• Affymetrix (Santa Clara, California) reported publication of the "MicroArray Quality Control" (MAQC) study, a collaborative effort led by the FDA that included 137 scientists from private and public sector laboratories. Affymetrix and other microarray and reagent manufacturers participated in the two-year initiative to address the reproducibility of data generated from microarrays. The study, published in the Sept. 8 issue of Nature Biotechnology, demonstrated that at a high level, gene expression signatures generated by microarrays are repeatable, further advancing the field towards widespread use in clinical applications. Affymetrix makes high-density microarray technology.

• Automated Cellular Imaging System (Aliso Viejo, California) reported availability of the first ACIS III (Automated Cellular Imaging System) to be used in beta testing. Clarient is a technology and services resource for pathologists, oncologists and the pharmaceutical industry.

• CAS Medical Systems reported that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for expanded use of its Fore-Sight Absolute Cerebral Oximeter in additional patient populations including children over 40 kg and infants. CAS says the Fore-Sight Cerebral Oximeter allows clinicians to monitor instances of brain tissue oxygen deprivation during high risk surgery before damage to the brain occurs. It plans to launch the Fore-Sight Adult Cerebral Oximeter later this year. CAS makes products such as blood pressure measurement technology, vital signs monitoring equipment, blood pressure cuffs, apnea monitoring equipment and products for neonatal intensive care.

• Masimo (Irvine, California) reported the availability of the Masimo Rainbow SET Pulse CO-Oximetry platform. Masimo Rainbow SET provides pulse oximetry (SpO2) readings in situations of motion and low perfusion and enables clinicians to continuously and non-invasively monitor the level of carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO) and methemoglobin (SpMet) in the blood. Masimo makes advanced medical signal processing products for the noninvasive monitoring of vital signs.

• Nanogen (San Diego) has been granted patent No. 7,060,224 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for an application of its core technology in nanofabrication and nanomanufacturing. Potential uses of the technology range from further miniaturization of the company's microarray testing platforms to potential applications in integrated electronics and photonics, photovoltaics, fuel cells, and batteries. Nanogen makes diagnostic products using nanotechnology including real-time PCR reagents, the NanoChip electronic microarray platform and a line of rapid, point-of-care diagnostic tests.