A Medical Device Daily

The Critical Path Institute (C-Path; Tucson, Arizona) reported receiving $675,000 from the FDA for the first year of what it said is anticipated to be a multi-year, multi-phased research program in cardiovascular disease. C-Path said that additional support for subsequent year awards will depend upon completion of the first year and additional federal support and could result in up to $2 million over three years to support a collaborative scientific and educational program with the University of Utah and Intermountain Health Care (both Salt Lake City).

Dr. Janet Woodcock, deputy commissioner of the FDA, called the project the kind “that we envisioned when we established our collaborative relationship with C-Path. The external peer review group gave this project high marks because it brings together scientists from the FDA, C-Path, industry and academia to advance personalized medicine.”

C-Path was established in 2005 as a non-profit research and education institute for collaborations between scientists and government, industry and academia. It describes its vision as helping to implement the FDA's Critical Path Initiative.

• Perot Systems (Richmond, Virginia) and Owens & Minor (O&M; Plano, Texas) reported a five-year extension of an existing seven-year technology sourcing contract. The contract extends the Perot Systems/O&M relationship to 2014. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Perot Systems' work will include a mainframe migration program that will give O&M the technology required to support web-based applications using services oriented architecture. It will work to create a more modernized environment that will allow O&M to provide its customers with expanded self-service options using the Internet.

O&M is a leading distributor of name-brand medical and surgical supplies and a healthcare supply chain management company.