• Life Medical Sciences (Oceanport, New Jersey), a biomaterials company engaged in the development of anti-adhesion and drug delivery products, said it has initiated a multi-center clinical study for its Repel-CV Adhesion Barrier involving a number of leading cardiac surgery centers in Europe. The FDA has approved the company's request to increase, from 15 to 20, the number of surgical sites participating in the Repel-CV pivotal clinical trial. The company has already recruited the additional sites, which it said should facilitate the completion of the trial by mid-2006.

• Nanogen (San Diego), developer of advanced diagnostic products, reported being issued U.S. patent No. 6,864,071 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent relates to amplifying and analyzing multiple samples of nucleic acid using ligation-based strand displacement amplification (SDA) technologies. The intellectual property pertains to research Nanogen conducted in collaboration with Becton Dickinson (Franklin Lakes, New Jersey) and increases Nanogen's portfolio of technologies for multiplex amplification on a chip. The combination of SDA and Nanogen chip technologies makes it possible to conduct multiplex amplification, detection and analysis of multiple samples within a single electronic microarray. SDA is an isothermal amplification process that uses a series of primers, DNA polymerase and a restriction enzyme to exponentially amplify the target nucleic acid sequence.

• Orthovita (Malvern, Pennsylvania) reported that it has been granted a U.S. patent covering the development and use of composite shaped bodies for a range of applications in orthopedic surgery. The patent covers nine new claims for composite implants, including the use of Orthovita's Vitoss Bone Graft Substitute in combination with a medicament such as a protein or antibiotic. Vitoss is marketed in the U.S. and Europe as a synthetic alternative to the use of autograft or cadaver-derived bone material for a range of orthopedic clinical needs. The patent also covers the development of composite implants using Vitoss in combination with other synthetic biomaterials such as Orthovita's Cortoss Synthetic Cortical Bone. Cortoss is currently being studied for potential use in the treatment of vertebral compression fractures. The patent protection also covers the use of Vitoss in combination with inorganic fillers or with polymers such as polycaprolactone, poly-L-lactic acid or polyglycolic acid.

• Siemens Medical Solutions (Mountain View, California) introduced the all-digital Sonoline G40 ultrasound imaging system. Siemens said the G40 combines "best-in-class" image quality, workflow advancements and color Doppler capabilities to meet daily clinical needs in a variety of settings, including general imaging, obstetrics/gynecology and internal medicine. Embedded connectivity solutions allow simple integration into DICOM-enabled networks and PC-based workstations. The compact, mobile ultrasound system features color Doppler and pulse-wave Doppler capabilities. Phased array technology also expands clinical capabilities to include cardiac survey and small-footprint abdominal imaging. Other advances include Virtual Format Imaging, which offers a variety of linear, trapezoidal and steered 2-D imaging formats. The G40 system is expected to be available for purchase next month.

• Stratagene (Garden Grove, California), a manufacturer of specialized research and diagnostic products, reported that its wholly owned subsidiary, Hycor Biomedical, has received FDA clearance to market its Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgG autoimmune test. tTG is used in the diagnosis of celiac disease. The new test complements the tTG IgA test cleared by the FDA in 2004. The company said all of its tests can be performed using a manual procedure or the procedures can be fully automated by using its HY-TEC 288 Plus Automated Immunoassay System.