A Medical Device Daily

Celera (Alameda, California) reported that it has entered into a research collaboration with Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Park, Illinois) to identify genetic markers for one of Abbott's investigational compounds.

A key aim of the collaboration is to investigate if genetic variants Celera has identified can predict how patients may respond to treatment. The identification of treatment response markers may assist in further development of the drug.

Under the terms of this collaboration, Abbott will pay Celera an undisclosed fee to perform this study and any resulting companion diagnostic product could be developed by Celera and commercialized through its existing strategic alliance with Abbott.

"We're pleased to enter this collaboration with Abbott as it further reinforces Celera's commitment to personalized medicine," said Thomas White, PhD, chief scientific officer at Celera. "The results of this study will provide new information on the correlation between genetic markers associated with disease and response to therapy. Routinely testing this general concept in early clinical trials may give us new and important insights to personalizing disease management."

In other agreements and contracts news:

• B. Braun Medical (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) said it has signed a three-year agreement with Novation (Irving, Texas) to provide specialty infusion pumps to Novation's customers nationwide.

Novation develops and manages contracts with more than 500 suppliers to two national healthcare alliances.

The agreement is a multi-source award for ambulatory and syringe pumps.

• Dynamics Research (Andover, Massachusetts) reported that it received an $11.4 million task order under the Tricare (Falls Church, Virginia) Evaluation, Analysis, Management and Support indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, to provide program management support to the traumatic brain injury and psychological health program. The task order, which is under the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs and Tricare Management Activity, has a one-year base period with four option years.

• Impulse Monitoring (IMI; Columbus, Maryland) said it has signed an agreement with St. Vincent's Medical Center (Jacksonville, Florida) to provide comprehensive intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) services, including IMI-qualified neurophysiologists and real-time professional oversight experienced physicians.

IONM assesses neurological function involving the brain, spinal cord and related nerve structures during surgery. Use of IONM facilitates the surgical process and can reduce surgical risk by providing alerts to surgeons of potential harm to spinal cord or neural structure.