A Medical Device Daily

With its divestment of its dialysis clinics in the U.S. to DaVita (Torrance, California) last year in a $3 billion deal, Gambro (Stockholm) became a smaller, more focused company (Medical Device Daily, Oct. 6, 2005). And yesterday it unveiled a plan to continue this focusing process by transforming itself into three independent companies.

The plan calls for its Renal Products division (Denver, Colorado), a developer of renal products, to become the new Gambro. Gambro Healthcare (Stockholm), a renal clinic operator, and Gambro BCT (Lakewood, Colorado), specializing in blood processing, will gradually become independent companies with their own boards and independent governance. When the reorganization is completed Indap AB will serve as the holding company for the three new firms.

Gambro said that the new structure will produce improved efficiency “and increased transparency in order to strengthen competitiveness and promote growth.”

It said that the three businesses currently are “in different stages of development and facing varying challenges and opportunities” and that the new three-part structure will improve “speed of execution” and provide increased focus and stronger emphasis on innovation.”

During a transition period, until Gambro BCT and Gambro Healthcare are legally reorganized, Gambro AB will handle governance issues for all three entities.

Peter Sj strand has been elected the new chairman of Gambro AB, and Thomas Glanzmann becomes the new CEO of Gambro AB, effective Dec. 1. Additionally, with the restructuring, Massimo Rossi resigns as board chairman and will become chairman of the Board of Gambro AB and will become Chairman of Indap AB. JanBruneheimwill resign as CEO of Gambro AB and will become the CEO of Indap AB.

Glanzman held various positions at Baxter Healthcare (Deerfield, Illinois) from 1988-2004 including senior vice president and corporate officer and president of Baxter Bioscience . He is also an advisor to EQT and to the World Economic Forum (Cologny/Geneva, Swtzerland). Currently he is the CEO of HemoCue (Angelholm, Sweden), a global diagnostic company.

Funding creates Wellcome Trust imaging center

One of the world’s foremost brain imaging research facilities will receive a major boost with an award of 6.74 million pounds over five years from the Wellcome Trust (London).

The Functional Imaging Laboratory at University College London (UCL) is the recipient of this Wellcome Trust Strategic Award and now becomes the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL.

The award will grow the reputation of this laboratory known for research into the neural basis of human cognition and the understanding of neurological and psychiatric diseases.

UCL also will provide another 1.2 million pounds as its contribution to the award.

Professor Ray Dolan, laboratory director, said the funds “will enable us to study in depth the functional architecture of the human brain, with the ultimate objective of identifying the core mechanisms that cause common human neurological and psychiatric diseases.”

He said that “a lack of means” to study the human brain has offered a major barrier to progress, but that the availability of powerful non-invasive imaging tools such as functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) offers new opportunities for this type of study.

The WTCFN has three state-of-the-art fMRI scanners and one MEG scanner.

“We are very pleased to support the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL,” said Dr. Sohaila Rastan, director of Science Funding at the Wellcome Trust.

“Research at the laboratory has provided valuable insights into our understanding of the basic processes of perception and cognition which will undoubtedly impact on the development and assessment of effective therapies for common human neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Professor Malcolm Grant, president and provost of UCL, said that the award “will enable us to make further great strides in mapping the brain’s many functions and finding new treatments for a range of neurological conditions.”

Optos in licensing from U. of Rochester

Optos (London), a manufacturer of retinal imaging devices, reported entering into a license agreement with the University of Rochester (Rochester, New York) providing the company with exclusive access to certain patents for adaptive optics to improve the diagnostic ability and resolution of retinal images. Financial terms were not disclosed.

First used to refine the clarity of advanced telescopes, adaptive optics is being applied to permit direct observation of individual living cells in the human body as may be observed through the eye.

“Optos is committed to routine screening of patients to detect disease before irreparable damage to the retina has occurred and in time for therapeutic intervention,” said Professor David Williams. “We believe that the ultra-high resolution of the images our adaptive optics technology provides will allow the detection of some diseases even before standard clinical tests and ... any symptoms. Optos’ approach is unique in the field of retinal imaging and will therefore allow the full benefit of adaptive optics to be realised.”

The agreement calls for product specification approval in December 2007, followed by product development in March 2009, pre-production in September 2010 and commercial market entry planned for September 2013.

Optos’ platform technology is the Panoramic200 Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope device, known as the P200. In a quarter of a second the P200 device produces a high resolution image of up to 200 degrees or about 82% of the retina in a single capture. The image, branded the optomap retinal exam, provides information used to detect disorders of the retina, such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.

The company recently gained FDA clearance and CE marking for its second device, P200MA, aimed at the specialist ophthalmic market as opposed to the primary care market. It is designed to produce an angiographic retinal image called optomap fa that supports medical procedures by providing enhanced diagnostic, monitoring and treatment capabilities.

Optos estimates that its P200 device targets a recurring $2 billion market opportunity.