• Arkray USA (Minneapolis) reported FDA clearance for the Glucocard 01 blood glucose monitoring system. The Glucocard requires no coding, displays results in 7 seconds, and requires a 0.3 microliter sample size. Glucocard 01 is AST approved and has a 360-count test memory with time and date stamp. It also features a large display for better viewing of test results. Arkray specializes in the field of automated analysis.

• Caris Diagnostics (Irving, Texas) said it is offering KRAS mutation analysis, designed to provide information on which colon cancer patients are most likely to respond to cetuximab (Erbitux), co-marketed by ImClone and Bristol-Myers Squibb, or panitumumab (Vectibix), developed by Amgen. This assay, which can be performed on biopsies taken for the initial cancer diagnosis, identifies those patients who have somatic mutations in KRAS, which is associated with a lack of response to Erbitux or Vectibix. Caris Diagnostics provides diagnostic, translational development and pharmaceutical services encompassing anatomic pathology and molecular testing.

• Compugen (Tel Aviv, Israel) reported the discovery and experimental confirmation of a combination of four biomarkers for early detection of drug-induced nephrotoxicity. Data demonstrate that the biomarker signature may enable a much earlier prediction of drug-induced kidney toxicity during pre-clinical trials in rats in comparison to traditional diagnostic methods such as histopathology or clinical chemistry. The biomarkers were discovered through the use of Compugen's Nucleic Acid Testing discovery platform. Compugen specializes in discovery platforms.