• Bruker Daltonics (Billerica, Massachusetts) has launched the solariX, its next generation hybrid Qq-FTMS platform. The solariX is the culmination of a number of key technology developments that deliver capabilities and unparalleled ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry performance and versatility. The company claims that its broad-band, ultra-high resolving power (> 1,000,000 @ m/z 400, for a 7 tesla instrument) and outstanding sub-ppm mass accuracy make the solariX more powerful than any previous mass spectrometer for the analysis of extremely complex mixtures. This extraordinary increase in the number of available m/z channels is essential for tackling very complex mixtures, especially those that are not amenable to high-resolution chromatography separation techniques. These applications can include: hydrocarbon related analysis ("petroleomics"), environmental soil/sediment analysis, small-molecule biological tissue MALDI imaging, metabolomics, and the inherently complex peak patterns resulting from top-down proteomics.

• Results from the first pilot study of Cheetah Medical's (Tel Aviv, Israel) early differential diagnostic protocol for acute heart failure were presented at the 2009 Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Annual Meeting. In this study, the Cheetah Medical NICOM Noninvasive Cardiac Output & Hemodynamic Monitoring System was able to distinguish heart failure patients from patients diagnosed with COPD, asthma and dyspnea for other reasons. The Bioreactance-based, fully noninvasive, orthostatic hemodynamic monitoring protocol uses a set of four skin surface electrodes on the patient's chest or back and monitors during changes in patient position to identify and measure the response of specific hemodynamic variables.

• Exiqon Diagnostics (Tustin, California) said it now offers KRAS Mutation Analysis through its CLIA laboratory in California. Cancer treating physicians now have access to this critical test for their advanced stage colorectal and non-small cell lung cancer patients who are candidates for anti-EGFR therapy. Recent studies strongly correlate the presence of KRAS mutations in colorectal cancer patients with lack of response to cetuximab and panitumumab, shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and shorter overall survival. Studies performed in NSCLC have shown that mutations in the KRAS gene are strongly predictive of resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as gefitinib and eroltinib.

• Given Imaging (Yokneam, Israel) reported the launch of a simplified procedure for performing PillCam SB 2 capsule endoscopies for the detection of disease in the small intestine. The new procedure uses two new products – SensorBelt and RecorderPouch – replacing the sensor array and the recorder belt used previously with the DataRecorder to record the wireless signals emitted by the capsule. The SensorBelt is fitted over a single layer of natural fiber clothing worn by the patient and employs easy-fasten straps for quick adjustments and removal. The sensors are incorporated within the belt and eliminate the need for a nurse to adhere sensors or prepare a patient's abdomen for the procedure. The RecorderPouch includes a strap worn over the shoulder and provides a less visible, more comfortable means for patients to carry the DataRecorder during the procedure. The PillCam SB video capsule contains an imaging device and light source and transmits images at a rate of two images per second generating more than 50,000 pictures over an eight-hour period.

• Hai Kang Life (HKLife; Hong Kong) reported further developments of its field-assisted LOAC (Lab-on-a-Chip) system, EFADchip technology. HKLife also reported two new additions to its existing product portfolio: a Diagnostic Test Kit for Influenza Type A/H1N1 and a Mobile Field Unit ensuring effective deployment of diagnostic testing for point-of-care applications. The test kits have been developed in rapid response to the 2009 novel influenza A (H1N1) virus outbreak, as the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for all member states to enhance surveillance and diagnostic capacities for influenza and other acute respiratory infections. The Mobile Field Unit will deliver sensitive and accurate diagnostic capabilities to resource-limited urban, rural and remote locations where access to conventional clinical laboratories may be precluded.

• Illumina (San Diego) reported a new product for DNA Analysis: the HumanOmni1-Quad BeadChip. With more than 4 million data points on a single BeadChip, this array includes up-to-date content for all major classes of genetic variation for the study of human disease. The BeadChip uses tagSNPs from all three phases of the International HapMap Project and offers premier coverage of known regions of copy number variation (CNV) and SNPs of known disease association. In addition, the HumanOmni1-Quad BeadChip is the first commercially-available product to offer content derived from the 1,000 Genomes Project. The format of the HumanOmni1-Quad BeadChip supports simultaneous genotyping of four samples which increases throughput and decreases the per sample price.

• Nanobiotix (Paris) reported preclinical results using the nanoXray therapeutics platform to fight tumors. The preclinical study showed that an intratumoral injection of NBTXR3 nanoparticles and activated via standard radiation therapy led to complete tumor regression in mice at 60 days compared with zero tumor regression in mice treated with xray only or NBTXR3 only. Nanobiotix is using technology that it calls nanoXray therapeutics' to resolve radiation therapy's biggest drawback: destruction of healthy tissue and its subsequent deleterious side effects when a high dose of X-ray is necessary. The company believes that nanoXray therapeutics offer a dramatic innovation in cancer therapy, based on a technology that is designed to allow destruction of cancer cells only-a new treatment weapon that could be used alone, or in concert with existing anticancer protocols: chemotherapy, surgery, and immunotherapy. Because NBTXR3 is comprised of crystalline nanoparticles, it does not have deleterious effects on healthy cells, unlike chemotherapy or other systemic anticancer agents.

• PreXion (San Mateo, California) reported the availability of DataServer/PX, a DICOM-conformant storage system for the management and archiving of patient data that has accumulated over time through the use of the company's PreXion3D CBCT X-ray system. PreXion claims the DataServer/PX marks a significant storage and file management upgrade to the PreXion3D system. DataServer/PX seamlessly integrates with the PreXion3D scanner system and allows for the storage of up to 2 terabytes of data, equivalent to 6,000 CT scans that can be quickly and efficiently retrieved for 3-D viewing at any PreXion3D network workstation.

• Qiagen (Venlo, the Netherlands) reported the launch of a novel product for extraction of free circulating fragments of tumor- and fetal-derived nucleic acids as well as viral nucleic acids in human blood. Scientists consider these DNA and RNA fragments to have great potential for the highly sensitive and non-invasive diagnosis of a wide range of diseases, including congenital disorders, malignancies such as colon and lung cancer, and infections. The QIAamp Circulating Nucleic Acid Kit enables the isolation and purification of all types and all sizes of nucleic acids from large-scale plasma and serum samples – and thereby enables unprecedented yields of the isolated molecules and the highest sensitivity of downstream applications. This facilitates the molecular detection of viral infections, where extraction of even the scarcest traces of genetic material is a key requirement for reliable results.

• Siemens Corporate Research (SCR; Princeton, New Jersey) has developed the RAPID2 system to speed the biomarker discovery process for the development of rapid diagnostic tests. This system marries the power of information technology with today's improved genomic sequencing to quickly identify genomic signatures unique to the set of organisms to be detected. These signatures are the foundation for a new generation of molecular diagnostic tests for the rapid detection of healthcare-associated infections such as the potentially deadly Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. SCR used its new system recently to discover a DNA barcode for detecting the H1N1 Flu after they received the genomic sequences of the virus isolated from infected patients from the National Institute of Health.

• Signostics (Palo Alto, California) received FDA clearance for its palm-sized personal ultrasound device, the Signos. The device delivers high-resolution images anywhere, at any time for general medical applications, including: abdominal assessments such as bladder, abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, and trauma assessment; musculoskeletal; and basic obstetrics, such as pregnancy viability and fetal positioning.