A Diagnostics & Imaging Week

Axeda Systems (Mansfield, Massachusetts), a provider of device relationship management (DRM) software and services, reported that Respironics (Murrysville, Pennsylvania), a manufacturer of products and programs for the global sleep and respiratory markets, has licensed the Axeda DRM system for remote monitoring and proactive maintenance and service support of its Esprit critical-care ventilators.

Dick Ellis, director of hospital services for Respironics, said, "This new maintenance and repair services product will be marketed under the name Respi-Link. Implementation of Respi-Link will allow our customers to change software and options on a schedule convenient to them and also receive remote assistance from our technical staff in the event it is needed. We expect to have this product in the marketplace by May of this year."

The Esprit ventilator combines "sophisticated design with easy-to-use features," the company said. The microprocessor-driven unit is upgradeable and offers a range of modes and breath types including volume control, pressure control, and fully integrated non-invasive ventilation. The Esprits can be used in any setting, from hospital to sub-acute care facilities.

Xilas Medical (San Antonio) reported that its telemedicine grant of $880,000 has been approved for Phase II funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH; Bethesda, Maryland). The grant enables Xilas to conduct clinical trials on its TempTouch RM, an infrared temperature remote monitoring (RM) device for diabetic patients.

A Phase I NIH-sponsored trial was completed in late 2003 demonstrating that the TempTouch RM can be used as a tool for capturing data and sending it over a modem.

A diabetes patient uses the TempTouch RM device in the homes, standing on it like a bathroom scale. It measures foot temperatures and the patient's weight, loads the data into an on-board computer and transmits the data via the phone/Internet to the doctor's office or a central monitoring facility, so that daily measurements can be monitored.

Elevated foot temperatures can be a sign of inflammation and potential ulceration, and a sudden increase in weight is an indication of impending heart problems in diabetic patients with congestive heart failure.

"The TempTouch RM is our first product in the area of telemedicine, and it's a way that information technology can be used to save lives and money in the future of healthcare," said Don Lawson, CEO of Xilas Medical. "This device is designed for high-risk diabetes patients who can't check their temperature measurements using a hand-held device due to age, blindness, disability, or obesity. These are people for whom an ulcer would mean devastating consequences, including amputation and potential loss of life."

Xilas said it would run a one-year clinical trial with the TempTouch RM placed in the homes of 50 diabetic patients at high risk for foot complications.

Metabolon (Research Triangle Park, North Carolina), focused on the application of metabolomics to discover biomarkers, reported receiving a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS; Bethesda, Maryland) to study amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The award, the amount undisclosed, is part of the Small Business Innovation Research program administered by the NIH.

Metabolon said this is its third grant in the area of ALS. The first grant was awarded in conjunction with Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston) and was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The second grant was funded by The ALS Association (Calabasas Hills, California) and focused on cerebral spinal fluid.

"It is clear from the receipt of our third grant that Metabolon's technology has great potential to discover novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of ALS," said Dr. John Ryals, president and CEO of Metabolon.

Metabolon will test plasma samples obtained from patients using its metabolomics technology to identify ALS biomarkers. Those biomarkers will be compared to those of other motor neuron diseases to determine if the ALS signature is unique or common to other motor neuron disorders. In addition, Metabolon will study how ALS biomarkers change with disease progression.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease affecting nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.