A Medical Device Daily

ImaRX Therapeutics (Tucson, Arizona) reported it received a $950,000 Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a division of the National Institutes of Health, to study changes in the permeability of the blood-brain barrier with targeted microbubbles and ultrasound over a two year period.

Under the terms of this grant, ImaRx will evaluate whether microbubbles and transcranial ultrasound can safely enhance drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier.

Although vital for normal brain function, blood-brain barrier impermeability presents a problem when treating malignant and degenerative disorders of the central nervous system, such as brain cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

ImaRx, in collaboration with Thomas Porter, MD, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha) will begin work on the grant in the fall of 2007.

“This project will provide the foundation for the non-invasive use of transcranial ultrasound and intravenous microbubbles to target drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier,” said Porter.

ImaRx is a developer of therapies for vascular disorders.

In contract news: WebVMC (Conyers, Georgia), developer of web-based software solution for telehealth, has been selected to participate as a provider of remote patient monitoring services by the California Association for Health Services at Home (CAHSAH; Sacramento) as part of its group purchasing organization (GPO) program.

WebVMC is a telehealth system that delivers True Disease Management. Its advanced solution uses the power of technology for full-circle communication by connecting patients, their families, healthcare professionals and providers. The company is the creator of the Remote Nurse and RemoteAccess mobile technology system which connects patients, their families, healthcare professionals and providers via web-based software.

CAHSAH said it is the leading statewide home care association in the nation and the voice of home care for the western U.S.