A Medical Device Daily

3M (St. Paul, Minnesota) and Zargis Medical (Princeton, New Jersey) reported an exclusive multi-year marketing agreement.

Zargis said it would support 3M in its efforts to develop a next-generation stethoscope that would be compatible with Zargis’ heart sound analysis software. The date that the software will become available with a 3M Littmann stethoscope was not disclosed.

“This agreement builds on the rich Littmann brand legacy of advancing the art of auscultation,” said Chuck Kummeth, VP and general manager of 3M’s medical division. “We are committed to bringing innovative solutions to our customers, and this agreement with Zargis will help us do this well into the future.”

“We have been working closely with 3M for nearly two years to further evaluate this market and refine our product strategy,” said Zargis CEO John Kallassy. “We believe that the use of our software could enhance the physician experience during every patient exam where a stethoscope is currently used. This alliance with 3M will allow us to seamlessly integrate our advanced sound analysis technology with 3M’s next-generation electronic stethoscopes and turn this vision into a reality on a global level.”

The alliance also provides Zargis with exclusive rights to sell its heart sound analysis software through the global distribution network of the Littman brand. The agreement grants 3M a minority equity position in Zargis, following the first sale of Zargis’ software through the 3M distribution channel, and a seat on Zargis’ board.

3M HealthCare, one of 3M’s six major business segments, provides products and services to healthcare professionals intended to improve the practice, delivery and outcome of patient care in medical, oral care, drug delivery and health information markets.

Zargis develops diagnostic decision support products and services for healthcare professionals.

In other agreements:

• Siemens PLM Software (Plano, Texas) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS; Mumbai, India) unveiled the Teamcenter for Medical Devices, the first fully integrated PLM solution for the med-tech industry, according to the companies.

Teamcenter is intended to enable companies to fully trace all activities from concept to retirement by automatically linking compliance requirements with engineering and specification data, Siemens and TCS said. The solution combines compliance management, traceability and reporting capabilities to help device makers address quality and regulatory requirements.

• Strategic Diagnostics (Newark, Delaware) reported progress in collaborating with the Kleberg Center for Molecular Markers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston).

The center is testing the company’s Genomic Antibody Technology (GAT) platform in oncology biomarker discovery research.

Strategic’s sequence-based GAT platform is designed to trigger the immune system of the host to produce an antibody against a native protein. Through internal and third party analysis, these antibodies have demonstrated superior performance in the recognition and targeting of native protein targets in experimental models and clinical samples as compared to reagents made with traditional methods, according to the company.

Participating in a collaborative study, researchers at M. D. Anderson have now used Strategic’s library of GAT antibodies to screen hundreds of clinical cancer biopsy samples in a high throughput system to analyze the differential presence of proteins in the tissue samples. The individual protein signature of these samples created with the company’s reagents allows further research into the clinical significance of the findings. The correlation of the data with the corresponding disease state represented by the samples is focused on yielding new tools to improve diagnostic, prognostic, and patient monitoring decisions.

Strategic Diagnostic makes biotechnology-based detection solutions.

• Medical Simulation (Denver) reported a new partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS; Philadelphia) to provide simulation training and education services to UPHS healthcare professionals.

The company’s SimSuite will be servicing the UPHS’ flagship facility, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Medical Simulation is a simulation-based education company.

• Gyrus (Southborough, Massachusetts) reported an exclusive regional distribution agreement with Opticon Medical (Dublin, Ohio) to market the Option-vf Valved Female Urinary Catheter and the Option-vm Valved Male Urinary Catheter.

The catheters are designed to eliminate the collection bags required with current urinary catheter systems. According to the company they provide convenient and effective urinary management while mimicking normal bladder function by using the body’s own bladder for collection. A integral drainage valve allows for controlled voiding, replacing current continuous drainage systems.

Gyrus makes diagnostic and therapeutic minimally invasive surgical devices in the areas of urology, gynecology, ENT and general surgery.