• Affymetrix (Santa Clara, California) said that Pathwork Diagnostics (Sunnyvale, California) will begin offering a molecular diagnostic test based on the Affymetrix microarray platform. Pathwork's tissue-of-origin test is one of the first microarray-based diagnostic tests for cancer in the U.S. The test is being made available through the CLIA-certified Pathwork diagnostics laboratory. The Pathwork tissue of origin test is designed to help oncologists determine the primary site of a metastatic tumor with greater certainty. The company partners with diagnostic companies through its Powered by Affymetrix (PbA) program.

• Tornier (Edina, Minnesota) and Tepha (Lexington, Massachusetts) said that an initial series of patients have been treated with the TephaFlex absorbable suture. The TephaFlex suture is derived from a new class of polymers called polyhydroxyalkanoates. The Tepha PHA family of polymers is a product of its patented recombinant DNA technology which allows the engineering of materials with mechanical and biologic properties that are matched to specific tissue repair and replacement applications. Tornier makes extremities orthopedics.

• Vestara (Irvine, California) reported the launch of the EcoRexNS pharmaceutical waste management system, an automated, integrated system that helps healthcare facilities to meet or exceed Federal regulations for pharmaceutical waste-handling. The EcoRexNS features a barcode scanner and a touch screen to help hospital staff classify waste as infectious, chemotherapeutic, hazardous, mixed hazardous/infectious or lower risk. Once the type of waste is identified, EcoRexNS opens the appropriate tamper-proof container automatically. After disposal, the respective wastestream receptacle is immediately returned to a locked state; it remains closed and secure until a user scans another bar code. Vestara makes pharmaceutical waste-removal systems.

• CMS (St. Louis) has completed internal and external validation testing for its Atlas-Based Autosegmentation solution. The Autosegmentation is a stand-alone software application that produces estimates of anatomy boundary contours needed to create a radiotherapy treatment plan. This program communicates with radiotherapy planning programs via DICOM-format data. An atlas is simply an existing CT image with anatomy contours. Atlas-Based Autosegmentation uses deformable registration to match the atlas image to corresponding points in a novel patient image. The atlas contours are then mapped onto the patient using that deformation. Users can create new atlases or modify existing atlases to contour patients spanning ranges of conformations and diagnoses. CMS makes radiation treatment planning and workflow management solutions.

• CoolTouch (Roseville, California) reported the introduction of its CoolBlue Duet laser lipolysis suction handpiece set designed to be used with the CoolLipo 1320 laser system. Using a standard liposuction cannula, ablation with aspiration and skin tightening are accomplished all in one action. The CoolLipo procedure is performed in a physician's office under local anesthesia. CoolTouch makes medical lasers.

• SunTech Medical (Morrisville, North Carolina) reported the launch of the Advantage hemodialysis monitoring OEM non-invasive blood pressure (OEM NIBP) technology designed for monitoring blood pressure during hemodialysis. This application-specific technology recently achieved an "A" rating for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurement according to the British Hypertension Society protocol. The company sought to address concerns over the accuracy of automated blood pressure measurements on hemodialysis patients. It investigated an oscillometric blood pressure technology for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients during hemodialysis. Validation protocols and guidelines do not require blood pressure monitors to be validated on specific patient populations. Consequently, most are validated on readily available healthy volunteers. In this regard, special efforts were made by focusing not only on ESRD patients, but in the environment for which the technology was intended by performing the evaluation during dialysis treatment. SunTech Medical makes non-invasive blood pressure monitoring products.

• Identity Sciences (Alpharetta, Georgia), with its science partner the Idaho National Laboratory (Idaho Falls), has developed a new forensic human identification test, AbP ID, which delivers accurate, reliable results in two hours, according to the comapny. AbP ID does not use DNA; instead, it reads special antibodies, Individual Specific Auto-antibodies (ISAs), found in all human body tissues and fluids. Each individual, including twins, has an antibody profile that is totally unique. The AbP ID test can determine whether the antibody profile of the evidence found at a crime scene matches the profile of a suspect. It works on blood serum and dried blood, providing results in two hours.