• Agendia (Huntington Beach, California/Amsterdam, the Netherlands) reported the launch of TargetPrint, a diagnostic test that allows physicians to quantitatively determine the gene expression levels of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2 (HER2) in breast cancer tumor biopsies. The company said that the accurate measurement of these receptors "is of paramount importance in planning treatment of breast cancer patients after surgery and assists physicians and patients in making informed treatment decisions." TargetPrint runs on the firm's new High Density Chip, which received FDA clearance last month. Agendia is a maker of molecular cancer diagnostics.

• Carestream Health (Rochester, New York) reported the introduction of the Carestream DRX-1 system. Carestream said the system, which is in the final stages of development, is expected to greatly reduce the time required to conduct general X-ray exams compared to traditional film/screen systems. A standard patient X-ray exam with multiple images can be captured in less than one minute. The DRX-1 features wireless communications between the imaging components and a console that processes and displays the images and forwards the study to an image and information management system for review, reporting and storage. Carestream Health makes dental and medical imaging systems and healthcare IT solutions.

• Digirad (Poway, California) reported the initial clinical trial of a new imaging system using new technology to correct attenuation, or image distortion, an inherent issue in cardiac SPECT imaging. Cardiac SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) — also called myocardial perfusion imaging — is a non-invasive test to assess the heart's structure and function. Small amounts of radioactive substances are injected into a patient's vein, and special cameras produce images of the heart. These SPECT images are used to identify blockages in coronary arteries, determine whether a patient has had a heart attack, evaluate risk of a heart attack, and assess condition after bypass surgery or angioplasty. The new system, Cardius X-ACT, will be exhibited at the 2008 scientific sessions of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, which starts Wednesday in Boston. Digirad makes medical diagnostic imaging systems and services to physicians' offices, hospitals and imaging centers.

• Dilon Technologies (Newport News, Virginia) reported that researchers from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital have released their findings using its new Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) modality at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. The authors concluded, "BSGI demonstrates equal sensitivity to breast MRI in the detection of malignant and high-risk breast lesions while reducing the rate of indeterminate findings by 50%. BSGI has additional advantages over MRI in that the study generates four to eight images, as compared to up to 1000 images in MRI and can be utilized in all patients including those with ferromagnetic implants or renal insufficiency. In addition, BSGI is conducted at a fraction of the cost per procedure of breast MRI." Dilon's cornerstone product, the Dilon 6800, is a high-resolution, small field-of-view gamma camera, optimized to perform BSGI, a molecular breast imaging procedure that images the metabolic activity of breast lesions through radiotracer uptake.