• Quest International (Irvine, California), an authorized reseller for NEC Medical (Tokyo) Displays and an authorized master distributor of Totoku Medical Displays (Irving, Texas), reported the addition of mobile carts and stainless steel enclosures to its line of NEC and Totoku medical displays. With the proliferation of large screen displays used in the operating room, emergency room and surgical suites, Quest has introduced a stainless steel enclosure which encases its 30 inch and 40 inch large screen LCDs. The enclosure includes a protective panel over the glass, preventing the ingress of fluids.

• StemCells (Palo Alto, California) reported progress towards its goal of initiating Phase I clinical testing of its neural cell therapy product, HuCNS-SC, in Batten disease. On Feb. 1, the FDA orally informed StemCells that its proposed trial had been placed on clinical hold. On Feb. 25, the company received a letter of confirmation from the FDA and detailing the agency's specific comments, questions and requests for additional information. "After a thorough evaluation of the FDA's questions and concerns we met with the Center for Biologic's Evaluation and Research Clinical Hold Oversight Committee," said CEO Martin McGlynn. "Our next step is to prepare an amendment to our original IND [investigational new drug] filing and re-submit it to the FDA." If approved, the proposed study would mark the first-ever FDA-approved clinical trial to use a purified composition of human neural stem cells as the potential therapeutic agent. The Phase I trial is designed to investigate the safety of HuCNS-SC in the treatment of infantile and late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, the most severe forms of a group of disorders commonly referred to as Batten disease.

• Thermage (Hayward, California) said a physician panel of cosmetic surgery experts presented the latest scientific advances in capacitive radio frequency (RF) skin rejuvenation using its ThermaCool device at the American Academy of Dermatology meeting in New Orleans in February. Thermage's RF is FDA-cleared for the treatment of facial rhythids and wrinkles. Research presented at the meeting on Thermage usage show: safe and effective treatment of wrinkled eyelid skin with a specialized treatment tip; potential new applications to tighten and contour lax skin on the abdomen and other body areas; and measurable evidence of tissue tightening and lifting with associated patient satisfaction. The company also reported that a photographic comparison of non-invasive and endoscopic brow lifting techniques demonstrated evidence of the non-invasive lifting effects in a facial plastic surgery practice.