• Charles River Laboratories International (Wilmington, Massachusetts) reported its portable endotoxin testing system, the Endosafe- PTS, was recently launched into space aboard the space shuttle Discovery and reached the International Space Station as part of NASA's efforts to conduct biological research in space. The device is a handheld endotoxin detection system that was licensed by the FDA in July 2006 and is used in pharmaceutical and biotechnology facilities worldwide as a release method for drug products. The system is a point-of-use application that includes a handheld reader and disposable cartridge preloaded with all of the reagents to perform the test. Charles River Laboratories partners with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, government agencies and academic institutions to advance the drug discovery and development process.

• Prometheus Laboratories (San Diego) reported the issuance of U.S. Patent #7,138,237 for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of Crohn's disease using the OmpC antigen. This technology is used in the new Prometheus IBD Serology 7 diagnostic test, the company's recently launched advanced test for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Prometheus had previously licensed exclusive rights to the technology under an agreement with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Regents of the University of California (UCLA). The patent provides a method of diagnosing Crohn's disease by determining the presence or absence of OmpC IgA antibodies in a patient, indicative of Crohn's disease. The OmpC IgA antibody has been associated with a unique subset of patients who have a more severe form of Crohn's. The presence and magnitude of immune responses to the OmpC antigen has also been associated with more aggressive disease among children with Crohn's. Prometheus develops diagnostics and therapeutics for inflammatory bowel disease and offers testing of serological markers with high levels.