Orchid Biosciences seeks name change

Orchid BioSciences (Princeton, New Jersey), a leading global provider of identity DNA testing services, said that it is seeking stockholder approval to change its name to Orchid Cellmark. The company said it believes that the new name more accurately reflects its current and expected future position as a leader in the provision of DNA identity testing services.

"The Orchid Cellmark name combines the strong reputation of Orchid in the field of genetic variability analysis with the international brand recognition of Cellmark as a leading provider of DNA testing services," said Paul Kelly, MD, Orchid's CEO. "Since our acquisition of the Cellmark brand and operations in 2001, we have continued to grow our business under this brand in both the U.S. and UK, countries leading the world in realizing the potential of DNA identity testing for forensics, immigration, security, adoption, parentage, food safety and other important applications."

Orchid has filed a preliminary proxy statement regarding the name change with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The proposal will be considered at Orchid's annual shareholders meeting June 8.

Entelos, Diabetech team up

Entelos (Foster City, California) and Diabetech (Dallas) reported a collaboration to combine their respective PhysioLab and GlucoDynamix system capabilities to improve outcomes for people living and working with Type 1 diabetes, including accelerating the development of an artificial pancreas.

The Virtual-Loop simplifies the collection, storage and analysis of patient data by connecting devices, people and remote computer systems in real-time from various locations. Using Diabetech's GlucoMON wireless glucose meter and the GlucoDynamix diabetes intervention system, clinical trial studies are documenting the benefits of automated access to real-time physiological data as a way to improve disease management and patient care.

The Entelos Metabolism PhysioLab platform is a large-scale, mathematical model of human metabolism describing carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolism and includes detailed representations of gastric emptying, intestinal nutrient absorption, and pancreatic hormone release, as well as nutrient uptake, release, utilization and storage in tissues. Within this platform, Entelos has created more than 125 diverse "virtual patients," including insulin resistant and diabetic patient types.

The companies will initiate a clinical trial to investigate the combined use of both device and platform within a Virtual-Loop system to provide real-time monitoring and feedback and predict insulin requirements to better maintain glucose control.