A Diagnostics & Imaging Week

Celera (Alameda, California), an Applera (Norwalk, Connecticut) business, and Ipsen (Paris) said that they have entered into a research collaboration to develop biomarker and pharmacogenomic tests for growth failure patients. The initial phase of the collaboration will focus on the discovery and characterization of genetic markers relating to this disease.

Assuming the first phase of this collaboration is completed successfully, a key aim thereafter will be to develop diagnostic predictors for use in Ipsen's clinical trials, which would potentially form the basis for commercial companion diagnostic tests for Ipsen's short stature therapies. Celera will receive an undisclosed payment for the initial phase of this multi-year collaboration, and any future payment will depend on success of the initial phase.

"We're pleased to enter this collaboration with Ipsen as it further reinforces Celera's pharmacogenomic endeavors," said Thomas White, PhD, chief scientific officer at Celera. "This is another example highlighting the importance of diagnostic and pharmaceutical companies working together to improve therapeutic availability through the practice of personalized disease management."

Ipsen is s pharmaceutical group with more than 20 products on the market and a worldwide staff of nearly 4,000.

In other agreements:

  • Optasia Medical (Cheadle, UK), a maker of model-based vision software for musculoskeletal radiography, and D3A Medical Systems (Burlington, Massachusetts), a developer of high-resolution digital radiology for osteoarticular imaging, including qualitative and quantitative analysis of joint and bone tissues, reported the integration of Optasia Medical's KneeAnalyzer analysis software into D3A's BMA High-Resolution Digital X-Ray imaging system.
    D3A's Skeletal Ultra Analysis technology enables rapid high resolution imaging of the knee for diagnosis and management of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) with a very low dose office-based system. The BMA design provides user-friendly patient positioning to enable rapid imaging for joint space width (JSW) measurement utilizing a posterior-anterior (PA) X-ray image of the knee with a proprietary positioning device for highly reproducible image acquisition.
    The BMA image has a resolution of 8 lp/mm, which is two to three times better resolution than a standard X-ray image. The integrated high-resolution monitor allows the operator or physician to view the image immediately after acquisition for a real-time diagnosis. The KneeAnalyzer software is integrated into the BMA system, allowing instantaneous analysis of the resulting image.
    Time from acquisition of image to complete KneeAnalyzer analysis report is less than two minutes, allowing the physician to review objective, quantitative analysis data during the office visit. The company said reduced operator dependency provided by KneeAnalyzer, combined with high-resolution images delivered by BMA, contribute to an enhanced precision in the assessment of the osteoarthritis disease.
    Expected benefits include improved monitoring of the disease evolution and faster evaluation of therapeutic actions.
    The release of the BMA High-Resolution Digital X-Ray unit with Optasia Medical's KneeAnalyzer software is a result of an ongoing collaboration between D3A and Optasia Medical. The next release of the BMA system will include Optasia's HandAnalyzer software for the management of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
  • 20/20 HealthCare (Boston) reported an agreement with Rcadia (Haifa, Israel) for the distribution of the Rcadia COR-Analyzer computer-aided detection (CAD) software for automatic segmentation and classification of coronary CT angiogram procedures.
    20/20 HealthCare will use its wholly owned subsidiaries, Viztek and 20/20 HealthCare Global, as channels for achieving broad market and geographical distribution of the Rcadia solution.
    The COR Analyzer system detects stenotic lesions in the major coronary arteries and automatically identifies patients without coronary artery disease with a high negative predictive value. It uses proprietary image processing algorithms to produce a report that enables fast and accurate evaluation of patients with suspected coronary artery disease.
    The automatic system requires no human intervention and supports more precise diagnosis and treatment as well as enhanced workflow. The COR Analyzer accepts standard DICOM images from any 64-slice CT scanner.
    20/20 HealthCare is a provider of high-technology integrated solutions to the healthcare industry. Its portfolio includes software and hardware components in the imaging, diagnostic and mammography specialty areas.
  • iCAD (Nashua, New Hampshire), provider of Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) solutions, and GE Healthcare (Waukesha, Wisconsin), maker of Senographe Full-Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) systems, reported an agreement to develop a customized version of iCAD's SecondLook Digital specific to GE's Senographe and Seno Advantage family of systems.
    This next generation CAD system is designed to enhance the overall clinical performance with Senographe and Seno Advantage systems, specifically improving sensitivity to breast cancer imaging, enhancing usability and workflow as well as providing diagnostic support tools, the companies noted.
    GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services.