A Medical Device Daily

With a goal of increasing access to healthcare services and improving health outcomes for rural populations, IKP Centre for Technologies in Public Health (ICTPH; Hyderabad, India) has partnered with the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing; Philadelphia) to pilot the functionality and viability of nurse-managed Rural Micro Health Centers (RMHC) in Tamil Nadu, India.

During the partnership's first stage, which was signed in January and remains in effect until the end of 2009, Penn Nursing faculty will collaborate with the ICTPH team to develop Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) education in India, enhance census survey data analysis, and work on other areas of research.

The two partners said the full impact of the partnership is expected to last for years.

"This partnership will bring together the strengths of Penn Nursing to establish and evaluate nursing models of care and ICTPH's innovations in public health to build nursing capacity and creatively resolve gaps in primary health care for rural India," said Penn Nursing professor Eileen Sullivan-Marx, who will recruit Penn nurses for the project, provide educational consultation, develop and evaluate the strategies to provide APN care at RMHCs.

Dr. Zeena Johar, president of ICTPH, said, "This partnership provides an opportunity for ICTPH to unlock and translate the Penn Nursing legacy of pioneering the U.S. nurse practitioner movement for the Indian subcontinent. We aim to critically evaluate various healthcare delivery models in order to achieve the appropriate balance between technically qualified medical personnel and local village outreach health volunteers addressing observed issues of accessibility and affordability."

N. Vaghul, chairman of IKP Trust, said, "ICTPH has added another dimension to our work at IKP by connecting research, both in the diagnostic and healthcare delivery domain, to the urgent needs of developing countries."

Penn Nursing Dean Afaf Meleis said, "Penn has a global mission, and we encourage our students to learn in global environments and sustain relationship with the world community. This partnership is also a way to develop nursing in India as an alternative to the emigration of nurses from India to other parts of the world."

Meleis added, "By developing internal models of nursing care in India that use APN in partnership with community health workers and other professions, nurses will be more likely to return or stay in the country."

IKP Centre for Technologies in Public Health is a not-for-profit research organization that aims to improve the health of poor populations by focusing on designing, developing and delivering innovative solutions in healthcare concerning India and the developing world.

Japanese distributor for TomoTherapy

TomoTherapy (Madison, Wisconsin) said it has entered into an exclusive agreement with Hitachi Medical (HMC; Tokyo) to distribute the company's Hi Art cancer treatment system in Japan.

HMC will market, sell and service the Hi Art system, which facilitates highly precise, CT-guided radiation therapy for a wide range of clinical indications.

"Hitachi Medical ... is an ideal partner for us and for our customers in one of our most important markets," said TomoTherapy CEO Fred Robertson, MD. "HMC's robust national infrastructure and reputation for excellent technical and customer support will enhance our ability to service all hospitals in Japan that are currently using TomoTherapy technology.

"The TomoTherapy Hi Art system is being recognized as a novel radiation therapy system among Japanese customers," said Hitachi medical VP Michito Kinoshita. "We believe that we can contribute to quality improvement of radiation therapy for cancer treatment in Japan through distribution and technical service of this system. And, we are going to strengthen our presence in the market by adding this system in our product portfolio as we become able to provide not only diagnostic solutions but also a treatment solution for customers in Japan."

Arab Health Conference draws Lab21

Lab21 (Cambridge, UK) said it will be exhibiting at this year's Arab Health Conference in Dubai next week, where both its Diagnostic Services and Immunodiagnostic Products divisions will be represented.

The company said participation in the Jan. 26-29 regional exhibition will help raise its profile as it expands its diagnostics businesses internationally and provide a launch platform for its new Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) EIA assay.

CEO Graham Mullis said, "This event provides Lab21 with the opportunity to showcase how Lab21 can be the partner of choice for the region with its quality infectious disease immunodiagnostic product offering and wide range of oncology and personalized medicine services."

Lab21 will use the event to provide preliminary details on the new HCMV EIA assay, the latest new product from its Immunodiagnostic Division. HCMV is a virus in the Herpes virus group, which generally has no symptoms even after infection. However, it can prove dangerous for pre and post natal infants and in immuno-compromised patients.

Lab21's Immunodiagnostic Division also recently secured a number of major new tenders to supply its diagnostic products to non-governmental organizations in Africa and Thailand to add to the recent Indian market launch of its syphilis assay.

Phase Forward at Japanese meeting

Phase Forward (Waltham, Massachusetts), a provider of data management solutions for clinical trials and drug safety, said it will participate in the 12th annual Drug Information Association Workshop for Clinical Data Management in Tokyo next week.

On Jan. 29, company CTO Tim Rochford will discuss "Repository Families: Avoiding Dysfunctional Relationships," contrasting design requirements of cross-repository analysis activities with affordances offered by underlying technology approaches.

Mike Davies, VP of global CRO partnerships, will lead a session titled, "Building a Strong EDC Foundation through the Power of Partnership" on Jan. 30, discussing how the role of electronic data capture (EDC), from technology to services, evolves over time and the critical role partnerships play to success.

The company also will showcase its EDC, safety management, Phase I and interactive response technologies on the exhibit floor.