Diagnostics & Imaging Week articles from December 2004

Diagnostics & Imaging Week archives from December 2004

Researchers' presentations have healthcare implications.(Radiological Society of North America)
December 2, 2004... At the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA; Oak Brook, Illinois) meeting taking place this week in Chicago's McCormick Place Convention Center, researchers from around the world have made interesting presentations that could have...

Big firms dominate exhibit space, new-product intros.(Radiological Society of North America)
December 2, 2004... The "big guys" among medical imaging companies are among the most visible exhibitors on the seemingly endless stretch of exhibit floor underpinning the scientific program at this week's annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North...

'Missing' lung cancer gene could spawn screening test.(Report from Europe)
December 2, 2004... The discovery of a gene that is absent from most samples of lung tumors could one day lead to a screening test to detect the disease before it has spread, or even to new drugs to treat it. The gene, LIMD1, is normally found on chromosome 3p21...

Patent push, new cervical bhire back Grant's lood test.(Grant Life Sciences )
December 2, 2004... In the best of all possible worlds, what would be the alternative to the standard Pap test? A simple blood test, says Grant Life Sciences (Salt Lake City). Grant, a very-much-in-development-stage company, is in the process of pursuing...

Toshiba America in launch of largest-bore CT scanner.(RSNA notebook)
December 2, 2004... Like many companies using the crowded exhibit floor of this week's Radiological Society of North America (RSNA; Oak Brook, Illinois) annual meeting in Chicago to highlight new products, Toshiba America Medical Systems (TAMS; Tustin, California)...

Merge eFilm to buy AccuImage; Qbit to create stock classes.(Deals roundup)
December 2, 2004... Merge Technologies (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), doing business as Merge eFilm, a global healthcare software and services company, and AccuImage Diagnostics (South San Francisco, California), a developer of software for advanced visualization,...

Seattle Genetics files shelf registration for up to $75m.(Financings roundup)
December 2, 2004... Seattle Genetics (Bothell, Washington) reported filing a shelf registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), allowing it to sell up to $75 million of common stock. It said that any proceeds that result from any future...

Response Biomedical in pact with 3m for POC infection test.(Grants/contracts)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Response Biomedical Corp. (Vancouver, British Columbia), which offers rapid on-site diagnostic tests for use with its RAMP System for clinical and environmental applications, and 3M Company (St. Paul, Minnesota), through its Medical Division,...

Applied Imaging not in Nasdaq compliance.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Applied Imaging (San Jose, California) said the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Department has notified the company that it is not in compliance with the requirements of Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(14), because it has not yet filed its...

Clongen awarded CLIA certificate.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Clongen Laboratories (Germantown, Maryland) has been awarded a CLIA Certificate of Registration and is licensed in the state of Maryland to perform human clinical testing. The new laboratory facility offers a wide range of testing and research...

Infectech engages Lake Erie Research Institute.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Infectech (Sharon, Pennsylvania), a biotechnology/ genomics company in research, development, and production of kits used in the rapid identification and antibiotic testing of disease-causing pathogens, said it has engaged Lake Erie Research...

Medicare codes for IVUS procedure.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Boston Scientific (Natick, Massachusetts) said that its intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) procedures have been recognized for payment under a new Medicare ultrasound subcategory titled "Intravascular Vessel Imaging." The newly assigned codes...

Microtek, Fischer Imaging in OEM draping products pact.(Agreements)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Microtek Medical (Columbus, Mississippi) and Fischer Imaging (Denver) have entered into an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) supply agreement under which Microtek will manufacture and sell to Fischer Imaging certain imaging equipment drapes...

NanoSignal.(People in Places)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... NanoSignal (Las Vegas) elected a new slate of officers. Ernie Bartels was named president and CEO. Bartels was previously president of Executive Mortgage Bankers. Melvin Joseph will serve as secretary of the board of directors and Michael...

Analogic (Peabody, Massachusetts) reported that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its new multi-purpose, direct digital radiography (DR) system.(RSNA notebook)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... * Analogic (Peabody, Massachusetts) reported that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its new multi-purpose, direct digital radiography (DR) system, featuring the new GR17 amorphous selenium flat-panel detector, developed by Analogic's...

Biophan Technologies (East Henrietta, New York) said Biophan senior scientist Robert Gray is making a presentation titled "Design Changes to Implanted Device Leads Substantially Reduce MRI-related Heating".(RSNA notebook)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... * Biophan Technologies (East Henrietta, New York) said Biophan senior scientist Robert Gray is making a presentation titled "Design Changes to Implanted Device Leads Substantially Reduce MRI-related Heating" during this week's meeting. ...

Mercury Computer Systems.(RSNA notebook)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... * Mercury Computer Systems (Chelmsford, Massachusetts) introduced the ExamineRT family of OEM-tuned turnkey applications for advanced medical imaging. The ExamineRT software application provides advanced, accelerated visualization capabilities,...

Merge eFilm.(RSNA notebook)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... * Merge eFilm (Milwaukee) reported the release of Fusion eFilm 2.0 and eFilm Workstation 2.0. Fusion eFilm is a new diagnostic software product designed for Merge eFilm's Fusion PACS and RIS/PACS software systems. eFilm Workstation 2.0 is a new...

Planar Systems.(RSNA notebook)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... * Planar Systems (Beaverton, Oregon) introduced the Dome Dashboard, a new software console application that enables picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) administrators and IT managers to centrally manage, control and report on...

BD.(Product Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... BD (Becton, Dickinson and Co.; Franklin Lakes, New Jersey) reported the release of version 6.0 of its BD.id Patient Identification System for specimen management. The company said the BD.id System improves hospital operational efficiency and...

Bracco Diagnostics.(Product Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Bracco Diagnostics (Princeton, New Jersey) reported FDA approval to market MultiHance (gadobenate dimeglumine) injection, 529 mg/ml, a gadolinium-based contrast agent for MRI. MultiHance is indicated for use in MRI of the central nervous system...

CTI Molecular Imaging (Knoxville, Tennessee) reported that its subsidiary, CTI PETNET (also Knoxville), will release and distribute PET.CONNECT, an application featuring a range of IT products, educational programs and service offerings, designed to provide all the capabilities necessary to run a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging practice.(Product Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... CTI Molecular Imaging (Knoxville, Tennessee) reported that its subsidiary, CTI PETNET (also Knoxville), will release and distribute PET.CONNECT, an application featuring a range of IT products, educational programs and service offerings,...

Eastman Kodak.(Product Briefs)
December 2, 2004... Eastman Kodak (Rochester, New York) said its Health Imaging Group has received FDA approval for its mammography computer-aided detection (CAD) system. Kodak will immediately begin shipping its Kodak Mammography CAD System to healthcare...

EDDA Technology.(Product Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... EDDA Technology (Princeton Junction, New York) said that it has received FDA clearance to market its debut product, IQQA-Chest software, an image analysis system tailored for the soft-copy review of digital chest radiographic images. The...

LI-COR Biosciences.(Product Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... LI-COR Biosciences (Lincoln, Nebraska) has introduced the Aerius Automated Infrared Imaging System, designed for protein discovery using infrared plate-based assays. The Aerius builds on the company's Odyssey two-channel infrared detection...

Lodox System, North America.(Product Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Lodox System, North America (Lodox NA; South Lyon, Michigan) reported the availability of the Rad-MP system upgrade for its Statscan Critical Imaging System. Vice President of Marketing Kevin Oakley said, "The new Rad-MP system upgrade equips...

Swissray in push to block trade secret misappropriation.(Court report)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Swissray International (Elizabeth, New Jersey), a developer of direct digital radiography (ddR) technology, reported filing a federal complaint in the Eastern District of New York to prevent, it said, "the misappropriation of its proprietary...

Cipher to become factor in PET.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Cipher (Oak Brook, Illinois) has begun implementation of its strategy to become a factor in PET (positron emission technology) molecular imaging. Cipher Holding Corp. reported the approval by majority consent of its shareholders to change its...

Planar Systems.(Product Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Planar Systems (Beaverton, Oregon) said its new Dome Surgery Review Cart family is the first line of mobile display workstations to cost-effectively extend the benefits of picture archiving and communications systems to hospital operating rooms...

Recom Managed Systems.(Product Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Recom Managed Systems (Studio City, California) reported that its Model 100 ambulatory electrocardiograph diagnostic device now meets the applicable requirements of the FDA-recognized voluntary consensus standards for ambulatory...

Unnecessary imaging in ER may cost $17b a year in U.S.(Radiological Society of North America)
December 9, 2004... According to research presented during last week's annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA; Oak Brook, Illinois) in Chicago, more than $17 billion may be spent in the U.S. annually on unnecessary imaging done in acute...

Zonare introduces its first Zone Sonography platform.(Radiological Society of North America)
December 9, 2004... Not all the companies showing their wares at the massive Radiological Society of North America (RSNA; Oak Brook, Illinois) exhibition held last week in Chicago's McCormick Place Convention Center are household names in the imaging sector. At...

CeMines International-Europe is opened via Estonia office.(Report from Europe)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... CeMines (Golden, Colorado), a life sciences company specializing in molecular R&D of minimally invasive diagnostic tests and targeted therapeutics for cancer, reported establishment of its newest operating division: CeMines International Inc....

Thompson leaves HHS post; McClellan could be successor.
December 9, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Tommy Thompson has resigned as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), leaving vacant the post atop a 60,000-employee government bureaucracy with a $500 million budget. His departure marks the eighth...

Pall completes buy of BioSepra; SOLA adds Vision Systems labs.(Deals roundup)
December 9, 2004... Pall (East Hills, New York) reported completing the acquisition of the BioSepra Process Division of Ciphergen Biosystems (Fremont, California). The purchase price was $32 million, net of cash and debt. The BioSepra Process Division manufactures...

Invitrogen licenses rights to more than 30 Zyomyx patents.(Financings roundup)
December 9, 2004... Invitrogen (Carlsbad, California) reported licensing the rights to specific fields of use for more than 30 patents in the area of protein microarray development from Zyomyx (Hayward, California), a privately held biotech firm developing protein...

iMDsoft responds to actions of competitor.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... Responding to what it said were recent inappropriate actions of a competitor, iMDsoft (Needham, Massachusetts) has asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to clarify iMDsoft's position as the owner of technology used in remote intensive care...

SeraCare, Cellular Technology in immune reactivity accord.(Grants/contracts)
December 9, 2004... SeraCare Life Sciences (Oceanside, California) and Cellular Technology (CTL), manufacturer of Elispot instruments and protocols for immune reactivity testing, have entered into a collaboration designed to deliver improved products and services...

Toshiba Medical Systems (Tokyo) reported a collaboration with institutions from around the world.(Radiological Society of North America)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... * Toshiba Medical Systems (Tokyo) reported a collaboration with institutions from around the world to conduct what it said is the industry's first multi-center clinical study on computed tomography (CT) coronary angiography imaging. The...

Neothermia.(Radiological Society of North America)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... * Neothermia (Natick, Massachusetts), a developer of minimally invasive systems for the diagnosis of cancer, said this week that it has added 12 mm and 20 mm diameter en-bloc biopsy probes to its offering of breast biopsy devices. The company...

Cytogen (Princeton, New Jersey) and GE Healthcare (Waukesha, Wisconsin) reported the presentation of new advances in prostate cancer imaging using Prostascint (capromab pendetide).(Radiological Society of North America)
December 9, 2004... * Cytogen (Princeton, New Jersey) and GE Healthcare (Waukesha, Wisconsin) reported the presentation of new advances in prostate cancer imaging using Prostascint (capromab pendetide), Cytogen's molecular imaging agent, with the GE Infinia...

GE Healthcare also reported that the FDA has cleared the company's next-generation Advanced Lung Analysis technology to help radiologists evaluate and assess nodules and other lesions in the lung.(Radiological Society of North America)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... * GE Healthcare also reported that the FDA has cleared the company's next-generation Advanced Lung Analysis technology to help radiologists evaluate and assess nodules and other lesions in the lung. The new software application, called...

SynX gets European patent for stroke test.(Report from Europe)
December 9, 2004... Nanogen (San Diego) said its SynX (Toronto) subsidiary has been issued European patent No. 1155325, "Method for Diagnosing and Distinguishing Stroke," by the European Patent Office. The patent relates to a diagnostic kit and method of...

GE providing PACS for southern UK.(Report from Europe)(picture archiving and communication system )(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... GE Healthcare reported signing a contract with Fujitsu Services, the designated Local Service Provider for the southern region of the UK National Health Service's National Program for IT. Under the agreement, GE Healthcare will provide its...

WHO cites Alzheimer's as major priority.(Report from Europe)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... Nymox Pharmaceutical (Maywood, New Jersey), which recently reported the receipt of a CE mark for its AlzheimAlert test kit, said a landmark new report by the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland) for the European Union has...

At-home sleep studies now possible.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... For the first time, pediatric patients at Kaiser Permanente Colorado will be able to participate in sleep studies at home rather than in a hospital sleep lab using the VivoMetrics (Ventura, California) LifeShirt, a non-invasive, lightweight...

ACMI.(People In Places)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... * ACMI (Southborough, Massachusetts), which develops diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic instrumentation products and systems, reported the addition of two new members to its executive team. Laurence Hicks, vice president of U.S. sales, joins...

JMAR Technologies.(People In Places)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... * John Ricardi, vice president of business development at JMAR Technologies (San Diego), has been promoted to vice president of sensor products. In addition, David McCarty, a pioneer in the development and commercialization of non-chemical...

Millipore.(People In Places)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... * Martin Madaus has been named president and CEO of Millipore (Billerica, Massachusetts), effective Jan.1. Madaus will assume the role of president and CEO from Francis Lunger, who will remain chairman of the board until March 1, 2005. Madaus...

Radiologix.(People In Places)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... * Sami Abbasi, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Radiologix (Dallas), has been named president and CEO. An original member of Radiologix's executive team, Abbasi served as senior vice president and CFO from the company's...

Strategic Diagnostics.(People In Places)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... * Richard Rumble joined Strategic Diagnostics (SDI; Newark, Delaware), a provider of antibody products and analytical test kits for the food safety and water quality markets, as vice president of marketing. Rumble most recently was vice...

Xillix Technologies.(People In Places)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... * John Fengler, chief engineer at Xillix Technologies (Richmond, British Columbia), has been promoted to vice president, engineering and development. Fengler has been with Xillix since 1988 and led the development of Xillix LIFE-Lung and...

Calypte Biomedical.(Product Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... * Calypte Biomedical (Pleasanton, California) said it has initiated a clinical trial program of its rapid HIV-1/2 test platform and HIV-1 Western blot supplemental tests in China. The trial will evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the...

Dade Behring Holdings.(Product Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... * Dade Behring Holdings (Deerfield, Illinois) reported that its N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) test has received FDA clearance for two additional claims: assessment of heart failure severity in patients diagnosed with...

Given Imaging (Yokneam, Israel) reported receiving FDA marketing clearance for the 14-frame PillCam ESO video capsule for visualization of the esophageal mucosa together with the new Rapid 3 software that includes numerous features and enhancements.(Product Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... * Given Imaging (Yokneam, Israel) reported receiving FDA marketing clearance for the 14-frame PillCam ESO video capsule for visualization of the esophageal mucosa together with the new Rapid 3 software that includes numerous features and...

iCAD.(Product Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... * iCAD (Nashua, New Hampshire) introduced its Second Look 300 system for the early detection of breast cancer, designed specifically for clinics that perform less than 20 mammography procedures per day, at last week's Radiological Society of...

Invitrogen, Illumina in alliance targeting global oligo market.
December 23, 2004... Invitrogen (Carlsbad, California) and Illumina (San Diego) said they have entered into a collaboration to leverage the companies' respective strengths in nucleic acid synthesis and distribution to deliver oligonucleotides in multiple formats to...

Nanogen, Epoch in merger to create 'advanced' diag firm.(Nanogen and Epoch Biosciences)
December 23, 2004... Nanogen (San Diego, California) and Epoch Biosciences (Bothell, Washington) reported completing their merger to create what they termed "an advanced diagnostics company with the ability to address customer needs spanning the research, clinical...

UK agency invests in IVMD, which relocates to Inverness.(Report from Europe)
December 23, 2004... IVMD (Inverness, Scotland), a developer of non-invasive medical diagnostic tests and products, many of which use electro-magnetic measurements based on the Hall Effect--which measures electrical activity as it relates to magnetic...

Study urges 'buyers beware' when using elective CT scans.(Report from Europe)
December 23, 2004... It seems you can't turn on the television or open a magazine without seeing an advertisement showing people skipping through fields, touting the benefits of the latest wonder drug. "Ask your doctor about [insert drug name here]," they all say....

iCAD, Neoprobe raise $8M+ in separate funding moves.(Financings roundup)
December 23, 2004... iCAD (Nashua, New Hampshire), a developer of computer-aided detection (CAD) imaging technology and systems for the early detection of breast cancer and other medical applications, reported new funding of $8.4 million, from two sources. An...

Acon given stay of injunction; Swissray prevails in IP case.(Court report)(Inverness Medical Innovations versus Acon Laboratories)(Swissray versus DMS-Apelem)
December 23, 2004... Inverness Medical Innovations (Waltham, Massachusetts), a manufacturer of rapid diagnostics products for the consumer and professional markets, said that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has issued an order temporarily granting...

Terumo, Mass General in pact to develop imaging technology.(Grants/contracts)(Massachusetts General Hospital )(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... Terumo (Somerset, New Jersey), maker of a range of medical devices serving healthcare providers in more than 150 countries, said that it has entered into development and license agreements with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH; Boston)...

Response Biomedical in pact with 3M for POC testing.(Agreements roundup)(point-of-care)
December 23, 2004... Response Biomedical (Vancouver, British Columbia) and 3M (St. Paul, Minnesota) through its Medical Division, said that the two companies have entered into a co-development agreement whereby 3M will fund the development of a new rapid,...

Animas to acquire Cygnus IP, other assets for $10 million.(Deals roundup)(Commonwealth Biotechnologies acquires Fairfax Identity Labs)
December 23, 2004... Animas (West Chester, Pennsylvania) reported entering into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the intellectual property rights, fixed assets, supplier, manufacturing and license agreements, inventory and tangible personal...

Applied NeuroSolutions (APNS; Vernon Hills, Illinois) said it has signed a non-exclusive agreement with bioMerieux (Marcy L'Etoile, France), with the aim of bringing to market on a worldwide basis what is expected to be the first "definitive" biologic test for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD).(Deals roundup)
December 23, 2004... * Applied NeuroSolutions (APNS; Vernon Hills, Illinois) said it has signed a non-exclusive agreement with bioMerieux (Marcy L'Etoile, France), with the aim of bringing to market on a worldwide basis what is expected to be the first "definitive"...

DiagnoCure (Quebec City), a developer of immunoassay and molecular diagnostics for early detection of cancer, said it has acquired a worldwide exclusive license from McGill University to the CDP/Cux protein technology for the detection of breast cancer.(Deals roundup)(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... * DiagnoCure (Quebec City), a developer of immunoassay and molecular diagnostics for early detection of cancer, said it has acquired a worldwide exclusive license from McGill University to the CDP/Cux protein technology for the detection of...

Izalex.(People In Places)(Craig Speier )(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... * Craig Speier has been named vice president of engineering and operations at Izalex (Santa Barbara, California), effective Jan. 3. He most recently served as vice president of engineering for Catalytic Solutions. Izalex develops devices that...

OmniCorder Technologies.(People In Places)(William Abajian)(Michael Davis)(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... * OmniCorder Technologies (Bohemia, New York) reported that Mark Fauci, its president and CEO, "is no longer with the company" and that its board has begun the search for a new CEO. William Abajian, a full-time consultant, will oversee...

Quest Diagnostics.(People In Places)(Surya Mohapatra)(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... * Surya Mohapatra, PhD, has assumed the role of chairman of the board of Quest Diagnostics (Teterboro, New Jersey), in addition to serving as president and CEO. The change became effective after Kenneth Freeman stepped down as chairman of the...

SeraCare Life Sciences.(People In Places)(Thomas Lawlor )(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... * SeraCare Life Sciences (Oceanside, California), a provider of biological materials and services used in research applications, the manufacture of diagnostic tests and the commercial production of therapeutic drugs, has named Thomas Lawlor...

Lifestream supports CMS 2005 fee schedule.(Briefly Noted)(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services )(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS; Washington) recently announced its 2005 Physician Fee Schedule, which provides for access to preventive cholesterol screening for Medicare-eligible beneficiaries. Lifestream Technologies...

BrainLAB gets new HCPCS code.(Briefly Noted)(Health Care Financing Administration Common Procedure Coding System)(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... BrainLAB (Chicago), a leader in image-guided medical technology, reported that users of its ExacTrac X-ray 6D technology can now be reimbursed through a new HCPCS code. "We are pleased that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services...

ChondroGene in collaboration with Pfizer.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... ChondroGene (Toronto) reported that it has entered into a new two-year research collaboration with Pfizer (New York) for the identification of novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers for the treatment and diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA). This...

LifePoint.(Product Briefs)(LifePoint Impact Test System clearance)(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... * LifePoint (Ontario, California) reported that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for the LifePoint Impact Test System in conjunction with the opiate test for use in "repetitive-use situations," which defined by FDA guidelines includes drug...

Mediscience Technology (Cherry Hill, New Jersey) reported that its New York subsidiary, Medi-Photonics Development, has completed development of its Optical Biopsy Cancer Diagnostic Ratiometer for the molecular screening and detection of cancer and physiological change.(Product Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... * Mediscience Technology (Cherry Hill, New Jersey) reported that its New York subsidiary, Medi-Photonics Development, has completed development of its Optical Biopsy Cancer Diagnostic Ratiometer for the molecular screening and detection of...