Diagnostics & Imaging Week articles from April 2008

Diagnostics & Imaging Week archives from April 2008

'Personalized' sedation system positions to raise compliance.(For those uncomfortable diagnostics ...)
April 3, 2008... Diagnostic procedures range from easy and unobtrusive (maybe just a quick nasal swab, that's all), to highly obtrusive and uncomfortable (read, colonoscopy)--this spectrum largely determining patient willingness to pursue them. The result...

Nanotech, genomics are future tech in foggy FDA crystal ball.
April 3, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Economist Edgar Fiedler is credited with having said, "He who lives by the crystal ball soon learns to eat ground glass." Despite that warning, one of the sessions conducted during the 51st annual conference sponsored jointly by...

Cardinal, TI licensing new chip for personal medical devices.(Report from Europe)
April 3, 2008... Cardinal Health (Dublin, Ohio) and Texas Instruments (TI; Dallas) have been identified as partners for developing intelligent medical devices using a new ultra-low-power signaling technology owned by Nanoscience (George Town, Cayman Islands), a...

Bracco $241m E-Z-EM buy final; OIS and MediVsion to merge.(Deals roundup)
April 3, 2008... Bracco Diagnostics reported completing its $241 million merger ($21 a share) with E-Z-EM (Lake Success, New York), a maker of contrast agents for gastrointestinal radiology, a deal first reported in October. Bracco Diagnostics is the U.S....

Savings in diagnosis of CAD vary based on patient history.(American College of Cardiology Annual Meeting)(Clinical report)
April 3, 2008... A multicenter study unveiled at this year's annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (Washington) in Chicago has found the cost savings of two leading non-invasive methods for detecting coronary artery disease (CAD) vary based on...

GE Healthcare (Waukesha, Wisconsin) says it is scaling down both the size and cost of big cardiovascular ultrasound equipment with a product that's more accessible to physicians offices and imaging centers.(American College of Cardiology Annual Meeting)
April 3, 2008... GE Healthcare (Waukesha, Wisconsin) says it is scaling down both the size and cost of big cardiovascular ultrasound equipment with a product that's more accessible to physicians offices and imaging centers, by launching, at this year's meeting...

Tornado damage cancels CLMA meeting.(Briefly Noted)
April 3, 2008... A tornado that on the evening of March 14 struck downtown Atlanta, including the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), the city's huge convention venue, garnered a diagnostics industry convention among its victims. The Clinical Laboratory...

Particle number via NMR better than standard LDL/HDL testing.(Research roundup)
April 3, 2008... The American Diabetes Association (ADA; Alexandria, Virginia) and the American College of Cardiology (Washington) have issued a consensus statement saying that the measurement of LDL particle number by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is one of...

Lung capacity: affecting inhalable insulin?(Research roundup)
April 3, 2008... In another study related to diabetes, appearing in the April issue of Diabetes Care, researchers are advising the developer of inhaled insulin to consider the issue of declining lung capacity in patients with Type 2 diabetes. While the...

CT dose-reduction course offered.(Research roundup)
April 3, 2008... CVCTA Education (San Francisco) reported the introduction of an education program intended to help physicians reduce the radiation dose to patients during a CT Angiogram (CTA), avoiding making these doses significantly higher than needed and...

Siemens establishes new India facility for biomarker imaging.(International report)(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... Siemens Healthcare (Hoffman Estates, Illinois) reported the establishment of its first molecular imaging biomarker production facility in Chennai, India. The company said the new facility will enable healthcare providers in and around Chennai...

LabCorp licenses MGMT testing tech.(International report)
April 3, 2008... OncoMethylome Sciences (Liege, Belgium) and Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp; Burlington, North Carolina) said that the Belgian company has granted LabCorp an exclusive license on certain IP technology to perform commercial...

Biovator developing allergenicity test.(International report)(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... In less than a year, animal allergenicity testing for the production of cosmetics in the European Union will be banned, leaving only a limited time to find alternative methods to avoid further exemptions. Biovator (Stockholm, Sweden) said it is...

CMS not inclined to reimburse for T-wave testing in MMA use.(Washington roundup)
April 3, 2008... A Diagnostics & Imaging Week Staff Report Cardiologists trying to assess a patient's vulnerability to sudden cardiac death have more instruments available than ever before, including measurements of the microvolt T-wave alternans (MTWA)...

Satoris and Mayo to begin early detection Alzheimer's study.(Agreements)
April 3, 2008... Satoris (Redwood City, California), a molecular diagnostics company specializing in blood-based tests for Alzheimer's disease (AD), will begin a collaborative study with the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (Mayo Clinic;...

Cardinal Health (Dublin, Ohio) reported an exclusive agreement with UltraSPECT (Haifa, Israel).(In other agreements)
April 3, 2008... Cardinal Health (Dublin, Ohio) reported an exclusive agreement with UltraSPECT (Haifa, Israel) to provide imaging processing software to cut scanning time in half or double the image resolution of existing nuclear medical imaging equipment. ...

Quadraspec (West Lafayette, Indiana) and Antech Diagnostics (Irvine, California) have signed a contract allowing Antech to upgrade their laboratories with Quadraspec's SDI (Spinning Disc Interferometry) detection technology.(Agreements)
April 3, 2008... Quadraspec (West Lafayette, Indiana) and Antech Diagnostics (Irvine, California) have signed a contract allowing Antech to upgrade their laboratories with Quadraspec's SDI (Spinning Disc Interferometry) detection technology. Antech is a...

Cardiac Science (Bothell, Washington), a specialist in cardiac diagnosis, resuscitation, rehabilitation, and informatics products, has signed a letter of intent to begin establishing Heartcentrix ECG connectivity.(Agreements)
April 3, 2008... Cardiac Science (Bothell, Washington), a specialist in cardiac diagnosis, resuscitation, rehabilitation, and informatics products, has signed a letter of intent to begin establishing Heartcentrix ECG connectivity with the Misys MyWay electronic...

Piedmont Heart Institute (PHI; Atlanta) said it has expanded its expertise with the addition of the 20-member cardiovascular physician practice, Cardiology of Georgia, P.C. (COG).(Agreements)
April 3, 2008... Piedmont Heart Institute (PHI; Atlanta) said it has expanded its expertise with the addition of the 20-member cardiovascular physician practice, Cardiology of Georgia, P.C. (COG), through a formal agreement with Piedmont Healthcare (also...

iCAD is granted patent for cancer detection technology.(Patent watch)
April 3, 2008... iCAD (Nashua, New Hampshire), a provider of computer-aided detection (CAD) solutions for the early identification of cancer, reported that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently granted the company U.S. patent No. 7,333,645. This...

Applied Biosystems.(Product Briefs)
April 3, 2008... Applied Biosystems (Foster City, California), an Applera business, said that researchers now have a new tool to enable the discovery of microRNAs and other small RNA molecules using the latest genomic analysis technology. The company said it...

Encision.(Product Briefs)(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... Encision (Boulder, Colorado) said that it is launching its new disposable hand-activated fixed-tip electrode line of laparoscopic instruments. The new electrode line features hand activation for surgeons who prefer to energize the electrode via...

Home Guardian.(Product Briefs)(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... Home Guardian (Charlottesville, Virginia) reported the release of a suite of sensors that non-intrusively monitor the health status of seniors in their homes while enabling professional caregivers to provide needed care. This includes the...

Third Wave Technologies.(Product Briefs)
April 3, 2008... Third Wave Technologies (Madison, Wisconsin) reported FDA clearance of its InPlex CF molecular test which simultaneously detects and identifies cystic fibrosis mutations in patient DNA samples. The company said that the InPlex delivers the...

Advance Technologies.(People in Places)
April 3, 2008... Ronald Sosnowski, PhD, has been named VP of R&D for Adnavance Technologies (San Diego). Sosnowski was most recently senior director of molecular biology and research for Nanogen. Adnavance is a diagnostic company developoing DNA-based tests...

Minrad International.(People in Places)(appoinment of David DiGiacinto)(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... Minrad International (Orchard Park, New York) reported that its board approved the appointment of David DiGiacinto as president/CEO. DiGiacinto's appointment is the first step in a transition in which he will become CEO beginning on January 1,...

Olympus.(People in Places)(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... Olympus (Center Valley, Pennsylvania) said that Mark Gumz, president/COO of the global company's wholly owned subsidiary in the U.S. since January 2000, has now added CEO to his title. The company said that Gumz is the highest-ranking official...

DES need: POC tests predicting anti-platelet therapy response.(drug-eluting stent)
April 10, 2008... CHICAGO -- Compliance with anti-platelet therapy is seen as one of the more important aspects of reducing thrombosis following implantation of a drug-eluting stent (DES). But what of those patients resistant to this protocol? One of the...

Gen-Probe starts pivotal trial for new assay to detect HPV.
April 10, 2008... Most sexually active adults have been exposed to human papillomavirus (HPV), with as many as 20 million Americans estimated to be infected with the genital form. In most cases, it causes no health problems. But it does cause nearly all cases of...

Bedside tomography to move beyond Sweden in market push.(International report)
April 10, 2008... A novel mobile gamma camera unit--designed to bring widely used scintigraphic tomography (SPECT) out of advanced radiology suites and into the emergency room and intensive care units for seriously ill patients--has taken the first steps to...

BioForce launches molecular printing outsourcing service.(New ventures)
April 10, 2008... Molecular printers provide researchers with the ability to print tiny domains of biological materials on surfaces. But the problem is that while molecular printers provide researchers with an invaluable resource, the whole process can be a bit...

With buy of ABT, Fujirebio Diag enters control/calibrator sector.(Deals roundup)(American Biological Technologies)(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... Fujirebio Diagnostics (Malvern, Pennsylvania), a maker of cancer diagnostics and biomarker assays, reported that it has acquired American Biological Technologies (ABT; Seguin, Texas), a manufacturer of in vitro diagnostic assay controls and...

Solis Women's Health (Austin, Texas) reported acquiring MedTech Mammography Centers (Phoenix), an independent provider of screening mammography in the Southwest.(Deals roundup)(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... Solis Women's Health (Austin, Texas) reported acquiring MedTech Mammography Centers (Phoenix), an independent provider of screening mammography in the Southwest. The MedTech complex includes seven facilities in greater Phoenix and three in...

The board of Molecular Vision (London) reported that discussions concerning its acquisition by Acrongenomics (Geneva, Switzerland) have ended.(Deals roundup)(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... The board of Molecular Vision (London) reported that discussions concerning its acquisition by Acrongenomics (Geneva, Switzerland) have ended. It said Acrongenomics has been unable to complete the deal on the agreed-upon terms and timetable....

Natus prices share offering to raise up to $13.4 million.(Financings roundup)
April 10, 2008... Natus Medical (San Carlos, California) reported pricing an offering of 770,000 shares of its common stock at $18.27 a share, equal to the closing price of the company's common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on April 3. The shares are being...

BioTrove.(In other financings news)
April 10, 2008... BioTrove (Woburn, Massachusetts) has filed a registration statement with the SEC for an initial public offering, with plans to use the proceeds to fund development of its OpenArray and RapidFire product lines. The share price has not been set....

Grant Life Sciences.(In other financings news)
April 10, 2008... Grant Life Sciences (Los Angeles) reported that it has received a waiver from The N.I.R. Group (Roslyn, New York), allowing it to pursue alternate financing to pay down, in whole or in part, an existing financing debt to NIR. "These...

Ophthalmic Imaging Systems (OIS; Sacramento, California) reported board authorization to repurchase up to 1 million shares of company common stock.(In other financings news)
April 10, 2008... Ophthalmic Imaging Systems (OIS; Sacramento, California) reported board authorization to repurchase up to 1 million shares of company common stock. Gil Allon, CEO of OIS, said, "[S]everal exciting initiatives [are] underway which we...

Biofield.(In other financings news)
April 10, 2008... Biofield (King of Prussia, Pennsylvania), filed a preliminary information statement with the SEC on April 2, reporting authorization of the amendment of the company's articles of incorporation to affect a 1-for-10 reverse split of the company's...

Guardian Technologies International.(In other financings news)(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... Guardian Technologies International (Herndon, Virginia), a technology developer of intelligent imaging informatics solutions, for the homeland security and healthcare industries, has entered into definitive agreements with five existing and...

For Orthocrat, the vision is a filmless flow for surgeons.
April 10, 2008... When it comes to orthopedic case planning, Orthocrat (Petah-Tikva, Israel) has the proverbial better idea. The company's TraumaCad web-based solution is aimed at helping orthopedic surgeons plan their pending procedures with precision. The...

F&S sees automation uptake in Brazil's diagnostics sector.(International notebook)(Frost & Sullivan )(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... The consolidation movement in the clinical diagnostics sector is expected to drive escalation of the number of tests for processing, which, in turn, will drive the clinical diagnostics automation market, according to consulting firm Frost &...

Sonomed gets China SFDA approval.(International notebook)(State Food and Drug Administration )(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... Escalon Medical (Wayne, Pennsylvania) said its Sonomed subsidiary has received approval from the State Food and Drug Administration of China to market the PacScan and E/Z-Scan lines of products in that country. The PacScan line consists of...

U.S. trial starts for MediGuide/Philips product.(International notebook)
April 10, 2008... MediGuide (Haifa, Israel) and Royal Philips Electronics (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) said they have started their planned clinical trials in the U.S. using the Philips Integris Allura Flat Detector catheterization lab (Allura FD-10) integrated...

Thermo Fisher to provide probe technologies from Nanogen.(Agreements)(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... Nanogen (San Diego), a developer of molecular-biology and rapid diagnostic products, and Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, Massachusetts) have entered into an agreement in which Thermo will be the exclusive provider of a variety of products...

Siemens Healthcare (Malvern Pennsylvania) reported the addition of a mammography digitizing system from Carestream Healthcare (Rochester, New York) to its Accessory Solutions product portfolio.(Agreements)
April 10, 2008... Siemens Healthcare (Malvern Pennsylvania) reported the addition of a mammography digitizing system from Carestream Healthcare (Rochester, New York) to its Accessory Solutions product portfolio. The digitizer is offered through Siemens to U.S....

Corgenix Medical (Denver) said it has entered into an agreement with Randox Laboratories (Antrim, UK) to expand the test-processing technology and distribution network of the Corgenix AspirinWorks product.(Agreements)(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... Corgenix Medical (Denver) said it has entered into an agreement with Randox Laboratories (Antrim, UK) to expand the test-processing technology and distribution network of the Corgenix AspirinWorks product. The companies will collaborate in...

U.S. Preventive Medicine (Dallas) and deCode Genetics (ReykJavik, Iceland) reported signing a letter of intent to add genetic testing to expand both companies' personalized medicine services.(In other agreements)
April 10, 2008... U.S. Preventive Medicine (Dallas) and deCode Genetics (ReykJavik, Iceland) reported signing a letter of intent to add genetic testing to expand both companies' personalized medicine services in the U.S. and internationally. "The signing of...

QuantRx Biomedical (Doylestown, Pennsylvania) said it has concluded the development of the Fieldtests ID product line.(Agreements)(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... QuantRx Biomedical (Doylestown, Pennsylvania) said it has concluded the development of the Fieldtests ID product line for identifying drugs-of-abuse residue. QuantRx has entered into an exclusive manufacturing agreement with Fieldtests....

InHealth sets $10 million goal for device/diagnostics research.(Grants/contracts)
April 10, 2008... The Institute for Health Technology Studies (InHealth; Washington) has launched a new capital campaign to raise up to $10 million in funding to advance its mission of sponsoring evidence-based research on the value and impact of medical devices...

DR Systems (San Diego) makers of the Unity RIS/PACS, reported seven new contracts with healthcare facilities, totaling more than $3.2 million.(In contract news)
April 10, 2008... DR Systems (San Diego) makers of the Unity RIS/PACS, reported seven new contracts with healthcare facilities, totaling more than $3.2 million. The seven new facilities with which DR has contracts are Ojai Valley Community Hospital (Ojai,...

ProUroCare adds IP protection for prostate imaging system.(Patent watch)
April 10, 2008... ProUroCare Medical (Minneapolis) said it has acquired a "broad array" of mechanical imaging technology patents owned by Profile, covering prostate and breast imaging applications and the basis of the ProUroScan prostate imaging system that is...

m2m Imaging relocating to Cleveland.(Briefly Noted)
April 10, 2008... m2m Imaging reported that it has relocated its headquarters from New Jersey to Cleveland. m2m is the combination of spin-out businesses from Columbia University and the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia). It said the Cleveland...

Merge receives Nasdaq notice.(Briefly Noted)
April 10, 2008... Merge Healthcare (Milwaukee) was notified by Nasdaq that it is not in compliance with Marketplace Rule 4450(a)(5) because shares of its common stock had closed at a per share bid price of less than $1.00 for 30 consecutive business days. ...

Wireless tracking for mobile imaging.(International report)
April 10, 2008... Royal Philips Electronics (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) reported that it has developed a new product with a related service package to track and remotely repair mobile diagnostic imaging systems. The new Philips Remote Services uses global...

CSMG Technologies, (Corpus Christi, Texas), a technology management company, reported that its Live Tissue Connect (LTC; Santa Barbara, California).(In other New Ventures)
April 10, 2008... CSMG Technologies, (Corpus Christi, Texas), a technology management company, reported that its Live Tissue Connect (LTC; Santa Barbara, California) subsidiary now has in-house disposable instrumentation capability. Don Robbins,...

Brahms USA.(Product Briefs)
April 10, 2008... Brahms USA (Annapolis, Maryland) reported FDA clearance for its Procalcitonin (PCT) Kryptor test to be used in critically ill patients on the first day of ICU admission as an aid to assess risk for progression to severe sepsis and septic shock....

Carl Zeiss Meditec.(Product Briefs)
April 10, 2008... Carl Zeiss Meditec (Dublin, California) has introduced two new optical coherence tomography (OCT) applications. With advanced algorithms available for Cirrus HDOCT and Stratus OCT, ophthalmologists now have advanced imaging capabilities...

Connect Imaging.(Product Briefs)(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... Connect Imaging (Honolulu, Hawaii) has introduced software for use with FCRm digital mammography systems from FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA. According to Philip Manly, CEO of Connect, the company developed its newest module, called VCM Port, to...

iCAD (Nashua, New Hampshire) said that its SecondLook digital computer-aided detection system for mammography received FDA approval for sale with Computed Radiography for Mammography (FCRm) systems from Fujifilm (Stamford, Connecticut).(Product Briefs)
April 10, 2008... iCAD (Nashua, New Hampshire) said that its SecondLook digital computer-aided detection system for mammography received FDA approval for sale with Computed Radiography for Mammography (FCRm) systems from Fujifilm (Stamford, Connecticut)....

Immunicon.(Product Briefs)(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... Immunicon (Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania) reported the availability of a new product portfolio for Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization (FISH) testing. The RF Poseidon FISH Probes are available to the life science and diagnostic clinical...

Siemens Healthcare.(Product Briefs)
April 10, 2008... Siemens Healthcare (San Francisco) reported the introduction of its smallest ultrasound solution--the Acuson P10 ultrasound system. Siemens says that the Acuson P10 handheld diagnostic ultrasound system is a little larger than a common PDA,...

CV Therapeutics says Lexiscan safer, more convenient solution.(With FDA approval....)
April 17, 2008... There's a new entry in the multi-million-dollar pharmacologic stress agent market--and an even safer participant in this testing sector, according to the company promoting the product. CV Therapeutics (CVT; Palo Alto, California) and...

Panelist: biomarkers hurt, not help in clinical development.
April 17, 2008... SAN DIEGO--With less than one-fourth of all clinical-stage oncology drugs making it through to market--at the same time trial costs are escalating dramatically--it's more important than ever for companies to select the right compounds to...

Low birth weight has later impact on heart disease risk.(Report from Europe)
April 17, 2008... A Diagnostics & Imaging Week Staff Report European researchers have found evidence suggesting that small size at birth and excessive weight gain during adolescence and young adulthood may lead to low-grade inflammation, which in turn is...

Volcano's integrated imaging paints clearer lesion picture.
April 17, 2008... Intravascular imaging of coronary arteries continues to be refined, allowing physicians to more accurately assess lesion severity and confirm proper stent placement. Although intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and fractional flow reserve...

Imaging center operator settles billing scam via $7m payment.(Court report)
April 17, 2008... A Diagnostics & Imaging Week Staff Report The operator of a chain of medical imaging centers in southern Florida agreed to pay $7 million to settle charges it billed for CT scans that were never performed, and also offering payments to...

Inverness Medical Innovations.(In other legalities)
April 17, 2008... The law firm Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins reported a class action filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on behalf of investors who bought common stock in Inverness Medical Innovations' (IMI; Waltham,...

Federal court Judge Thomas Whelan last week approved Hooper, Lundy & Bookman's request for a preliminary injunction on behalf of Sharp HealthCare (San Diego), Scripps Health (San Diego) and Internist Laboratory of Oceanside (Oceanside, California) in their complaint against the federal Health and Human Services Agency.(In other legalities)
April 17, 2008... Federal court Judge Thomas Whelan last week approved Hooper, Lundy & Bookman's request for a preliminary injunction on behalf of Sharp HealthCare (San Diego), Scripps Health (San Diego) and Internist Laboratory of Oceanside (Oceanside,...

FDA says skin cholesterol test data fails to show equivalence.(PreMD to 'explore' dispute resolution)
April 17, 2008... A Diagnostics & Imaging Week Staff Report Predictive medicine company PreMD (Toronto) reported that the FDA has upheld its decision regarding the company's appeal of the not substantially equivalent (NSE) letter it received this past...

Ubl lauds home monitoring bill.(PreMD to 'explore' dispute resolution)
April 17, 2008... In a statement from AdvaMed (Washington), Stephen Ubl, president/CEO of the association, praised the recent introduction of the Remote Monitoring Access Act by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-California). "What was once only science fiction is now patient...

Federal works get SBI coverage.(PreMD to 'explore' dispute resolution)(Screening and Brief Intervention)
April 17, 2008... The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) reported that about 5.6 million federally insured federal workers will now be covered for a substance abuse prevention and treatment procedure called Screening and Brief...

Natus to acquire SonaMed; BSX, Surgi-Vision in accord.(Deals roundup)
April 17, 2008... A Diagnostics & Imaging Week Staff Report Natus Medical (San Carlos, California) said it has agreed to acquire SonaMed (Waltham, Massachusetts), a private company that makes the Clarity Screener and associated disposable supplies to help...

Boston Scientific (BSX; Natick, Massachusetts) and Surgi-Vision (Baltimore) reported a licensing and development deal for MRI-safe technology.(In other dealmaking activity)
April 17, 2008... Boston Scientific (BSX; Natick, Massachusetts) and Surgi-Vision (Baltimore) reported a licensing and development deal for MRI-safe technology. Boston Scientific said it will gain access to SurgiVision's development capabilities and will...

InSight Health Services Holdings (Lake Forest, California) said it has sold five diagnostic imaging centers to RadNet Management (Los Angeles).(In other dealmaking activity)
April 17, 2008... InSight Health Services Holdings (Lake Forest, California) said it has sold five diagnostic imaging centers to RadNet Management (Los Angeles). The five Southern California-based centers, in Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village,...

Tenet Healthcare (Dallas) and the University of Southern California (USC; Los Angeles) have agreed to a non-binding letter of intent for Tenet to acquire USC University Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital (both Los Angeles).(In other dealmaking activity)
April 17, 2008... Tenet Healthcare (Dallas) and the University of Southern California (USC; Los Angeles) have agreed to a non-binding letter of intent for Tenet to acquire USC University Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital (both Los Angeles). Financial terms...

ProMetic Life Sciences (Mount-Royal, Quebec) has signed a letter of intent to acquire the common stock holding of the American Red Cross (ARC; Washington) in Pathogen Removal and Diagnostic Technologies (PRDT), the joint venture established by ProMetic and ARC in 2002 to develop products for diagnosing and reducing pathogens in blood, blood derivatives, biopharmaceuticals and other biological products.(In other dealmaking activity)
April 17, 2008... ProMetic Life Sciences (Mount-Royal, Quebec) has signed a letter of intent to acquire the common stock holding of the American Red Cross (ARC; Washington) in Pathogen Removal and Diagnostic Technologies (PRDT), the joint venture established by...

The Center for Diagnostic Imaging (CDI; Minneapolis) and Radiology Consultants of Washington (RCW; Seattle) reported a merger agreement that will combine their eight Washington outpatient imaging centers.(In other dealmaking activity)
April 17, 2008... The Center for Diagnostic Imaging (CDI; Minneapolis) and Radiology Consultants of Washington (RCW; Seattle) reported a merger agreement that will combine their eight Washington outpatient imaging centers. CDI and RCW together offer imaging...

Natus underwriter exercises full over-allotment for $15.4m offer.(Financings roundup)
April 17, 2008... A Diagnostics & Imaging Week Staff Report Natus Medical (San Carlos, California) reported that Roth Capital Partners, the sole underwriter of its recently disclosed public offering of 770,000 shares of common stock valued at roughly $13.4...

Graymark Healthcare.(In other financing news)
April 17, 2008... Graymark Healthcare (Oklahoma City), a medical holding company, reported that its 1-for-5 split of the company's common stock took effect last Friday, and that its stock symbol has changed from GRMK to GRMH. Graymark reported last month...

HemoGenix adds two IP claims for its HALO cell assay system.(Patent watch)
April 17, 2008... A Diagnostics & Imaging Week Staff Report HemoGenix (Colorado Springs, Colorado), a private contract research and assay development company, reported receiving U.S. patents for the first two "of several patent applications" for its HALO...

m2m Imaging relocating to Cleveland.(Briefly Noted)
April 17, 2008... m2m Imaging reported that it has relocated its headquarters from New Jersey to Cleveland. m2m is the combination of spin-out businesses from Columbia University and the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia). It said the Cleveland...

microRNA-based assays focus of several poster presentations.(AACR notebook)
April 17, 2008... A Diagnostics & Imaging Week Staff Report Rosetta Genomics (Rehovot, Israel) reported presenting multiple posters at this week's annual American Association of Cancer Research (AACR; Philadelphia) conference in San Diego. The posters...

Beware of increased FDA scrutiny in performance of contractors, suppliers.
April 17, 2008... You are responsible for the quality of your product, regardless of what areas of your operation you outsource. FDA regulations have made this very clear. The company of record for Heparin could be facing trouble after subcontracting work to a...