor withstand?

Zimmer and Peacock are the World Leader in contract development and manufacturing of wearables.

This week we are exhibiting at  Medical Wearables 2020.

At Zimmer and Peacock we do offer internships, to see announcements on when we have internships available please do follow us on social media.

If you would like to join ZP on a permanent basis then the internship programme is a good way to find a place with us.

In this article we have collected together some frequently asked questions regarding ZP's phosphate sensor.

1. Are your phosphate sensors intended for  agricultural or environmental applications?

Yes, see the ZP Ag Tech button below.

2. What measurement method is used?

See the phosphate sensor button below.

3. What are the LOD and linear range of the sensor?

This is a function of the sensor, electronics and application.

4. Are there any measurement interferences  (solution pH, dissolved oxygen, other Ions, etc.)?

Yes and these are application specific.

5. Would you please send me technical specification for this sensor?

Please see the phosphate sensor button.

6. Do you have any measurement examples to share, in which data from your sensor are compared to data from classical measurement methods?

See the ZP Ag Tech button below.

7. What are the calibration requirements?

Depends on the final application.

8. What is a sensor's response time?

Please see ZP's phosphate sensor button below.

This week, ZP would like to say thank you to the UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) for their recent work as part of the Measurement for Recovery (M4R) programme, which gives UK business access to world-leading measurement.

As part of a bigger programme to understand the performance of ZP's biosensors, the NPL team characterized a number of ZP's biosensors and screen printed electrodes, including our carbon 303 screen printed electrodes.

We were delighted with the work, because everyone  benefits from having another independent team taking a look at a problem. The NPL work directly identified ways of improving the reproducibility of our ZP sensors.

The NPL team are great as they have state of the art equipment, facilities and techniques. Their independence means that they don't carry 'internal team think' and so  bring a fresh perspective on a problem.

NPL have capabilities that go beyond microscopy and profilometry, including specialist techniques of  interest to the electrochemistry community including: scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).

On this page we lay out one strategy to functionalize a screen printed electrode towards sensing a protein.

Links relevant to the video are in the buttons below.

This page is designed to help you calculate the price for a first custom screen printing run at Zimmer and Peacock.

When you first have a batch of screen printed electrodes manufactured you have the non-recurring engineering charge (NRE).

The NRE is the one off costs of making the screens so we can print your electrodes, and the cost of the engineers to convert your designs into screens.

After the NRC is the cost of making the electrodes themselves. Please watch the video where we explain how to calculate the cost of a first run of screen printed electrodes at ZP.

Below we have six  buttons:

1) The cost of screens

2) The cost of engineering time

3) The cost to print on PET

4) The cost to print on ceramic

5) Our standard value electrode format

6) Our standard hyper value electrode format

At Zimmer and Peacock we work with 12 channel Ana Pot and test jig to maximize our throughput.

Our test jigs are developed in house by our engineers to ensure that we can be as efficient as possible.

If you want to maximize your efficiency please contact ZP.