A Medical Device Daily

One of America's leading medical centers, the Cleveland Clinic , has signed an agreement with the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi to manage Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), a network of healthcare facilities in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates.

SKMC consists of 700-bed Sheikh Khalifa Hospital, a 150-bed Behavior Sciences Pavilion and the 100-bed Abu Dhabi Rehabilitation Center, in addition to more than 12 specialized outpatient clinics and nine primary healthcare centers around the city.

Kenneth Ouriel, MD, chairman of Cleveland Clinic's division of surgery and a vascular surgeon, was named CEO of Sheik Khalifa Medical City, effective immediately.

"As a global healthcare institution, Cleveland Clinic has sought to cultivate opportunities to further expand our presence abroad, sharing state-of-the-art medical practices, procedures and administrative capabilities and raising healthcare standards worldwide," said Delos (Toby) Cosgrove, president/CEO of the Cleveland Clinic. "In partnering with the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi, we have committed to integrating our medical expertise and best-in-class practices with SKMC to achieve the highest clinical outcomes and enhance research and training."

He said that the goal of the partnership is "to redefine what is possible in healthcare worldwide."

Cleveland Clinic and Mubadala Development signed an agreement last September to design and build a new specialty hospital on Al-Suwwa Island within the next three years.

U. of Ottawa, MDS Nordion in collaboration

MDS Nordion (Ottawa, Ontario), a provider of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals used in molecular imaging, said it is collaborating with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute , Canada's largest cardiovascular health center, to establish a molecular imaging center of excellence to advance cardiology research.

MDS Nordion will invest an estimated $2.2 million in the new center, which will be equipped with a research and development radiochemistry laboratory to support cardiology research.

The company said the collaboration represents "a unique opportunity" to expand its molecular imaging business. Set to open later this year on the institute's campus, the new center will enable the two organizations to collaborate on joint cardiology research using the latest in molecular imaging technology. MDS also will provide its molecular imaging services to large pharmaceutical companies to help them bring promising new drugs to market faster and with less cost.

The emerging technology of molecular imaging differs from traditional medical imaging, as it examines changes at the molecular level within the body to support early disease detection and treatment assessment.

MDS Nordion noted that for patients, molecular imaging technology "can play an important role in advancing the promise of personalized medicine within the medical community. In addition to helping medical practitioners detect disease earlier, this technology can help physicians to better determine the best treatment for each patient and to monitor their progress throughout treatment."

"This collaboration will enable the Heart Institute to remain at the forefront of cardiovascular care, education and research," said Dr. Terrence Ruddy, chief of cardiology. "The center is an important addition that will add a new dimension to our research infrastructure. We expect that the research capabilities and opportunities fuelled by this technology will provide a major step forward in combating and ultimately eradicating heart disease."

In 2001, heart disease accounted for 33% of all deaths in men and 35% of all deaths in women in Canada, according to the Canadian Health Network .

NT-proBNP test okayed in Canada

Response Biomedical (Vancouver, British Columbia) reported being granted a medical device license by Health Canada to market its RAMPO NT-proBNP test.

The company said measurement of NT-proBNP aids in the diagnosis and assessment of severity in individuals suspected of having congestive heart failure (CHF) and may aid in the risk stratification of patients with acute coronary syndrome and heart failure.

The Health Canada approval allows Response to market diagnostic tests for a full line of cardiac markers for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and CHF. The company currently markets the product in Europe and has applied for FDA clearance of the test in the U.S.

"We are very pleased to receive … approval to market the NT-proBNP test in Canada," said Bill Radvak, president and CEO. "We have been able to offer a comprehensive line of AMI diagnostics, including troponin I, CK-MB and myoglobin, and the addition of NT-proBNP for CHF should heighten interest in our cardiovascular product line."

NT-proBNP is recognized as a definitive marker for the diagnosis of CHF. It is cleaved from the precursor peptide proBNP in quantities directly proportional to its biologically active counterpart BNP and in close correlation with the severity of heart failure, Response said. Elevated levels of NT-proBNP indicate the presence of heart failure.

The Canadian Heart and Stoke Foundation says there are 200,000 to 300,000 Canadians with heart failure, and the number of Canadians dying from congestive heart failure has increased 60% since 1970. The prevalence of CHF is expected to continue increasing due to the aging population and improved survival rates of patients with other cardiovascular diseases.

$10.7M invested in Pocared Diagnostics

Elron Electronic Industries (Tel Aviv, Israel) reported completing a new investment of about $5.35 million, in two tranches, in Israeli-based Pocared Diagnostics . The aggregate financing round of $10.7 million, which came in two tranches, was led by Elron and SCP Vitalife Partners II, a medical technology venture capital firm.

As a result of Elron's investment, it will hold some 22.5% of Pocared's outstanding shares.

Pocared provides a solution for real-time, reagentless in vitro diagnostics (IVD) and offers what Elron termed "a universal and robust system which is automatic, rapid, compact, user-friendly, environmental friendly and safe."

Doron Birger, Elron president and CEO, said, "Pocared offers a real breakthrough that can revolutionize the IVD market."