• Baxter International (Deerfield, Illinois) reported a collaboration with DEKA Research & Development (Manchester, New Hampshire) and HHD (Newton, Massachusetts), for the development of a next-generation home hemodialysis machine. Baxter and DEKA have collaborated on other successful products in the past, they said, most notably on the design and development of Baxter's HomeChoice automated peritoneal dialysis machine. In connection with the collaboration, Baxter has purchased an option to acquire the assets of HHD, and will fund DEKA's related R&D activities. Baxter said it also may make future royalty payments to DEKA.
  • Cardiac Science (Bothell, Washington) and US Lacrosse (USL; Baltimore), the national governing body for men's and women's lacrosse reported that they have formed an alliance to increase the likelihood of surviving sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) during a lacrosse game. The alliance will focus on increasing the awareness and availability of Powerheart automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to USL members and affiliated programs. AEDs are used to treat commotio cordis, a rare but potentially catastrophic phenomenon that can cause SCA in athletes. Commotio cordis occurs when a person receives a blunt blow to the area of the chest directly over the heart during a precise moment of the heart's cycle. Cardiac Science will provide AEDs at preferred prices to members of USL. The company has equipped the USL headquarters with an AED and is providing related training and program management services.
  • Grant Life Sciences (Los Angeles) reported that it has decided to terminate further negotiations with Diagnostic Technologies (DTL; Yokneam, Israel) related to Grant's serum-based cervical cancer-diagnostic technology (U.S. Patent No. 6,743,593) as reported in April 2006, and subsequently extended on Oct. 15, 2006. An extension of the Memo of Understanding (MOU) between Grant and DTL was made necessary because DTL's business activities were significantly hindered as a result of the 2006 Israel/Lebanon conflict, which occurred between July 12 and Aug. 14, 2006. On June 13, 2007, Grant said that it had signed a MOU with Alphagenics Diaco Biotechnologies (Trieste, Italy) to exclusively in-license the manufacturing and marketing rights to Alphagenics' molecular diagnostic test for Human Papilloma Viruses (HPVs) in Greater China and the U.S. and non-exclusively in Europe, India, Australia and Japan.
  • Guardian Technologies International (Herndon, Virginia) reported that the Medical Imaging and Informatics Laboratory at the University of California (USC; Los Angeles) has extended a collaboration with the company to validate the real world application of Signature Mapping and to develop a prototype that will serve as a model for future use by radiologists. Guardian and USC will collaborate on three areas: breast imaging and breast cancer research; chest imaging and tuberculosis detection and monitoring; and traumatic brain injury and acute intracranial brain hemorrhaging. Focusing on breast imaging and breast cancer detection, USC will provide analytical validation of Signature Mapping as it relates to the recently reported success from the South Florida mammography database. USC will also focus on the development and evaluation of a clinical prototype for use in mammography for the visualization of breast cancer and study the integrated use of MRI and mammography as a screening and diagnostic tool. USC will also support the development and evaluation of a prototype for use in screening, monitoring and staging after the detection of tuberculosis. USC's clinical focus will be on chest X-rays, either from direct digital or scanned film.
  • Hydromer (Branchburg, New Jersey) reported entering into a 4.5-year coating services agreement with an unnamed U.S.-based medical device company serving the needs of interventional cardiologists and radiologists throughout the world. Hydromer has agreed to apply its Hydromer hydrophilic coatings on various blood clot extraction and vascular access catheters under strict FDA cGMP and ISO 13485-2003 conditions. These catheters will be coated using the internally-designed and built catheter coating machines.
  • VeriChip (Delray Beach, Florida), a provider of RFID systems for healthcare and patient-related needs, and Independent Dialysis Foundation (IDF; Baltimore), Maryland's largest independent dialysis center operator, reported a partnership to provide the VeriMed Patient Identification System, which consists of the FDA-cleared implantable RFID microchip that links to patients' medical history, to dialysis patients. The purpose of the partnership is to examine the use of the VeriMed implantable microchip in this patient population. The partnership will provide IDF's 500 patients and their families access to the VeriMed implantable microchip. At the end of one year, VeriMed will be assessed by patient acceptance rates, rate of complications, patient interviews, and utility of the VeriMed information accessed at various points of care. IDF is a not-for-profit company affiliated with the University of Maryland (College Park) seeking to promote independence, self-care, and stability for dialysis patients.