• Ceragenix (Denver) provided an update on its ongoing long-term preclinical testing of a silicone medical device incorporating the company's CeraShield antimicrobial technology. The prototype device being tested was an intravaginal silicone ring. Antimicrobial intravaginal rings may be of potential benefit in preventing transmission of certain sexually transmitted diseases. After 224 days of continuous antimicrobial efficacy, the coated ring lost its efficacy in preventing colonization and the test was ended. This recent testing was focused on urinary tract infections. The company is working on incorporating the CeraShield technology into silicone based urinary catheters, among other ongoing projects.

• Evalve (Menlo Park, California) reported that recent study data indicates that percutaneous valve repair with the MitraClip therapy can reduce acute mitral regurgitation (MR) with sustained freedom from death, surgery or recurrent MR in a substantial proportion of functional and degenerative MR patients. Mitral repair with Evalve's MitraClip device is performed by physicians in the catheterization laboratory. The heart beats normally during the procedure, and therefore does not require a heart-lung bypass machine. In addition to improving blood flow through the heart, the procedure may also relieve symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath that often affect patients with significant MR. After treatment, patients generally recover quickly. The MitraClip device may improve quality of life and may help MR patients avoid or delay surgery, having preserved surgical options (valve repair or replacement) should surgery become necessary.

• Helicos BioSciences (Cambridge, Massachusetts) reported the placement of a Helicos Genetic Analysis System at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center in the laboratory of Daniel Haber, MD, PhD. The Helicos Genetic Analysis System is a single molecule sequencing technology, and enables scientists to conduct studies in the fields of genome biology, cancer research, common diseases, and microbiology without DNA ligation or amplification. Genetic analysis with Helicos's technology eliminates the biases, complexity and errors introduced by DNA amplification, requires minute amounts of starting material, and provides the most direct and accurate view of biological samples.