• Accuray (Sunnyvale, California) said that a study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology/Biology/Physics showed that the CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system can serve as a non-invasive means for delivering high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy. It said that the study supports the CyberKnife's flexibility in treating prostate cancer and expands the non-invasive options available to clinicians and patients. HDR brachytherapy has been shown to be an extremely effective approach for treating prostate cancer, with substantial clinical evidence supporting its usage. Nevertheless, the required insertion of multiple catheters into the prostate, where they remain for the duration of the procedure (typically one to three days), makes it an invasive procedure. The CyberKnife system is a robotic radiosurgery system designed to treat tumors anywhere in the body using continual image guidance technology and computer controlled robotic mobility. Accuray says that CyberKnife tracks, detects and corrects for tumor and patient movement in real-time throughout the treatment to deliver high-dose radiation with precision, which minimizes damage to surrounding healthy tissue and eliminates the need for invasive head or body stabilization frames.

• Bluestar Silicones (East Brunswick, New Jersey) has introduced a range of Silbione brand soft liquid silicone rubber (LSR) products for healthcare that provide a combination of strong physical properties and trouble-free processing at 05-, 10- and 25-ShoreA durometers. These products use Bluestar Silicones' Silbione 30- to 70- ShA LSR product line for applications such as orthopedic insoles and liners, baby products and molded medical devices. Established through the acquisition of Rhodia Silicones by China National BlueStar, Bluestar is a silicones supplier with manufacturing operations in all regions of the world.

• Brahms USA (Annapolis, Maryland) said it has received 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. The test will assist in determining whether an infection is bacterial or viral and provide information on the severity of a patient's condition less than an hour after a blood sample is drawn. Bacterial infections cause PCT to be produced by almost every organ of the body, resulting in a rapid rise of PCT levels in the blood and a reflection of the severity of bacterial infection. Brahms makes blood tests for clinical use.

• Connect Imaging (Honolulu, Hawaii) has introduced new software for use with FCRm digital mammography systems from FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA (Stanford, Connecticut). According to Philip Manly, CEO of Connect, the company developed its newest module, called VCM Port, to address an issue Connect Imaging identified while validating its PACS for use with Fuji's computed radiography mammography system installed at one of Connect's clients. Manly said that Fuji has fully validated the VCM Port software and now offers it for use with the company's FCRm digital mammography systems. Users of Fuji's FCRm system also may purchase the software directly from Connect Imaging.

• HepaLife Technologies (Boston) said that its bioartificial liver device has demonstrated key liver functions in a model of the human liver failure environment, prompting researchers to move towards in vivo animal studies. In tests designed to represent the environment present when treating human liver failure patients, HepaLife's patented PICM-19 liver cells were exposed to human blood plasma and toxic ammonia. Notably, HepaLife's PICM-19 cell line successfully removed toxic ammonia, produced urea, and expressed CYP-450 enzymes - - all leading indicators of liver function. HepaLife's bioartificial liver is designed to operate outside the patient's body. The bioartificial liver is envisioned to mimic important functions of the human liver by circulating the patient's blood inside the device, where it is exposed to HepaLife's PICM-19 liver stem cells, thus processing the patient's blood-plasma by removing toxins, enhancing metabolic function, and ultimately imitating the liver's natural function. HepaLife makes cell-based medical technologies.