A Diagnostics & Imaging Week
Acacia Research (Newport Beach, California) reported that its CombiMatrix group has signed a subcontract with Northrop Grumman (Los Angeles) to develop technology and components for the Handheld Isothermal Silver Standard Sensor (HISSS) program.
The Special Project Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funds the HISSS program.
The goal of HISSS is to develop a handheld sensor capable of identifying biological weapon threats across the entire threat spectrum including bacteria, viruses and toxins. The HISSS sensor will be based on isothermal technologies that hold the promise of allowing silver-standard quality identification in a small, low-logistics package.
Financial support for this work will be provided through Northrop Grumman's contract.
• Novation (Irving, Texas) has signed an agreement that continues to make Eastman Kodak's (Rochester, New York) radiographic films, laser media, laser imagers and services available to more than 2,500 members of VHA (also Irving) and University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC; Oak Brook, Illinois).
Under a new three-year dual-source agreement, Novation will offer Kodak medical imaging products to VHA and UHC members that include hospitals, non-acute facilities, outpatient imaging centers and private physician offices. The agreement begins July 1, 2006 and is in effect through June 30, 2009. Additional details were not disclosed.
• Canon (Lake Success, New York) said its Medical Systems Division has been awarded a contract from Consorta (Schaumburg, Illinois) to make Canon digital radiography (DR) solutions available to Consorta member facilities nationwide.
Consorta will offer the Canon CXDI-31 and CXDI-50G portable DR flat panel sensors and CXDI-40EG general DR flat panel sensor for digital upgrades to members' existing AMX-4 and Rad Room analog systems.