News archive
January 2008

US oncology group aims to revolutionise cancer care with free online service
A website set up by Georgia Cancer Specialists (GCS) in the US aims to change the way oncology professionals prescribe chemotherapy to cancer patients. 30 January 2008

Medical Simulation Corporation sets up medical skills training suite in Germany
MSC has parnered with CardioSkills Company of Frankfurt to provide an interventional skills training experience for physicians and their staff. 30 January

Roche increases diagnostics capability with acquisition of Ventana
Pharmaceutical and diagnostics company Roche has bought US diagnostics company Ventana Medical Systems for about $3.4 billion. 30 January

Boston Scientific gains EU approval for new defibrillators
Boston Scientific Corporation has been awarded CE Mark approval for its Cognis and Teligen defibrillators. 30 January

Summit on revolution in personalised medicine caused by molecular diagnostics advances
Recent advances in genetic knowledge are transforming molecular imaging, molecular diagnostics and informatics to create stunningly precise diagnostic tools capable of assessing and treating a growing number of critical diseases. The first international Molecular Summit on 5-6 February will address this revolution in medicine. 30 January

Sysmex and bioMérieux form joint venture for Japanese diagnostics market
Sysmex Corporation will take a 34% equity stake in bioMérieux Japan Ltd, which will change its name to Sysmex bioMérieux Co Ltd. The new company will market bioMérieux in-vitro diagnostics products Japan. 30 January 2008

An invitation to Europe’s largest forum on breast cancer
The 6th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-6) will be held in Berlin 15 - 19 April 2008

Smiths Medical receives FDA clearance for implantable injection system. 30 January

WaferGen develops SmartChip real-time PCR system and oncology gene panel assays
WaferGen Biosystems has completed development of its whole genome, high throughput gene expression real-time polymerase chain reaction platform. 29 January

Artificial virus shells to be used as containers for nano-manufacturing
Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and The Scripps Research Institute in California are designing an artificial viral shell that could be used as a nano-container for molecular-scale engineering. 29 January

OCT image of cancerous tissueMichelson Diagnostics announces successful OCT imaging of oral cancer tissue
The tests, conducted by University College Hospital, London, show that the company's optical coherence tomography imaging technology could revolutionise head and neck cancer diagnosis and treatment. 25 January

Infrared light may reverse dementia and memory loss
Researchers at the University of Sunderland have shown that regular exposure to low-level infra-red light can improve learning performance and trigger regeneration of the cognitive function of the brain. 25 January

Quidel and bioMérieux form alliance in rapid diagnostics
Quidel Corporation and bioMérieux have formed an alliance to market products worldwide and co-develop new rapid diagnostic tests using Quidel’s rapid test development capability and bioMérieux’s extensive library of antibodies and antigens. 16 January

Cepheid launches GeneXpert molecular diagnostic system
Cepheid has begun shipment of its next generation GeneXpert self-contained automated molecular analysis system. It automates and integrates DNA testing and can test 60 targets in a single cartridge. 16 January

Zonare ranked top in portable ultrasound systems
Zonare Medical Systems has been ranked Best in KLAS as the top hand carried ultrasound vendor in the KLAS Top20: Year-End Report for 2007. 16 January

Siemens introduces MicroScan WalkAway plus automated diagnostic systems
Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics has introduced the MicroScan WalkAway plus Systems for mid- and high-volume clinical diagnostic microbiology laboratories. They offer simultaneous automation of overnight, rapid and specialty panels that test for both gram negative and gram positive bacteria. 16 January

BD gains EU and US approval for rapid MRSA test
BD Diagnostics has gained European approval for its BD GeneOhm StaphSR assay for MRSA and SA in nasal and wound specimens and US FDA clearance to use the test on positive blood cultures. The test can give results in two hours. 16 January

Varian acquires Chinese medical equipment distributor
Varian Medical Systems has taken over the largest independent distributor of medical x-ray tubes in China, Pan-Pacific Enterprises, for the purpose of marketing, sales, and distribution of Varian x-ray imaging products in China. 16 January

Elekta to acquire oncology informatics supplier CMS
Elekta AB has announced it is in negotiations to acquire US oncology informatics company CMS for US$75m. The negotiations are expected to be completed by mid March 2008. 16 January

UK strategy to improve cancer services
The UK government has published a five-year cancer strategy focussing on prevention and improving services. The report identifies the need to tackle the serious shortage of radiotherapy capacity and radiographers, delays in uptake of new cancer drugs and the need to encourage the spread of improved surgical techniques. 15 January

FEI joins with FOM to develop single-atom imaging
FEI Company, a leading developer of electron  microscopes, and the Netherlands-based Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), have announced a joint nanotechnology research project to develop a new generation of microscopes. 10 January

US Preventive Medicine to expand into UK
US Preventive Medicine, a company that is building the first network focused on prevention in the United States and internationally has signed a letter of intent with iHealth UK Ltd. to jointly develop three preventive medicine businesses in the United Kingdom. 10 January

GE Healthcare and Novavax collaborate on flu vaccine manufacturing system
The collaboration leverages GE Healthcare's bioprocess solutions and design expertise and Novavax's virus-like particle (VLP) and manufacturing platform to develop a pandemic influenza vaccine manufacturing solution for selected international countries. 10 January

Lack of nanotechnology safety roadmap hindering companies
A US survey of New England-based nanotechnology companies has found that these firms lack a clear roadmap of government environmental, health and safety expectations and regulations for successful commercialization, as well as the information needed to meet those expectations. 10 January

Brain imaging of autistic children shows malfunctioning grey matter
A novel imaging technique has been used to discover malfunctioning grey matter in autistic children in the brain areas that govern social processing and learning by observation. 10 January

European approval for Boston Scientific defibrillator
Boston Scientific Corporation has gained the CE Mark approval for its Livian cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator, which treats heart failure and helps protect patients at risk of sudden cardiac death. 9 January

UK government report on the potential risks of nanotechnology
The report Characterising the Potential Risks posed by Engineered Nanoparticles, covers the activities of five Task Forces and descibes progress on meeting 19 objectives set out in an previous study in 2005. 9 January

Delayed defibrillation in hospital reduces survival
A study of patients who suffer a cardiac arrest in hospital has shown that they are more likely to survive if their hearts are shocked back into rhythm within two minutes, but 30% of such patients aren’t getting help fast enough. 9 January

Intelligent software to help build perfect robotic hand
Scientists in Portsmouth and Shanghai are developing intelligent software to analyse the detailed movement of the human hand and help replicate the movement in a robotic hand. 9 January

Philips acquires Respironics for $5.1bn
Respironics, a US maker of sleep disorder devices, has agreed to a takeover by Royal Philips Electronics (Philips) for approximately US$ 5.1 billion. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2008. 8 January 2008

Philips adds Visicu and Emergin to patient monitoring stable
Royal Philips Electronics announced in December two US takeovers that are expected to grow its patient-monitoring business. Emergin is a privately held company that produces medical alarm systems while Visicu supplies monitoring systems for ICU patients. 8 January 2008

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