• MedQuist(Mount Laurel, New Jersey) reported the release of CodeRunner, which it said is the industry’s only computer-assisted, remote coding solution providing both coding technology and professional services. Available as a remote coding system since 2002, CodeRunner now completely integrates computer-assisted coding, document imaging and expert coding services, shortening the coding process and improving coders’ productivity. With CodeRunner, transcription and voice recognition files are transformed from static documentation to active data files for the entire organization. Once the Natural Language Processing engine “reads” the documents, codes are stored for computer-assisted coding and, ultimately, data mining. “Instead of coding from scratch, coders are now presented with a list of suggested codes,” says Tom Goglia, CodeRunner product manager. “After reviewing the documentation, they can either approve the codes and send them directly to billing, or simply make any code changes they feel are appropriate.” MedQuist, a member of the Philips group of companies, provides electronic medical transcription, health information and document management products and services.

• MIV Therapeutics (Vancouver, British Columbia), a developer of next-generation biocompatible stent coatings and drug delivery technologies, reported the start of pre-clinical trials of a proprietary filtration device designed to be implanted in a main artery during cardiac procedures and heart surgery to divert particles that might otherwise reach the brain and cause strokes. The device was developed by SagaX Medical Technologies, a company developing a range of solutions to prevent complications that can result from cardiac procedures, and recently acquired by MIVT. One of the flagship technologies from SagaX is its Aortic Embolic Protection Device, a filter that can be placed in the aorta to filter and capture embolic particles that can cause strokes. The filtration prevents the embolic particles from traveling in the direction of the patient’s brain. The embolic protection device SagaX is developing is designed to for use during invasive heart procedures such as electrophysiology, valve dilatations and valve repair through angioplasty.

• Sequenom (San Diego) said researchers reported findings that indicate the involvement of the intercellular adhesion molecule gene, ICAM1, in breast cancer metastasis. This is the first study to report that ICAM1 likely plays a major role in the invasion of cancerous cells and in the growth and metastasis of breast tumors, the company said. Published in the May 23 issue of Carcinogenesis, the study reports that these results corroborate Sequenom’s previous finding that genetic variations in the ICAM gene region are associated with the occurrence of metastases and establish a causal role of ICAM1 in invasion of metastatic human breast cancer cell lines. The key findings demonstrated that the level of ICAM1 protein expression on the cell surface positively correlated with metastatic potential of several human breast cancer cell lines and that ICAM1 mRNA levels were elevated in breast tumor compared to normal tissue. The researchers also observed that ICAM1 down-regulation at the mRNA and protein level led to a strong suppression of human breast cell invasion.

• Sontra Medical (Franklin, Massachusetts) said that it has received U.S. patent No. 6,887,239 covering the enabling technology used in its SonoPrep device to precisely control skin permeability. The SonoPrep device automatically turns off once an optimal level of skin permeability is achieved as determined by a feedback algorithm that calculates the rate of increase in skin conductivity. The Sono-Prep ultrasonic skin permeation device employs low frequency ultrasound to penetrate the stratum corneum. This simple and fast (average 15-second) treatment creates an imperceptible window through the skin that enables molecules to pass through with 100 times greater efficiency than intact skin. SonoPrep makes the skin permeable for up to 24 hours for continuous non-invasive diagnostics.