Name now is Monogram Biosciences

ViroLogic (South San Francisco, California) reported that it is changing its name to Monogram Biosciences. Effective Wednesday, the company’s common stock began trading under the Nasdaq ticker symbol MGRM. The contingent value rights will trade under the symbol: MGRMR.OB.

The company develops products to guide the treatment of diseases, saying that its name change reflects its “broader technology base and capabilities in the field of molecular diagnostics” for cancer, derived from its merger with Aclara Biosciences in December 2004.

1,000th PET installation for Siemens

Siemens Medical Solutions (Malvern, Pennsylvania) reported the 1,000th installation of its positron emission tomography (PET) technology. The sale of the hybrid PET/ computed tomography (PET/CT) system to Florida Radiation Oncology Group (Jacksonville, Florida) underscores not only the importance of molecular imaging for enhanced diagnostics and treatment planning, but also the shift to PET/CT from PET-only imaging, the company said.

PET/CT is designed to provide clinicians with enhanced capabilities for early detection and the detail provided is an integral part of radiation therapy planning. Advanced applications, such as LungCARE and syngo Colonography, help to pinpoint disease at its earliest stages in a non-invasive manner.

“There has been an almost 100% shift toward PET/CT from PET-only systems since 2001,” said Michael Reitermann, president of Siemens’ Molecular Imaging Division. “This is likely because the technology can accommodate a wide range of clinical applications and helps facilities benefit from an aggressive foray into the future of oncology diagnostics and care.”