A Medical Device Daily
Body1 (Cambridge, Massachusetts) reported that the Patent Office of the People’s Republic of China has granted it a broad Internet-based patent (#ZL00815930.0) covering systems involved in forming and managing intelligent online communities, including technology for soliciting and automatically evaluating user contributions.
The scope of the patent includes both specific medical applications and more general applicability to the intelligent social network communities frequently referred to as Web 2.0. Body1 says that the Chinese patent, which has legal roots in a 1999 U.S. application, is part of a global family of patent assets that it owns.
Body1 owns The Body1 Network, an online network of health sites, and has been establishing new relationships in China.
“In the next five years we expect that the Chinese Internet space will be as dynamic and as large as that in the U.S.,” said Christopher Messina, CEO of Body1. “Also, within the next 10 years we expect that the healthcare market in China will equal that of the U.S. in size and importance, therefore it is natural that we would seek to establish a strong proprietary position there.”
Body1 said it expects the patent to be fully enforceable in China and is “encouraged” by last month’s patent recognition discussions between U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and the Chinese government. In those meetings, it said that China pledged adherence with established international patent standards and reinforced its commitment to protecting intellectual property.
Eduardo Drake, partner of Body1’s patent law firm, Schwegman, Lundberg, Woessner & Kluth (Minneapolis) said that China’s rapidly multiplying Internet community is on pace to eclipse even that of the U.S.
“Body1 was savvy,” Drake said, “not only to recognize the potential here, but also to recognize that having a patent, even in China’s uncertain legal culture, creates options and opportunities that other forms of IP protection don’t... . . Body1’s patented technology holds the promise to accelerate organization of the Chinese user population into an unlimited number of knowledge-based communities with Body1 at the table.”
The Body1 Network includes several condition-specific patient health portals known as Knowledge Cooperatives, or KnowCo’s. Among these portals are: http://www.Heart1.com; http://www.Reflux1.com; http://www.Knee1.com; and http://www.Body1.com.
VeriChip lands Middle East Hugs contract
VeriChip (Delray Beach, Florida), a subsidiary of Applied Digital (Branson West, Missouri), reported the first installation of its Hugs infant protection system in the Middle East, representing, it said, another milestone in its efforts to introduce its infant protection systems outside of North America.
The Middle East Regional Office of Australia-based Austco Communication Systems , VeriChip’s international infant protection dealer outside North America, is installing Hugs systems at the Royal Hayat Hospital (Jabriya, Kuwait), the International Medical Centre (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) and the Security Forces Hospital (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia). The Hugs system provides hospital with protection against infant abduction and mother/infant mismatches.
Kevin McLaughlin, VeriChip CEO, said, “We are working to leverage our strong position in the North American market, and to expand our presence in the Middle East and other global markets.”
Austco Communication manufactures dedicated microprocessor -based and computer-based nurse call systems for the hospital, long-term care, and dementia care markets.
VeriChip defines its goal as becoming the leading provider of RFID systems for people in the healthcare industry.
Vital Diagnostics to sell ESR analyzers
Clinical Data (Newton, Massachusetts) reported that its Vital Diagnostics division has signed a distribution agreement with Inter Medico (Markham, Ontario) to sell the Excyte line of Automated Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) Analyzers.
Gus Gardner, president, Clinical Data Sales and Services, said, “Inter Medico is the first Canadian distributor to sell the Excyte ESR product line. Our opportunity to sell automated ESR analyzers in Canada is considerable as the majority of ESR tests performed in Canada today are done individually by manual methods.”
He said that the agreement allows it to place the Excyte Automated ESR Analyzers in small-to-large hospital laboratories and in all private laboratories.
Dan Lichtman, president of Inter Medico, said, “This technology provides a new level of automation to our customers and extends the current value we offer Canadian laboratories.”
The Excyte 10, Excyte M, and Excyte 40 analyzers have received the Health Canada Medical Device License from the Therapeutic Products Directorate. In addition, the licensing of Clinical Data’s Excyte 20 Scan and Excyte M Scan products are in process.
Inter Medico is the largest Canadian-owned distributor of in vitro diagnostics.
Clinical Data is a provider of molecular and pharmacogenomics services as well as genetic tests. It is organized under three worldwide divisions segmented by service offerings and varying client constituents: PGxHealth, Cogenic and Vital Diagnostics.
Yoneyama to head Affymetrix in Japan
Affymetrix (Santa Clara, California) reported that it has named Masao Yoneyama, PhD, general manager of its operations in Japan. As part of this role, Yoneyama has been elected as Affymetrix’ representative director for Japan and will be responsible for growing business across the country.
“Affymetrix microarray technology has quickly become the gold standard in academia and pharmaceutical markets,” said Yoneyama. “I look forward to being a part of this organization as we look to grow the business across Japan with innovative products designed to help accelerate scientific research and improve patient care.”
Yoneyama’s specific areas of expertise are toxicogenomics, pharmacogenomics and molecular diagnostics. He joins Affymetrix from Daiichi Pure Chemicals , where he was general manager of business development.
Affymetrix is the developer of GeneChip technology used in molecular biology research.