• CeMines (Golden, Colorado) said results from an expanded study of more than 200 lung cancer patient samples confirmed key data initially presented in February at the American Association of Cancer Research’s Special Conference on Molecular Pathogenesis of Lung Cancer. Data demonstrated that CeMines’ Molecular FingerPrinting bioinformatics engine discriminates biomarker profiles of lung cancer patients, high-risk groups and heavy smokers.

• Siemens Medical Solutions (Malvern, Pennsylvania), in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH; Boston), said it has developed a prototype area-detector based, volume computed tomography (CT) system. The system was developed on a Siemens Somatom Sensation CT gantry and uses 2-D digital flat-panel detector technology. Principles and potential applications of volumetric CT scanning are being evaluated at MGH with this prototype system. The new area-detector prototype CT system features volume coverage of 18 cm with up to 768 CT slices per rotation. When fully developed, this innovation has the promise of offering a unique window on human anatomy and physiology, the company said. Increased volume coverage is possible with the introduction of area detectors large enough to cover entire organs in a single rotation. The volume CT prototype system is designed to be suitable for in vitro imaging of specimens, as well as in vivo imaging of large animals and eventually human research.

• ThermoGenesis (Rancho Cordova, California) said that research regarding the use of its CryoSeal autologous fibrin sealant (FS) was presented at the NATA Conference in Prague, Czech Republic, last month. In a study focusing on liver resection surgery, researchers compared the efficacy in reducing bleeding of CryoSeal FS with Tissucol fibrin sealant from Baxter International (Deerfield, Illinois). Thirty-four patients submitted to liver resection for carcinoma were enrolled: 14 received CryoSeal FS, 20 received Tissucol. Clinical characteristics were similar between the two groups. In all patients the same amount of FS (5 mL) was sprayed on the cut liver surface at the end of the liver resection. Red blood cell (RBC) loss from perioperative bleeding in the CryoSeal patients averaged 40% less than the average RBC loss in the Tissucol patients. Another 21-patient pilot study measured blood loss, cardiovascular stability, pain score, range of motion and wound healing after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The total blood loss in TKA was reduced by 50% when using CryoSeal FS. The CryoSeal patients also had better cardiovascular stability, a higher range of motion, less pain and better wound healing than the control group. The company said a larger study to confirm the results of the pilot study may be completed by year-end.