LinkMed (Stockholm, Sweden) said it is investing SEK 4 million in Likvor, which is developing an instrument to measure cerebrospinal fluid pressure.

Likvor becomes the 12th company in LinkMed’s portfolio. The company is currently carrying out a multi-center study at five university hospitals in Sweden and Denmark that will form the basis for the commercial design of the product.

LinkMed’s investment is being made in conjunction with a new share issue from Likvor for a total of SEK 5.5 million to finance the development work. It will have an ownership stake of 49% in the company. The investment is pending certain conditions.

Patients with changes in the pressure of cerebrospinal fluid often show different symptoms, such as changes in personality, dementia, disturbances in balance, irritation, headaches and vomiting. The pressure can be evened out by operating a shunt into the brain.

Linkmed said there currently are no commercially available methods for measuring cerebrospinal fluid in a safe and successful way. As a rule, patients with problems related to high pressure are identified in healthcare checkups, but patients with normal or low pressure sometimes experience symptoms such as disturbance in balance or dementia-like symptoms and are harder to identify.

The venture firm said that V sterbotten county council and the institute of clinical neuroscience at Umeå University have carried out “extensive research” on the measurement of pressure in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid. That research has resulted in an instrument that can safely and effectively measure cerebrospinal fluid pressure and has been used on more than 1,000 patients at Umeå University Hospital.

Likvor, established earlier this year by Uminova Invest, has acquired the instrument and related patents in order to develop a commercial product. It is estimated that clinical work will be completed by year-end, after which the results will be compiled and analyzed.

LinkMed develops new life-science companies in collaboration with innovators. It said it has contributed entrepreneurship and capital to create a portfolio of 11 companies, six in drug development and biotechnology and five in medical technology.

Calypte sets up new branch in Geneva

HIV test maker Calypte Biomedical (Lake Oswego, Oregon) reported that it has established a branch office in Geneva, Switzerland, to expand its relationships with international organizations, as well as market its diagnostic tests to Europe, Central Asia and French-speaking Africa.

The company named Khatuna Janjalia president and Kartlos Edilashvili VP of the Geneva branch office.

“We believe that a regional presence on the ground is a key component in reaching these new markets, which represent attractive opportunities for our Aware test,” said Roger Gale, company CEO and Chairman. “The Geneva branch office also will provide policy and technical advisory services for the company, liaising with external counterparts in international NGO, humanitarian organizations and multilaterals based out of Geneva.”

Janjalia joins Calypte from Audit Control and Expertise Group (ACE), where she was head of the credit enhancement organization’s department for East Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia. While there, she established and strengthened affairs with partner companies in the countries within Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia. She also originated structured trade and commodity finance.

Previously, she was a senior representative for international and media relations of the World Agency of Planetary Monitoring and Earthquake Risk Reduction (WAPMEER) and also held position as consul of the Embassy of Georgia to Switzerland, counselor of the Permanent Mission of Georgia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva.

“I am excited to join Calypte, where I expect to use my relationships to help market Aware to governments and international organizations,” Janjalia said. “Geneva represents the ideal location, as many of the organizations involved in global healthcare — such as the Global Fund, UNAIDS and the World Health Organization — are based here. I look forward to helping Calypte play an important role in the prevention and treatment of HIV.”

Calypte’s Aware HIV-1/2 OMT test is used at the point of care and in the home.

CE mark for Diamics’ Pap-Map System

Diamics (Novato, California) said that it has received the CE mark for its Pap-Map System for cervical cancer screening. Granted in the Netherlands, the registration will allow the system to be marketed in the European Union and other countries around the world that recognize CE-mark approval.

Comprised of the Pap-Map Cervical Cancer Collector, the Pap-Map Handle and the Transfer Station, the system allows the clinician to capture 360 degrees of cervical material and transfer the cells, with their spatial orientation intact, to a slide to support localization of identified lesions in both initial diagnosis and follow-up treatments.

“This CE-mark registration is a clear milestone for Diamics as it opens the door for commercialization of the system throughout the EU and other areas to help improve the detection of cervical cancer,” said Diamics CEO Peter Gombrich.

Cancer of the cervix is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide, with some 500,000 new cases diagnosed annually, 80% of which occur in developing countries. It is estimated that of the more than 2.5 billion females worldwide who are eligible for cervical cancer testing, only about 6%, or 160 million, are screened routinely.

Diamics is a developer of molecular-based cancer screening and diagnostic systems that will increase long-term cancer survival rates through early detection.

CytoCore, Grup Palex in supply pact

CytoCore (Chicago) said it has entered into a five-year agreement which includes three one-year evergreen extensions with Grupo Palex (Barcelona, Spain) for distribution of the SoftPap Cervical Cell Collector in Spain.

Palex’s agreement calls for minimum sales of 600,000 units the first year, 1.2 million units the second, 2.4 million units minimum the third year, with 10% increases each year thereafter.

CytoCore CEO Robert McCullough Jr. said, “Palex has expertise in the diagnostic market and they have expressed an interest in helping us develop and expand the Automated Image-Guided Proteomic System (AIPS) platform.”