• Ikonisys (New Haven, Connecticut) said it has achieved two milestones in the commercialization of its oncoFISH cervical test: the receipt of New York State certification to offer oncoFISH cervical and the company's first customer. The certification allows Ikonisys to offer the test to New York State customers through its CAP accredited, fully licensed clinical laboratory. In addition, Ikonisys has signed its first customer, New England Pathology Associates (Springfield, Massachusetts) which will offer the test to physicians. oncoFISH cervical is a laboratory-developed test, intended to be run subsequent to a Pap smear in patients identified to have low squamous intraepithelial lesions. Test results can be used as a differentiator for medical professionals seeking to identify which patients may regress or progress to cervical cancer.

• QuantRx Biomedical (Doylestown, Pennsylvania) has received FDA clearance for its RapidSense drugs-of-abuse (DOA) methamphetamine test. The RapidSense Methamphetamine test is the first of QuantRx' DOA tests based solely on its proprietary technology approved by the FDA. The RapidSense Methamphetamine test is a one-step positive read lateral flow device intended for use in the professional markets. "The new clearance allows the company to provide its customers with a new and innovative product for DOA testing, which we believe will complement our current sales efforts and allow us to expand beyond our traditional OEM product base," said William Fleming, president of diagnostics at QuantRx.

• The FDA has approved a new nucleic acid test from Roche Molecular Diagnostics (Pleasanton, California) to screen donated blood for HIV-1 Group M RNA, hepatitis C RNA and hepatitis B DNA in a single, automated assay. The test, called the cobas TaqScreen MPX Test for use on the cobas s 201 system, is a qualitative in vitro test for comprehensive single-assay detection of HIV-1 Group M RNA, HIV-1 Group O RNA, HIV-2 RNA, hepatitis C Virus RNA and hepatitis B Virus DNA in human plasma. The test, which is not intended for use as an aid in diagnosis, is designed to further increase the safety of blood supplies by identifying infections earlier than traditional serology tests. The test runs on the fully automated, real-time PCR cobas s 201 system, designed to increase processing efficiency with a modular design and ready to use reagents.

• Sirona (Long Island City, New York) has introduced the Cerec AC, a digital impression unit for CAD/CAM dentistry. Cerec AC is built on Sirona's Cerec Bluecam technology and its automatic image capture system can scan entire quadrants in 40 seconds. Once the Cerec AC has acquired the image, the dentist can chose to create the restoration chairside with a Cerec milling unit, or send a digital model to the laboratory for offsite production. Sirona makes dental equipment.

• XStor Medical (Mountain View, California) has introduced its new imaging platform for advanced clinical applications and collaborative patient care. The XStor imaging platform enables products that facilitate participating hospitals, clinics, and healthcare systems to securely share patient information with affiliates, partners, physician groups, and patients. The XStor, the company says, is an image management and storage solution for images, videos and related patient information, and is designed to operate in a heterogeneous, multi-modality environment within and across healthcare enterprises. It augments existing infrastructure to improve multi-disciplinary collaboration in a secure, web-accessible environment, by adhering to existing and emerging industry standards.