A Medical Device Daily

Raydiance (Petaluma, California) reported it has entered into a collaboration with Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey) and the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF, Edison, New Jersey), a tissue bank, to improve the science of dermal tissue processing.

In a first-of-its-kind test, tissue engineers will use a new type of laser developed on the Raydiance Ultrashort Pulse laser platform to maximize the transplants processed from donated dermal tissue. As part of this process, the collaboration will explore ways to use the power and precision of the Raydiance laser, which can instantly vaporize material without heat or residual damage at precise scales, down to a resolution of several microns.

MTF is the project sponsor, Rutgers is the center for developing innovative tissue processing approaches, and Raydiance is the core laser technology provider. Experts from the three parties will work to provide advanced technology that results in less expensive and faster solutions for those in need of skin transplants for burn, complicated hernia repair and reconstructive procedures.

Bruce Stroever, president/CEO of MTF, said "Over 900,000 Americans receive tissue transplants each year, but many more are in need. Preparing human tissue grafts is a complex and meticulous process. An important part of our mission is the ability to maximize the number and type of transplanted tissues processed from the gift of donation. We believe the Raydiance technology has the potential to process human tissue much more efficiently, increasing the supply of scarce dermal tissues. This would result in more usable tissue, offering the benefit of better outcomes for more patients."

In other agreementss:

• Labcyte (Sunnyvale, California) said it has agreed to supply Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham, California) with more than $2.3 million worth of Echo liquid handlers for use in screening large biological libraries, to be installed at both the institute's LaJolla, California, and Orlando, Florida, campuses. The instruments will be part of a large screening system to bolster Burnham's research and drug discovery efforts, including research on cancer, neurological diseases, aging, diabetes and obesity. Labcyte technology is expected to improve screening results while reducing operating costs for Burnham and the collaborating network advancing this historical effort. The systems will be delivered over the next six months. "The Echo liquid handlers were selected because their unique acoustic technology will enhance our ability to miniaturize assays, reduce compound waste, and meet throughput requirements," explained Dr. Stefan Vasile, Director of the Chemical Library Screening Facility for Burnham Institute. "The Echo systems will be used for compound plate-to-plate transfer, reformatting, dose-response experiments and hit picking." "Our patented acoustic droplet ejection technology dramatically reduces waste while cutting operating expenses," said Dr. Elaine J. Heron, Labcyte CEO. "Traditional liquid handlers are prone to poor precision and accuracy as transfer volumes are decreased. Researchers who require flexibility in their processes and biology find that the Echo systems provide that for them easily, quickly, and cost-effectively."
• Covidien (St. Louis, Missouri) said one of its subsidiaries has signed an agreement to supply X-ray contrast imaging agents to customers of MedAssets Supply Chain Systems (St. Louis), a group purchasing organization. Covidien said that the multi-year agreement broadens the scope of its Imaging Solutions products available to MedAssets Supply Chain Systems customers nationwide. Covidien will provide products used to aid in the diagnosis of disease, including X-ray contrast agents, sodium chloride injection, USP 0.9% in Ultraject prefilled syringes and MD-Gastroview (diatrizoate meglumine and diatrizoate sodium solution, USP). Covidien Imaging Solutions also is supplying its portfolio of contrast media injectors to MedAssets' customers in accordance with a separate agreement signed earlier this year. "Now, MedAssets' customers will be able to use our contrast imaging agents in combination with our injectors to more efficiently meet the needs of the healthcare provider and patient," said Rick Lytle, VP and general manager of Imaging — U.S.