• Astellas Pharma US (Deerfield, Illinois) reported the commercial availability of Lexiscan (regadenoson) injection, an A2A adenosine receptor agonist, for use as a pharmacologic stress agent in radionuclide MPI — a test that detects and characterizes coronary artery disease — in patients unable to undergo adequate exercise stress. Lexiscan was designed to produce coronary vasodilation and increase coronary blood flow by activation of the A2A adenosine receptor. Lexiscan is administered as a rapid intravenous injection (about 10 seconds) with no dose adjustment required for body weight. Astellas Pharma US is the U.S. affiliate of Astellas Pharma (Tokyo).

• Aushon BioSystems (Billerica, Massachusetts) reported the expansion of its microarray service line to include offerings dedicated to reverse phase arrays (RPA). Unlike forward phase arrays in which antibodies or recombinant proteins are printed onto substrates, RPAs are created by depositing the samples to be analyzed, such as cell/tissues lysates or blood plasma, directly onto substrates. These arrays are particularly useful for high throughput analysis of protein levels and post-translational modifications, which in turn are key in biomarker identification and drug discovery programs. Aushon BioSystems provides microarray instrumentation and services.

• 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. This prognostic information has been validated in a number of retrospective studies and will help better suggest which patients are most likely not going to respond to Erbitux or Vectibix. Caris Diagnostics provides diagnostic, translational development and pharmaceutical services encompassing anatomic pathology and molecular testing.

• Concuity (Vernon Hills, Illinois), a healthcare division of Trintech and a provider of contract management and revenue recovery technology and services, reported the availability of PriceAdvisor, a web-based solution that will assist hospitals to accurately produce patient estimates by using payer contracts, actual claim data, and patient benefit information. "PriceAdvisor takes front-end information from patient registration and creates a predictive claim prior to admission. The claim is then adjudicated against contractual obligations with insurance companies," said Ed Gallo, EVP of the company. "What is then presented to the patient is a true, easy to understand estimate of their financial responsibility for a planned healthcare visit. Ultimately, PriceAdvisor improves the quality of a patient's experience. Additionally, the solution creates visibility into hospital revenue much earlier in the revenue cycle while increasing efficiencies, accelerating payments, and enhancing workflow."

• Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp, Burlington, North Carolina) is now offering OvaSure, an ovarian cancer screening test to assess the presence of early stage ovarian cancer in high-risk women. "LabCorp is pleased to offer for high-risk women the OvaSure test to enhance the potential of detecting and treating ovarian cancer in its early or localized stage when the likelihood of survival is greatest," said Myla Lai-Goldman, MD, executive VP/chief medical officer of LabCorp. "OvaSure is a significant addition to LabCorp's family of proteomic tests, and a major component of LabCorp's strategy to bring the latest in diagnostic technology to women's healthcare."

• Rosetta Genomics (Rehovot, Israel) reported the advancement of three new diagnostic tests into its development pipeline. Leveraging microRNA biomarkers identified using Rosetta Genomics' microRNA extraction and quantification methods, the new programs will focus on the following indications: Predicting response to treatment of ovarian cancer patients; Predicting risk of gastric cancer recurrence; Differentiating small from non-small cell lung cancer. Rosetta Genomics makes microRNA-based diagnostics and therapeutics.