• Aethon (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) said that it has significantly enhanced the navigation system of its TUG robotics platform with the addition of laser-based technology. The new laser-driven navigation system will enable hospitals to deploy TUGs in less time and benefit from speedier deliveries, more flexible routes and requires less technical support. The TUG is an autonomous mobile robotic system that automates the delivery and tracking of materials in hospitals such as medications, dietary trays, linens, blood samples, medical records, or IV pumps. It helps hospitals streamline supply chain operations so that nurses and clinical staff avoid making supply runs and remain focused on patient care. Aethon makes autonomous mobile robots for healthcare supply chain management.

• Merge Healthcare (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) reported the release of eFilm RIS/PACS, an imaging informatics solution for single imaging centers performing up to 10,000 studies annually. Merge says that eFilm RIS/PACS is a cost-effective way for small imaging centers and specialty practices to acquire basic RIS/PACS functionality. For visualization, eFilm RIS/PACS features eFilm workstation. All that is required is installation of the web server by Merge or onsite resources. The server is shipped with the eFilm RIS/PACS software installed. Start-up is simplified by virtue of a single feature configuration, which provides workflow features, ranging from scheduling to report creation.

• Photo Therapeutics (Carlsbad, California) said it has received FDA approval of its new over-the-counter light therapy device, Omnilux New-U, for the treatment of periorbital wrinkles. The company said that Omnilux New-U has been clinically proven to reduce periorbital wrinkles and to treat the visible signs of aging, using a combination of alternate treatments of infrared and red light twice a week for four weeks. Photo Therapeutics was established in 1998 with the right to the patented photodynamic therapy technology, the Paterson Lamp, later launched as Omnilux.

• Power3 Medical Products (Houston) reported publication of the discovery of protein biomarkers for esophageal malignancies in the International Journal of Cancer, in an article titled: “Alterations in Barrett’s-related adenocarcinomas: A proteomic approach.” Esophageal malignancies are the sixth leading cause of cancer death in the world and represent about 1% of the cancers diagnosed in the U.S. “Power3 discovered differential expression of these protein biomarkers in esophageal biopsies of normal, pre-cancerous, and cancerous areas from the same patients, using our quantitative 2-D gel electrophoresis platform,” said Essam Sheta, MD, a study investigators. “Our finding identify a previously unknown potential oncogenic signaling mechanism in Barrett’s tumors, and represents a new area that can be developed.” Power3 specializes in protein biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug targets for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

• Third Wave Technologies (Madison, Wisconsin) said that it has achieved all primary clinical endpoints in the clinical trial for its human papillomavirus (HPV) tests. The company expects to submit the trial results to the FDA for both its high-risk and 16/18 genotyping products in April. The company’s high-risk HPV test is intended to be used in combination with a Pap test to assess women 30 and over for the presence of high-risk HPV types and to guide their treatment. It is also intended to test patients with abnormal Pap results to determine whether they should be referred to colposcopy. This test detects the presence of HPV types 16 and 18, the types that cause approximately 70% of cervical disease. Third Wave makes molecular diagnostic reagents for a variety of DNA and RNA analysis applications.

• Verathon (Bothell, Washington) reported a new small child mode for the portable BladderScan BVI 9400 bladder volume instrument with NeuralHarmonics technology. Small Child Mode enables health care providers to measure bladder volume noninvasively on children weighing less than 60 pounds and standing less than 48 inches high with the same instrument used for adult patients. When the scan button is pressed, the instrument measures ultrasonic reflections on multiple planes inside the body and produces a three dimensional image. Based on this image, the BVI 9400 calculates and displays the bladder volume on the color console, and offers aiming assistance (if needed) to the user, on both the probe and the console. The user can select either a hard copy print out from the machine or an electronic medical record (EMR) related report.