• Cardima(Fremont, California) said data from the Phase III trial of its Revelation Tx linear ablation microcatheter was published in the April 29 issue of theJournal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology. Trial data indicated substantial and statistically significant improvements were realized almost uniformly for all measured arrhythmia symptoms as well as for quality-of-life measures. The study demonstrated that the addition of right atrial catheter ablation to a regimen of previously ineffective antiarrhythmic drugs yields a significant reduction in the frequency, duration and severity of atrial fibrillation (AF) episodes and symptoms. Of the 93 subjects included in the trial, 84 subjects provided six-month AF episode frequency data. This data demonstrated a significant decrease in symptomatic frequency when compared to baseline. In addition, 49 subjects were considered a clinical success by protocol definition. The company said it would share the findings of the study at next month’s Heart Rhythm Society meeting in New Orleans. The findings also will support Cardima’s efforts in obtaining FDA marketing clearance for the Revelation Tx, it said.

• Nanogen (San Diego) said that it has been issued European patent No. 0943158B1, “Affinity-based self-assembly systems and devices for photonic and electronic applications,” by the European Patent Office. The new nanotechnology patent relates to a nanofabrication technology that combines an electric field-assisted manufacturing platform and programmable self-assembling nanostructures for the fabrication of a range of higher-order nano and microscale devices, structures and materials. The European patent is jointly owned by Nanotronics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nanogen, and the Regents of the University of California. Nanogen has exclusively licensed the interests of the University of California where there is joint inventorship.

• Neoprobe (Dublin, Ohio) said that its subsidiary, Cira Biosciences, has received an independent technology assessment report on its activated cellular therapy (ACT) technology. The assessment was performed by the Battelle Memorial Institute (Columbus, Ohio) to review the cell processing procedures and manufacturing processes used by Cira Biosciences in earlier ACT clinical trials that provided positive clinical results. The Battelle report indicates that the ACT cell processing technology would be commercially feasible and reproducible with Cira’s implementation of the recommended Battelle process and procedure development initiatives. Battelle also identified a number of laboratory processing and handling procedures that could be consolidated thereby improving cell-processing efficiency and potentially reducing processing costs. Cira’s scientific advisors recommended that it would be appropriate to initiate a Phase II study under Neoprobe’s corporate investigational new drug application for end-stage colorectal cancer and to initiate a separate Phase I study for pancreatic cancer. In addition, Cira’s viral disease consultants have recommended that the technology should be evaluated in African-American hepatitis C patients because of the significant difference in treatment efficacy rates of currently used treatment methods between African-American and Caucasian patients. Finally, the clinicians who evaluated the technology in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome are seeking institutional clearances to complete a five-year follow-up on the treated patients who responded to the ACT therapy.