• Assay Designs (Ann Arbor, Michigan) has introduced a new line of MultiBead multiplex immunoassays to simultaneously quantify the levels of up to 22 analytes in a single sample and in various matrices including serum, plasma, urine, culture supernates and cell lysates. MultiBead assays do not require specialized instrumentation and work on commercially available dual-laser flow cytometers, making access to instrumentation convenient and economical. Assay Designs makes immunoassay kits, antibodies, and reagents to the life science and translational research markets.

• Ikonisys (New Haven, Connecticut) reported the launch of its cervical cancer test, oncoFISH cervical. Used in conjunction with the company's CellOptics platform, a robotic microscopy system, oncoFISH cervical provides the physician with an assessment of risk of progression of low-grade dysplasia to cancer of the cervix. oncoFISH cervical will be offered as a laboratory-developed test through Ikonisys' clinical laboratory. Ikonisys says that oncoFISH cervical is the first to work in conjunction with currently used screening tests like the Pap smear and HPV as a differentiator for medical professionals seeking to identify which patients may regress or progress to cervical cancer. Based on this information, physicians and patients can work together to develop early, personalized treatment plans.

• Intact Medical (Natick, Massachusetts) said it has received FDA clearance for the Intact Excise XL – a larger version of the company's FDA-approved wands, used with the Intact Breast Lesion Excision System (BLES). As with the Intact BLES, the Intact Excise XL procedure involves the insertion of a slender wand through a small incision in the breast to remove an intact sample of suspicious tissue for histopathologic analysis. The procedure can be performed in an office-based or outpatient setting, with the actual capture of the breast lesion completed in less than 20 seconds. Intact makes minimally invasive systems for the diagnosis and removal of breast lesions.

• Kjaya Medical (Stamford, Connecticut) said it received FDA clearance for VoXcell, a next-generation thin client image distribution and visualization solution that enables real-time viewing of advanced visualization. VoXcell enables physicians to stream 2-D axial slices and 3-D reconstructions to any basic desktop or mobile PC that can access a cable, DSL or cellular broadband Internet connection. This enables on-demand diagnostics. Kjaya delivers medical imaging products through advances in graphics computing technology.

• Neuro Kinetics (NKI; Pittsburgh) said that it will showcase enhancements to its I-Portal-VNG (Video Nystagmography System) at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgeons in Chicago. I-Portal-NOTC uses all ocular motor tests, as well as other motion and ocular tests that use a Barany (rotational) chair to evaluate the vestibular system. The system features a smooth motor design, advanced analytics in its VEST software and the company's high-speed I-Portal-VOG (Video Oculography) system. Neuro Kinetics makes noninvasive medical diagnostic equipment for neurologic, otologic and vestibular disorder evaluation.