A Diagnostics & Imaging Week

deCODE genetics (Reykjavik, Iceland) reported the launch of deCODEme, which it characterized as "a pioneering service that enables individuals to get a detailed look at their own genome."

The company, a pioneer in applying human genetics to develop drugs and diagnostics for common diseases, said that through their subscriptions to deCODEme, individuals "can learn what you DNA says about your ancestry, your body — traits such as hair and eye color — as well as whether you may have genetic variants that have been associated with higher or lower-than-average risk of a range of common diseases." It said that the information will be "continually updated" as new discoveries are made.

deCODE said subscribers will create a secure, password-controlled personal account. Then, a few weeks after sending in a simple cheek swab, "customers will receive expert analysis of more than a million key variants across their genome, accessible through an easy-to-use and intuitive user interface."

"We are pleased to ... launch this groundbreaking service," said CEO Kari Stefansson, MD, PhD. "You have the opportunity to take advantage of the best that science has to offer when you learn about disease risks associated with your genetic variations and ancestry."

The company said that, in more than a decade of research, it has analyzed the genomes of hundreds of thousands of people from around the world, "developing an unrivaled track record in gene discovery, in systems for genetic analysis, as well as data and privacy protection."

The introductory price of a subscription to deCODEme is under $1,000.

Transgenomic to sell for BioView in Europe

BioView (Rehovot, Israel) and Transgenomic (Omaha, Nebraska) have formed an agreement allowing Transgenomic to distribute BioView's family of scanning and analysis workstations in selected Western European countries, including the Scandinavian region.

Transgenomic's European sales and support organization will market, sell and service the instruments. The products include the Duet, Allegro and Accord automated workstations for the scanning and classification of cells via fluorescence in situ hybridization and brightlight microscopy. The results of the scan are reviewed on the BioView Solo offline workstation for the final report.

The BioView products are for in vitro diagnostic use as an aiding tool to the pathologist in the detection, classification and counting of cells of interest based on color, intensity, size, pattern and shape.

The companies said the products have applications for testing in hematological disorders, breast cancer studies for Her-2 neu gene amplification, bladder cancer screening and follow-up using the Vysis UroVysion Bladder Cancer Recurrence Kit, and prenatal and postnatal genetic testing.

Dr. Opher Shapira, president and CEO of BioView, said that the agreement is an opportunity for BioView to expand its market penetration in Europe in an efficient manner.

"Transgenomic," he said, "has a reputation [among] its European customer base for providing superior service and support. Following our success in the U.S. market, we believe that this agreement with Transgenomic will help establish us in a similar manner in the Western European and Scandinavian countries covered by this agreement."

Diagnostics firm in $12 million round

Vivacta (Sittingbourne, UK) reported that it has raised $12 million from a successful Series B financing round to be used to drive the commercialization and launch of its first point-of-care immunoassay system, based on its piezofilm sensor technology.

Neil Butler, CEO of Vivacta, said, "We were pleased to have the deal co-led by two very strong European venture capital firms, AGF Private Equity and HBM BioVentures. Our existing investors, Spark Ventures and Viking, both chose to follow on which is a very strong endorsement of Vivacta's technology platform and our approach to its commercialization".

Two well-known diagnostic industry executives – Gerry Moeller and Gerard Vaillant – will join the Vivacta board of directors. Moeller was CEO of the Boehringer Mannheim group and after its acquisition by Roche joined that company's management board. Vaillant chaired the diagnostics division of Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, New Jersey) and served as president/CEO of Ortho Clinical Diagnostics and Lifescan, both units of J&J.

Vivacta said it is finalizing development of the reader and cartridge for its POC immunoassay system. It plans to begin clinical evaluation of its first application, TSH, in 2008. The company is in the process of doubling the size of its facility in the Kent Science Park.

Finnish firm establishes U.S. subsidiary

IMIX ADR, a Finnish developer of digital radiography products, reported the opening of new U.S. headquarters in Sterling, Virginia.

IMIX Americas said the new headquarters in the metropolitan Washington area will support the company's North American business efforts.

Sigrid Smitt-Jeppesen, president and CEO of IMIX Americas, said, "IMIX ADR has been a significant player in the Asian and European markets for digital radiography for several years, and an increased presence in the U.S. market was a logical next step.

"We believe radiology and imaging professionals are ready for a digital radiography provider that is committed to high-quality, value-driven products and exceptional customer service and support."