• Illumina (San Diego) reported that scientists at the company have sequenced the genome of an anonymous African male (Yoruba from Ibadan, Nigeria), using the Genome Analyzer. Sequencing of this HapMap sample was conducted internally and marks the first human genome sequence generated exclusively with paired reads of 35 to 50 bases in length. Leveraging recent system improvements that increase the throughput and improve the accuracy of the Genome Analyzer, Illumina scientists were able to complete this project in a matter of weeks. More than 95% of production runs generated high-quality data with an average of over three billion bases (three Gb) per run. This achievement establishes the direct utility of Illumina’s sequencing technology for accurately sequencing large and complex genomes. Using paired reads primarily from 200 base pair (bp) insert size libraries, supplemented with reads from 2000 bp insert size libraries, Illumina scientists initially conducted 27 runs to generate over 75 Gb of DNA sequence and achieve more than 90 percent coverage of the genome. An initial analysis yielded over 3.7 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including more than one million novel SNPs. Illumina makes life-science tools and integrated systems for the large-scale analysis of genetic variation and biological function.

• Natus Medical (San Carlos, California) said that the FDA has approved its supplement to the premarket approval application for the Olympic Cool-Cap. The Cool-Cap is used for treatment of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in term newborns. The system provides selective head cooling to prevent or reduce the severity of neurologic injury associated with HIE. Approximately three in 1,000 newborns are at risk of brain injury due to an interruption of blood flow and oxygen supply during labor and delivery. In 1999, the company’s Olympic Medical division initiated a four-year international multi center study of the Cool-Cap system. Results of the study confirmed that when head cooling therapy was administered to patients within the first six hours of life, the severity of brain injury was significantly decreased compared to the untreated control group. Natus is a makes healthcare products used for the screening, detection, treatment, monitoring and tracking of common medical ailments such as hearing impairment, neurological dysfunction, epilepsy, sleep disorders, and newborn care.

• Rapid Product Development Group (RPDG; San Diego) reported the addition of a new stereolithography resin from DSM Somos (Elgin, Illinois) brand-named WaterClear Ultra. RPDG says that WaterClear combines clarity with low color, high dimensional accuracy and other performance features. It is designed for the production of lenses, housings, packaging models, fluid flow analysis models and master patterns. Miguel Diaz, director of Mexico Manufacturing Operations for RPDG, said, “The WaterClear Ultra material is by far the clearest SLA material I have seen. It also builds very well and offers great accuracy.” RPDG serves clients in the healthcare, automotive, computer, consumer products and industrial equipment industries.