• Arteriocyte Medical Systems (Cleveland) reported a deal with Medtronic (Minneapolis) that includes the purchase of Medtronic's Magellan Platelet Business, an exclusive, five-year distribution agreement in the cardiac surgery market and a manufacturing services agreement for the Magellan products. Medtronic's cardiac surgery sales force includes 80 representatives throughout North America and Europe, placing the Magellan system in more than 400 surgical centers. The Magellan System, a one-source biologic concentrator and delivery system, collects and concentrates platelets and white blood cells from a small volume of the patient's own blood, providing a supply of plasma as a foundation for autologous platelet gel. Medtronic says the system presents an opportunity to accelerate wound healing and reduce infection in various types of surgeries.
  • Beckman Coulter (Fullerton, California) reported renewing agreements valued at about $94 million per year with MedAssets Supply Chain Systems (Alpharetta, Georgia). As part of the new three-year agreements, MedAssets members will continue to purchase automation, general chemistry, immunoassay and integrated workcell systems from Beckman Coulter. The renewals complement existing agreements for hematology, flow cytometry and coagulation systems, already on contract with MedAssets.
  • Collagen Matrix (Franklin Lanes, New Jersey) reported signing an agreement with Stryker (Kalamazoo, Michigan) for exclusive worldwide distribution of the Collagen Matrix NeuroMend Collagen Nerve Wrap. NeuroMend is a reabsorbable, collagen-based rolled membrane matrix intended for use in the repair of crushed or severed peripheral nerves and so provides a protective environment to guide the regeneration of the nerve across the injury or gap. Collagen Matrix says the rolled membrane configuration of NeuroMend offers the ability of a single product to approximate nerves of varying diameters. NeuroMend can be implanted with minimal suturing due to the unique wrap design of the product. Collagen Matrix develops collagen- and mineral-based ex.
  • Gen-Probe (San Diego) reported that 3M (St. Paul, Minnesota) has informed it that it will no longer fund their joint collaboration to develop rapid molecular assays for the food testing industry. Gen-Probe said it still anticipates recording milestone revenue of $2 million in the 4Q07 associated with achieving technological feasibility for potential food testing assays, revenue potential contemplated in the financial guidance the company provided on Oct. 30.
  • Guardian Technologies International (Herndon, Virginia) is partnering with Delft Diagnostic Imaging (Veenendaal, the Netherlands) so that Guardian's Signature Mapping computer-aided-detection with visualization software will be integrated into the Delft Odelca-DR digital chest X-ray system. The product will provide mass screening of patients and the digital storing, transmission and diagnostic viewing of images. The system was designed with special attention to the clinical imaging requirements for detection of tuberculosis in the developing world.
  • ImaRx Therapeutics (Tucson, Arizona) and Royal Philips Electronics (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) reported a research alliance focused on using Philips' ultrasound technology as part of ImaRx's SonoLysis program to develop a new treatment for acute ischemic stroke. Philips will provide ultrasound devices and technical assistance to ImaRx during lab and preclinical studies. The companies are trying to determine the optimal ultrasound parameters to use with ImaRx's MRX-801 microbubble technology..
  • Tissue Genesis (TG; Honolulu) reported an exclusive distribution and licensing agreement in the human spine sector with SpineSmith Partners (Austin, Texas). Tissue Genesis will share SpineSmith's revenues from procedures and sales using Tissue Genesis' therapeutic cell technologies, and expects in the future to receive revenue from sales to SpineSmith of TGI 1000 cell isolation systems and disposables, over the four year term of the agreement. Additionally, SpineSmith has been granted the rights to manufacture, use and sell TGI 100 manual cell isolation kits, incorporating Tissue Genesis supplied Adipase enzyme solution.
  • The University of Pittsburgh Medical School is teaming with WaferGen Biosystems (Fremont, California) to serve as the alpha test site for WaferGen's SmartChip Real-Time PCR System. WaferGen said SmartChip is designed as the first whole genome, high throughput gene expression real-time PCR platform that will deliver significant time and cost advantages to researchers in the gene expression and genotyping markets. SmartChip is expected to accelerate the growth of drug development because pharmaceutical companies have millions of compounds they'd like to test, but lack the financing.