• The Aurora Breast MRI Society (North Andover, Massachusetts) previewed the newly developed Aurora Breast MRI Society Global PACS Teaching Tool before an audience of more than 100 radiology professionals in attendance at the second annual Aurora Breast MRI Society Meeting. Aurora said that the Teaching Tool will be the first PACS platform exclusively used by a professional group. Members will be able to upload clinical cases and images without disclosing private patient information, interact with colleagues and extract images as needed to digitally exchange best practices and clinical knowledge, thus building a global Internet-based community for Aurora Breast MRI Society healthcare professionals to share experiences. The society is a group of breast radiologists focused on advancing breast MRI technology.

• diaDexus (South San Francisco, California) reported FDA clearance for a new automated version of its PLAC Test, based on immuno-turbidimetric technology. It an automated immunoassay designed to run on common existing laboratory equipment, including clinical chemistry analyzers from Hitachi, Roche/Hitachi, and Olympus. The assay is a blood test that measures lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A₂ (Lp-PLA₂), an enzyme specific to vascular inflammation implicated in the formation of rupture-prone plaque. The company says that the PLAC Test is the only blood test cleared by the FDA to aid in assessing risk of both coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke associated with atherosclerosis.

• Focus Diagnostics (Cypress California) reported the first laboratory-developed test in the U.S. for detecting the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus. Commercial availability of the molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test will enable testing of patients who may have contracted the virus, such as individuals returning from regions in Africa and Asia where chikungunya is endemic. The test employs PCR to detect the presence of the virus’ RNA in a patient’s blood. Physicians can use test results in conjunction with clinical symptoms to diagnose a patient’s infection with the virus. Until now, testing for chikungunya virus was not commercially available in the U.S. and specimens were referred to a public health laboratory, which could take a week or more to results. Focus said it expects to be able to provide physicians with test results within a day of receiving a sample for testing.

• Micro Power (Beaverton, Oregon) said that it designed and manufactured a new, custom Li-ion battery pack specifically for the latest point-of-care ultrasound systems from SonoSite (Bopthell, Washington), the M-Turbo hand-carried system and the S Series ultrasound tools. Micro Power’s new battery pack not only powers SonoSite’s new, fourth-generation systems, but it is compatible with existing SonoSite products such as the MicroMaxx and TITAN systems. The battery pack provides over 60 Watts of power, 15% more power than current battery packs offered with SonoSite products. The battery pack was designed to support SonoSite’s requirements for uncompromised performance, immediate boot-up from a cold start and extended sessions of use within a lightweight unit. Micro Power makes portable power systems for mission-critical equipment. SonoSite makes hand-carried ultrasound systems.

• Siemens Healthcare (Deerfield, Illinois) said that its Versant 440 molecular system has been approved by the FDA for use with the Versant HCV RNA 3.0 assay for management of HCV-infected patients undergoing antiviral therapy. The Versant is a branched DNA (bDNA) system designed for flexible walk-away automation. Its single room technology and consolidated footprint allow the system the flexibility to fit anywhere in the clinical laboratory. The system streamlines workflow by integrating bar code data entry, automated reagent processing, signal amplification detection, and a laboratory information system interface for downloading patient work lists and results. Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Division offers health care professionals the broadest range of diagnostic products and services that are used for diagnosing medical conditions, monitoring patient therapy and providing quality health care.