SPO Medical retains American Capital

SPO Medical (New York) said that it has retained the services of American Capital Ventures (ACV), a provider of comprehensive investor relations services to the small cap community, as an investor relations consultant.

Michael Braunold, president/CEO of SPO Medical said, "As we continue to grow our revenues and enhance our distribution base, it has become increasingly important to reach out to the investment community. Our goal is to inform current and prospective investors of our financial prospects and the value proposition offered by our product pipeline and strategy."

SPO Medical makes biosensor and microprocessor technologies for use in portable monitoring devices.

Study predicts compact ultrasound on rise

According to Millennium Research Group's (Waltham, Massachusetts) "U.S. Markets for Ultrasound Systems 2008" report, the domestic ultrasound market will experience rapid growth over the next five years. Increasing at a compound annual growth rate of more than 15% from 2007 to 2012, this market, composed of ultrasound systems used for regional anesthesia, emergency medicine, surgery, and critical care, will exceed $306 million by 2012 (excluding upgrade and service revenues).

The affordability and improving performance of compact systems have made ultrasound increasingly popular in nontraditional environments such as critical care units. Compact systems weigh 15 pounds or less, providing convenience and mobility to physicians. Manufacturers of these systems have fostered growth in emerging markets by tailoring new compact systems to include specific applications that ease system operation for healthcare providers who are inexperienced with ultrasound.

"Compact systems can be carried conveniently when patient mobility is an issue, and take up little space in environments where space is at a premium," said Robert Mak, analyst at Millennium. "These attributes make them invaluable to critical-care units and emergency medicine environments, where rapid diagnoses are sometimes essential."

Millennium Research Group provides medical technology market intelligence and a leading provider of strategic information to the healthcare sector.

Immunicon now on OTCBB

Immunicon (Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania) said that its common stock began quotation on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB). Previously, Immunicon had received notification from Nasdaq indicating that trading in the company's common stock would be suspended and delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market at the opening of business on April 29, unless Immunicon appealed Nasdaq's determination.

In response, Immunicon notified Nasdaq that it would not submit such a plan but would pursue quotation on the OTCBB.

Immunicon makes cell- and molecular-based diagnostic and life science research products.