• Clinical Data (Newton, Massachusetts), which is commercializing pharmacogenomics to guide drug utilization, reported that its Vital Diagnostics division has received FDA clearance to market a wide-range C-reactive protein (wrCRP) assay, trademarked as the Nanopia wrCRP Assay. The Nanopia wrCRP is an in vitro diagnostic used for the quantitative measurement of C-reactive protein in serum or plasma. C-reactive protein is a blood component that increases rapidly in infections, tissue trauma, surgery or other injury to the body.

• Dade Behring (Deerfield, Illinois) reported that it has launched the Cyclosporine Extended Range test for use on its Dimension family of chemistry analyzers and the V-Twin and Viva-E drug testing analyzers. The Cyclosporine Extended Range test, or the C2 monitoring test, is a new, more clinically sensitive method used to monitor Cyclosporine in transplant patients. It is monitored within two hours of patients having ingested the immunosuppressant drug, which some studies have shown to be a better predictor of patient outcome. Dade Behring said it would continue to offer the original Cyclosporine test. The company said its two Dimension Cyclosporine tests are the only automated Cyclosporine tests on the market, requiring no manual pretreatment steps.

• SenoRx (Aliso Viejo, California), which makes minimally invasive devices for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, reported that it has made available a new 7-Gauge size probe for its recently launched breast biopsy device, EnCor. EnCor probes were previously only available in a 10-gauge size. According to the company, EnCor is the first fully programmable, automated, multi-modality, modular breast biopsy system available, and is the first that offers the benefits of both open and closed tissue collection.

• Stereotaxis (St. Louis) reported that Central Baptist Hospital (Lexington, Kentucky) became the first U.S. center to treat a patient's cardiac arrhythmia using the company's partnered 3-D Localized Ablation Catheter. This diagnostic and ablation catheter recently received FDA approval for use with the Stereotaxis Niobe Magnetic Navigation System. The company said the approval provides Stereo-taxis Niobe system users in the U.S. with 3-D localization of the catheter tip, a function that offers physicians precise and efficient control of the catheter tip with constant feedback as to the exact location of the catheter in the anatomy.