NanoLogix starts on new Ohio facility

NanoLogix (Hubbard, Ohio) said it has begun construction on a 2,800-square-foot manufacturing facility at its headquarters in Hubbard. It will contain a production cleanroom, cold-storage vault, and shipping and receiving area to be used in the fabrication of BNP Ultra-Fast test kits.

NanoLogix says the BNP kits provide accelerated detection of bacteria and pathogens — 100 to 600% faster than conventional Petri plate testing. They will have broad applications in Homeland Security, human and veterinary medicine, processing and safety of food, cosmetics and drugs, research and development, and industrial and environmental testing.

The new facility will replace the company's current limited-production operation at its research and development laboratory in Cincinnati, boosting production capability to thousands of BNP kits per day. This provides the opportunity for expanded R&D of other NanoLogix products at the Cincinnati lab.

Avalere Health scores new reform proposal

Avalere Health (Washington) said it has scored the new reform proposal developed by the American Health Care Association (AHCA), the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL), and the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care "using Congressional Budget Office-style methods and assumptions."

Anne Tumlinson, a VP at Avalere Health and lead author of the firm's new report, said, "The health reform goals debated today — achieving greater efficiency and value for the healthcare dollar, adding discipline to Medicare spending, and better use of evidence to improve patient experience — are inextricably tied to improving long-term and post-acute care in the U.S. Any meaningful reform effort will involve a careful analysis of choices, policy options, and trade-offs."

Grand Rapids Venture Center to expand

The West Michigan Science & Technology Initiative, in partnership with the Grand Rapids SmartZone (both Grand Rapids), reported the expansion of its Venture Center with the availability of additional incubator space at 1345 Monroe Avenue, NW in Grand Rapids.

The building features laboratory space available from 300 to 1,500 square feet, equipped with amenities for life science and high-technology companies. The organization will work with new tenants to customize the space to fit their needs, with specific focus on serving the medical device sector through advanced design and prototyping capabilities.

"This new location represents the only incubator space with available tools for medical device development in Michigan," said Executive Director Linda Chamberlain. "Half of the new capacity and capability has been designated for medical device. We believe this will help to accelerate early stage commercialization efforts for start-up medical device companies in West Michigan."

Encorium gets Nasdaq 10-K letter

Encorium Group (Wayne, Pennsylvania) said that it received a letter from Nasdaq stating that since it had not yet filed its 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2008 as of the date of the letter, it was no longer in compliance with the rules for continued listing according to Listing Rule 5250(c)(1).

The Nasdaq letter advised that Encorium had 60 calendar days from the date of the letter to submit a plan to regain compliance. Encorium currently anticipates regaining compliance with the filing requirement by filing its Annual Report on Form 10-K prior to the period provided and intends to submit a compliance plan to Nasdaq if it is unable do so. Following a review of any such submission, Nasdaq staff can grant Encorium an exception, up to 180 calendar days from the due date of the 10-K, to regain compliance.

Encorium Group is a clinical research organization specializing in the design and management of clinical trials and patient registries for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries.