A Diagnostics & Imaging Week

Genpathway (San Diego) reported that it has entered into a worldwide services agreement with Affymetrix (Santa Clara, California) whereby Genpathway will provide ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation)-on-Chip assays, services and analysis to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic/institutional researchers using the new Affymetrix GeneChip Tiling Array Systems.

The recently launched GeneChip Tiling Array product line enables researchers to identify specific DNA sequences, including those involved in DNA-protein interactions, at the whole-genome scale. When applied to ChIP-on-Chip, these new assays enable comprehensive discovery of binding sites for transcription factors and co-regulators and the genes they regulate, as well as genes undergoing active transcription, across entire genomes.

Combining Genpathway's assays and expertise in chromatin immunoprecipitation with the Affymetrix GeneChip Tiling Arrays provides researchers working on a wide range of genomes a complete ChIP-on-Chip discovery solution.

"With this agreement, researchers in any laboratory can have instant access to ChIP-on-Chip data generated by Affymetrix GeneChip Tiling Arrays. This information will enable them to look beyond the known protein-coding gene sequences to thoroughly study gene structure, function, and regulation," said Lianne McLean, senior director, gene expression marketing at Affymetrix.

Genpathway's transcription-based assays include TranscriptionPath, which directly analyzes the process of transcription, and FactorPath, which directly analyzes how genes are regulated by transcription factors and co-regulating factors. These two types of direct DNA-based assays may be used separately or in combination to correlate changes in gene regulation and transcription.

Connect Imaging (Honolulu), a provider of picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) for hospitals and imaging centers, said it has entered into a development agreement with Ashva Technologies (Chennai, India), a developer of healthcare information technology solutions in India, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

As part of the agreement, Connect will develop applications specific to the U.S. imaging marketplace for Ashva's business flow software, and Ashva will develop features for use in new modules in Connect's expanding modular PACS products.

Philip Manly, CEO of Connect, said that the goal in partnering with Ashva is to enhance its expertise in installations involving complex workflow and image distribution. "The ability to customize our suite of software and hardware modules has resonated with hospitals and imaging centers in the U.S.," Manly said. "Potential new users seek solutions to challenging configurations with our PACS product line. Our work with Ashva Technologies will result in an even wider range of solutions for our customers."

The agreement will provide Connect Imaging with access to programmers familiar with DICOM and the company's back-end tool kits, Manly said. Connect also will develop applications for Ashva's flow management software for the U.S. market, including applications designed to improve efficiency by transforming imaging departments into paperless/filmless environments.

In other agreements:

Foresight Imaging (Lowell, Massachusetts) reported that Cedara Software, a Merge Healthcare company, has signed a five-year agreement to distribute Foresight's TIMS DICOM System.

The TIMS solution will complement Cedara's existing suite of DICOM and HL7 connectivity tools, which include Cedara ExamWorks and MergePort.

In addition to general distribution of the product, Cedara also will become the exclusive sales channel for the TIMS DICOM System in Europe. This arrangement will allow Cedara's growing European installed base and sales force to make use of TIMS for non-DICOM to DICOM conversion needs.

In all territories other than Europe, Cedara will be selling the TIMS DICOM System on a non-exclusive basis.

The TIMS DICOM System enables healthcare professionals to integrate non-DICOM imaging modalities into a networked picture archiving and communications system (PACS), while TIMS provides a cost-effective solution for PACS connectivity, the companies said.

PerkinElmer (Boston), which focuses on health sciences and photonics, reported a multi-year license and research collaboration agreement with the University of Leicester in the UK.

Together, the two organizations will begin to lay the groundwork for the clinical investigation and discovery of biomarkers that predict preterm birth (PTB). This collaboration, which will be financed by PerkinElmer, reinforces the company's long-term commitment to the area of maternal health, it said.

It is estimated that preterm labor complicates 6% to 10% of all pregnancies and is the most common cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Worldwide statistics reflect that there may be as many as 13 million preterm births annually, and this figure is predicted to increase. In the U.S., an estimated $820 million is spent on preterm hospitalization subsequently shown to have been unnecessary.

Such hospitalizations tax both the mother's health and healthcare resources, PerkinElmer said, adding that currently there are no rapid or accurate tests that positively predict preterm labor. The collaboration between PerkinElmer and the university is designed to effectively address this need and eventually design and supply an effective preterm labor test predictor.

PerkinElmer will support the expansion of the University of Leicester's maternal health research capabilities, and empower its key researchers with advanced tools, technology and expertise.

The Premier (Charlotte, North Carolina) alliance of nearly 1,500 hospitals and health systems has reported a special group buy for Philips Medical Systems (Andover, Massachusetts), as well as associated contrast media injectors from Mallinckrodt (St. Louis) and Medrad (Indianola, Pennsylvania)

The event, which runs through Sept. 29, is designed to offer "significant savings opportunities" to members who are planning to add to or enhance medical imaging capabilities. All Premier members are eligible to participate in the group buy and orders can be placed through Sep. 29 for delivery any time before Sept. 29, 2007.

"This group buy allows Premier to provide our members exceptional value in medical imaging," said Mike Alkire, president of Premier Purchasing Partners. "By aggregating the volume of many members when purchasing these very expensive, but vital diagnostic tools, our participating members can achieve substantial savings on the latest available technology."

NanoDetection Technology (Knoxville, Tennessee), an in vitro diagnostics company that has a patented system for detecting the presence of specific genes or pathogens within a biological or environmental sample, and its partners reported that they are collaborating to develop an avian influenza (avian flu or "bird flu") test and mobile detection product.

Collaborators include the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC; Memphis, Tennessee), St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (also Memphis) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, Tennessee).

The combination of a specific test and a rapid, sensitive, handheld detector creates a solution for onsite detection of bird flu, an approach that the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland)) says is the most effective method for preventing, or at least slowing, a global avian flu pandemic.

"Rapid, sensitive and accurate diagnostics are critically needed to improve preparedness and reduce catastrophic fatalities and economic losses that can be expected if a serious infectious disease spreads quickly," said Malak Kotb, PhD, professor in the departments of surgery and microbiology/ immunology at the University of Tennessee, senior research career scientist at the VA Medical Center and director of the MidSouth Center for Biodefense and Security, who collaborates on this project.

"This need is particularly acute given the imminent threat of an avian flu pandemic and the possible emergence of new and dangerous infections," added Kotb.

From Jan. 1, 2004, through June 20, 2006, WHO reported 232 confirmed human cases of avian influenza A (H5N1). Of these, 134 (or 58%) were fatal. In economic terms, a U.S. Congressional Budget Office study estimated that an outbreak of avian flu would lead to a 5% reduction in U.S. GDP or a $600 billion economic loss, but, according to the study, this does not account for the long-term economic value of lives lost.

At the heart of NanoDetection's detector is a patented biochip that detects light (i.e., photons) produced as a result of a chemical reaction (DNA hybridization or protein conjugation) of a "positive" test and simultaneously converts the photons into an electrical signal.

Acceletronics (Exton, Pennsylvania), a provider of oncology equipment service and distributor of new and pre-owned radiotherapy equipment, and Radiation Oncology Systems (ROS; San Diego), an oncology and diagnostic imaging equipment sales and consulting firm, said they have formed an alliance to market and support the TheraView Electronic Portal Imaging for IGRT (Image Guided Radiation Therapy) and IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) verification.

ROS and Acceletronics' relationship includes the co-marketing of an extensive line of pre-owned and refurbished IMRT and IGRT-equipped linear accelerators, CT and MRI Scanners and other diagnostic imaging equipment.

UTEK (Plant City, Florida), a specialty finance company focused on technology transfer, and In Veritas Medical Diagnostics (Inverness, Scotland), a medical device company, reported that they have signed a strategic alliance agreement.

John Fuller, CEO of In Veritas Medical Diagnostics said, "[T]his alliance with UTEK . . . may accelerate the identification of promising new technology acquisition opportunities for us. We believe that our alliance with UTEK should enable us to enhance our intellectual property portfolio through the acquisition of new university discoveries."

Through its agreements, UTEK assists companies in enhancing their new product pipeline with the acquisition of proprietary intellectual capital from universities and laboratory research centers.

In Veritas Medical Diagnostics uses its core technology to design, develop and test medical devices for near-patient testing and monitoring.