A Medical Device Daily
BioForce Nanosciences (Ames, Iowa), a wholly owned subsidiary of BioForce Nanosciences Holdings, reported the receipt of the second year of funding under a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for nearly $200,000, furthering its Emerging Technologies program. It brings the total funding under the grant to $400,000. The funding will be used to construct and evaluate a nanobiosensor capable of detecting protein biomarkers from just a few cells. The proposed nanobiosensor, with the trade name Chip-on-a-Tip, opens the door to fast and informative analysis of minute protein samples such as those studied in forensics or biopsy microsamples, the company said.
The SBIR Phase I grant work will progress through April 2008 and involve a feasibility study to construct and evaluate the Chip-on-a-Tip device. If successful, this device is anticipated to provide the means for early detection of cancer and other diseases with a significant reduction in patient discomfort.
“This concept creates a test so small that it can be brought directly to the sample origin, for example a cell, eliminating the difficulties associated with transporting extremely small quantities of sample extracts to a remote test site. The technology has the capacity to allow individuals to carry out personalized medicine at home.”
BioForce Nanosciences develops and commercializes nanotech tools and solutions for the life sciences.
In contract news:
• Cardiac Science (Bothell, Washington) reported that San Diego Project Heart Beat, San Diego County’s public access defibrillation (PAD) program, has again selected Cardiac Science as its preferred provider of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). Cardiac Science will continue to provide Powerheart AEDs to San Diego Project Heart Beat participants until 2011.
Since its inception in November 2001, San Diego Project Heart Beat has helped agencies, businesses and organizations across San Diego County deploy more than 3,400 Powerheart AEDs in public places. In that time, these publicly accessible defibrillators have been used to save 43 lives. San Diego Project Heart Beat aims to increase the survivability of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) throughout San Diego County by making AEDs as common as fire extinguishers in city and county buildings, tourist destinations, schools, businesses, and any public place in which a life can be saved. According to San Diego Project Heart Beat Officials, since businesses, schools, government buildings, and other public places in San Diego have enrolled with Project Heart Beat and deployed AEDs, more than 75% of victims who suffered SCA in San Diego County, outside of a hospital, when an AED was present, have survived. That is up from 5% — the national average — prior to the start of the PAD program. San Diego Project Heart Beat believes these to be among the highest SCA survival rates for any major city in the country.
Cardiac Science has been providing AEDs to San Diego Project Heart Beat participants under a five-year contract that began with the program’s inception. Following the anticipated expiration of this contract, San Diego County invited Cardiac Science and the other major AED manufacturers to enter into a competitive bidding process to determine the optimal AED partner for the City and Project Heart Beat program for another five year term.
Cardiac Science develops diagnostic and therapeutic cardiology products and services.
• Digital Healthcare (Asheville North Carolina) reported that the Carolina Internal Medicine Associates of Asheville, North Carolina has become the first practice in the U.S. to install Retasure, a new retinal imaging risk assessment solution. Retasure is a non-invasive solution that is designed to allow primary care physicians to capture retinal images of diabetic patients with a procedure that takes less than five minutes.
The images are then transmitted over a secure, HIPAA compliant network to a board certified ophthalmologist at an accredited reading center for examination. Results are returned to the primary care physician within 72 hours.
“Retasure allows us to detect retinal damage before it compromises their eyesight, and it will prove invaluable in early detection of retinal problems,” said Dr. Kenneth Kubitschek of Carolina Internal Medicine Associates of Asheville, North Carolina.