• Applied Biosystems (Foster City, California) and Integromics (Granada, Spain) reported the availability of a solution for analyzing real-time PCR data. The companies have created a solution that integrates advanced bioinformatics software with high-throughput real-time PCR instrument systems. The resulting platform is expected to aid life scientists in performing data analysis in a variety of research projects. The technology integrates Integromics’ Real-Time StatMiner software with any combination of Applied Bio’s real-time PCR systems. The joint solution will be co-marketed exclusively by the two companies. Real-time PCR is a lab method used to detect and determine the amount of nucleic acids present in samples, helping life scientists to assess variations in gene expression. This method is commonly used to study the development of disease, differentiation in stem cells, or the toxic effects of drugs. Another emerging application of real-time PCR is for the study of microRNAs, and understanding their role as genetic markers used in disease classification and drug discovery. As real-time PCR expands in its applications, researchers are looking for integrated, high-throughput data analysis tools that work seamlessly with their instrument systems, according to Applied Bio. Often times, they develop their own software programs that are only loosely integrated with their systems, requiring bioinformatics expertise to manage them. The Applied Biosystems-Integromics solution integrates the system that generates the data with the software that is used to analyze it.

• Biomet (Warsaw, Indiana) said it is launching two hip stems, the Taperloc Microplasty Stem and the Balance Microplasty Stem, to address the demand for minimally invasive bone-conserving total hip implants. The company said that these options offer “conservative alternatives to femoral resurfacing devices that typically cannot be implanted using minimally invasive techniques.” The Taperloc Microplasty Stem was designed to build on the 20-year heritage of the Taperloc Hip System, while incorporating new features for minimally invasive techniques. Using Biomet’s porous plasma spray coating, the Taperloc Microplasty Stem offers the same flat, tapered wedge design as the conventional Taperloc Hip System, but provides a shorter stem. The short stem is designed for proximal femoral bone fixation, while preserving more intramedullary bone than traditional length components. The Balance Microplasty Stem builds on the foundation of the original porous-coated Balance Hip Stem to incorporate an anatomic “fit and fill” geometry for those surgeons who prefer this type of design philosophy, Biomet said. The primary difference between the minimally invasive stem and the conventional hip stem is the shorter length of the stem, which is designed to preserve bone distally and maintain proximal femoral bone fixation.

• Devax (Lake Forest, California), which develops interventional cardiology devices, said it has completed patient enrollment in the DIVERGE clinical trial evaluating its Axxess Bifurcation Stent System. DIVERGE, a prospective, multi-center trial which enrolled 302 patients, is the largest study conducted to date with a drug-eluting stent (DES) specifically designed for treating bifurcation lesions, areas of atherosclerotic disease occurring at a location where one large vessel divides into two smaller vessels, which may occur in about 20% of all patients undergoing a stenting procedure worldwide. Devas said that, to date, more than 500 patients worldwide have been treated using the Axxess Bifurcation Stent System. More than 400 patients have received the DES version of the stent.