• Angiotech Pharmaceuticals (Vancouver, British Columbia) reported the completion of U.S. clinical trial enrolment for its Bio-Seal lung biopsy track plug. Bio-Seal is a technology designed to reduce the incidence of post-operative pneumothorax (collapsed lung) in patients who undergo lung biopsy procedures. The technology involves the placement of an expanding hydrogel plug along the biopsy needle track during the procedure, closing off the track to subsequent influx of air into the chest during respiration after the biopsy needle is withdrawn. The seal is airtight and the plug is absorbed into the body after healing of the puncture site has occurred. The primary endpoint of the Bio-Seal study is a reduction in the incidence of pneumothorax in patients undergoing lung biopsy procedures when compared with patients who do not receive the Bio-Seal product.

• Artes Medical (San Diego), a medical aestheticscompany that makes ArteFill, a non-resorbable injectable dermal filler for the correction of nasolabial fold or "smile line" wrinkles, reported the publication of data comparing polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) based soft tissue fillers in the June Filler Issue of Dermatologic Surgery, a peer-reviewed publication of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. ArteFill is a dual-acting aesthetic injectable implant. ArteFill consists of a combination of PMMA microspheres suspended in a carrier gel containing highly purified bovine collagen with 0.3% lidocaine. Following injection, the PMMA microspheres, which are 30 to 50 microns in diameter and barely visible to the naked eye, reside at the injection site for persistent wrinkle correction. The company believes that the uniformity of size, shape and surface area of each microsphere, taken together with manufacturing consistency, plays an important role in the safety and efficacy of PMMA-based products.

• Technology transfer firm Competitive Technologies (CTT; Fairfield, Connecticut) said it will display a pain management therapy device at this week's BIO International Convention in San Diego. CTT has exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the pain therapy device, a non-invasive method for rapid treatment of high-intensity oncologic and neuropathic pain, including pain resistant to morphine and other drugs. The device, which uses a multi-processor able to simultaneously treat multiple pain areas by applying surface electrodes to the skin, has CE-mark certification, allowing European sales, and CTT said it has applied for FDA 510(k) authorization. The device was developed in Italy by Giuseppe Marineo, DSc, MD. CTT South Korean partner GEOMC, formerly Daeyang E&C, is producing the device commercially for worldwide distribution.

• Delcath Systems (New York) said St. Luke's Cancer Center (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), has joined Delcath's Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of inoperable metastatic melanoma in the liver, a multi-center study led by the National Cancer Institute and involving cancer centers throughout the U.S. The study is designed to test Delcath's PHP System for the regional delivery of melphalan to the liver to treat patients with metastatic ocular and cutaneous melanoma who have unresectable tumors in the liver. The PHP System is designed to deliver significantly higher doses of anti-cancer drugs to a patient's liver while preventing entry of the drugs to the rest of the patient's circulation. This isolation limits toxicities that result from systemic chemotherapy treatments. Delcath Systems is a development-stage company testing its percutaneous perfusion technology for the isolated delivery of high doses of therapeutic and chemotherapeutic agents.

• DPS (Los Angeles) said that its virtual lifestyle management service (VLM) is now available for licensing by healthcare providers through Microsoft HealthVault, Microsoft's consumer health platform. DPS said its software allows clinicians to provide their patients with an Internet-based weight management system that features online lessons, workbooks, and behavioral tracking supported by e-mail coaching to help people become more active, eat better, lose weight and live healthier lives. DPS makes software on research-proven lifestyle coaching methods.

• Imtec (Los Alamos, New Mexico) introduced the SPRITE, a small-footprint CT system. The system uses touch-screen technology as its user Interface, and an advanced four-stage rotary system to simplify scanning setup and execution. The SPRITE also offers rollers for ease of movement and dimensions small enough to allow passage through any conventional doorway. Imtec's primary focus is on dental applications and the development of new technology to simplify dentistry.

• Neurotechnology (Vilnius, Lithuania) reported the addition of VeriEye iris recognition technology to the company's suite of biometric identification algorithms and software development products. VeriEye SDK features iris recognition algorithm that rapidly detects and compensates for partial obstructions, irregularities and deformations in the iris shape — even when the eyes are gazing away. This provides a high degree of accuracy that can make VeriEye suitable for use in a wide range of applications for security, access control, time and attendance and other systems that require fast and reliable identification. The new iris matching algorithm in VeriEye rapidly compares two sets of iris features and is similarly capable of detecting and compensating for obstructions on iris texture and in deformed "looking away" iris images. Matching speeds against existing iris records can range from 50,000 to 150,000 irises per second, depending on configuration. Neurotechnology makes biometric fingerprint, face and iris identification algorithms, object recognition technology and software development products.