• Illumina (San Diego) reported the introduction of two new Sentrix HumanHap Genotyping BeadChips for conducting genome-wide association research: the HumanHap550 BeadChip, containing more than 550,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers on a single microarray; and the HumanHap240S BeadChip, which when used in combination with Illumina's HumanHap300 BeadChip, expands the genomic coverage to the same level provided by the HumanHap550 single-chip solution. The HumanHap240S is available for immediate shipment and the HumanHap550 will be available in the next four weeks. HumanHap BeadChips are powered by the company's Infinium assay method, which enables Illumina to select SNPs that have the highest per-marker information value, resulting in comprehensive genomic coverage with fewer SNP markers than competing approaches.

• Innocoll (Ashburn, Virginia) reported that its drug delivery division, Innocoll Technologies, has initiated a Phase IIa clinical study on the Bupivacaine collagen sponge under development for the management of post-operative pain following moderate/major abdominal, gynecological, thoracic or orthopedic surgeries. The study will be conducted in patients undergoing hysterectomy surgery in the absence of gynecological cancers. The study will examine the effects of the Bupivacaine collagen sponge — comprised of a fully biodegradable and bioresorbable matrix of purified fibrillar atelocollagen impregnated with the local anesthetic, Bupivacaine — on variables including the patients' level of pain and amount of additional analgesia needed to control pain.

• Masimo (Irvine, California) reported FDA clearance of the Rainbow SET Rad-57cm Pulse CO-Oximeter, a hand-held, continuous monitor that analyzes data from 8-wavelength finger sensor to measure arterial oxygen saturation, carbon monoxide, methemoglobin and pulse rate. Building on Masimo's Rad-57 launched in 2005, the Rad-57cm adds the ability to measure methemoglobin, which compromises the blood's ability to carry oxygen and can be life-threatening.

• Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, Massachusetts) reported the start of a Phase II clinical trial to develop a reference database of normal Zemiva images of the heart using SPECT imaging. The normative trial is part of the company's ongoing clinical program to develop Zemiva (iodofiltic acid I 123) analog for the diagnosis of cardiac ischemia in chest pain patients in the emergency department setting. The normative trial will include about 120 patients at 12 centers in North America. It follows earlier Phase II safety and efficacy studies of Zemiva, a radiolabeled fatty acid, and will be completed in about six months. Molecular Insight said it intends to use the Normals reference database in its registration trials for Zemiva and in commercialization of the product, if approved by the FDA.

• Omron Healthcare (Bannockburn, Illinois) reported the introduction of the VP-Series, a noninvasive vascular profiling system capable of measuring Ankle Brachial Index (ABI), Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) and Augmentation Index (AI), at the recent American College of Cardiology meeting in Atlanta. The VP-Series, based on Waveform Analysis and Vascular Evaluation technology, includes the VP-1000 and its more enhanced sister model, the VP- 2000. The VP-1000 ensures accurate and reliable ABI results by using advanced oscillometric technology that includes simultaneous blood pressure measurements at all four limbs, a dual chamber cuff system and a proprietary algorithm. The VP-1000 also measures PWV, an index of arterial stiffness. The VP-2000 has advanced multi-element micro sensors for measuring pulse waves based on tonometry at the carotid and femoral arteries. It can provide more specific arterial information of the central vasculature through carotid-femoral PWV and carotid AI.

• Sorenson Medical (Salt Lake City), a provider of pioneering portable ambulatory infusion pumps, reported that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its ambIT PreSet ambulatory infusion pump for management of post-operative pain. The electronic pain pump simplifies pump programming by allowing the physician to select from four preset infusion protocols for delivery of local anesthetic directly to the patient's surgical site. The ambIT PreSet, when used to infuse local anesthetic through a catheter to the wound site, is indicated to reduce pain better than narcotic therapy alone. ambIT PreSet pumps are about the size of a TV remote, are housed in a belt pack and run on two AA batteries.

• Synarc (San Francisco), a provider of centralized imaging services to the pharmaceutical industry, reported that it has been issued U.S. patent No. 6,992,280 for a device used to assess stability of MRI and CT systems when measuring cartilage volume and thickness in potentially arthritic patients. Use of the device can provide highly accurate cartilage measurements from a variety of imaging systems, the company said.

• TissueLink Medical (Dover, New Hampshire) said that clinical data from two studies involving the company's bipolar sealing technology was presented during last week“s American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons meeting in Chicago. Data from a randomized, prospective study demonstrated that the use of TissueLink's saline-enhanced radio frequency technology was associated with a significant reduction in intra-operative and post-operative blood loss and a significant reduction in the need for blood transfusions in patients undergoing total hip replacement surgery. Results from a separate randomized, prospective study reporting clinical data associated with the use of the bipolar sealing technology in patients undergoing total knee replacement surgery found that the use of TissueLink's technology was associated with a significant reduction in blood loss, as measured by hemoglobin loss, compared to patients managed via a conventional approach.

• Varian Medical Systems (Palo Alto, California) said its On-Board Imager device for delivering image-guided radiation therapy efficiently improves tumor targeting, according to a study recently published in the Journal of American College of Radiology. Using Varian's On-Board Imager, researchers measured the time required to deliver image-guided treatments and found that the process can be smoothly and efficiently integrated into normal clinical workflow. The On-Board Imager and associated processing software were used to generate and analyze radiographic kilovoltage X-ray images prior to each patient's treatment, compare them with reference images from the treatment plan, and fine-tune the patient's position for treatment. The average amount of time it took to generate the images and reposition patients dropped from an initial 7 to 8 minutes when the technology was new to the clinical team to a constant 3 to 4 minutes per patient after a year's experience.

• VisEn Medical (Woburn, Massachusetts), a provider of optical imaging technologies for biomedical research, introduced at the Academy of Molecular Imaging meeting in Orlando, Florida, the first three products in its NanoSparks line of optical imaging probes. AminoSpark680 is a super-bright and robust platform label that can be readily conjugated to a range of targeting molecules, enabling custom tailored molecular imaging in multiple disease areas. CellSpark680 is a nanoparticle label used to track the location and movement of cells in vivo, a key tool for research in cell trafficking in vivo with subsequent fluorescence activated cell-sorting analysis. AngioSpark680 is a nanoparticle probe that enables ultra-long and ultra-bright fluorescent imaging of vascularity and angiogenesis, tailored for applications in intravital microscopy. The company said the NanoSpark products will be available for sale in 2Q06 and plans to launch additional NanoSpark products later in the year.