A Medical Device Daily

SpectRx (Norcross, Georgia) is partnering with Emory University (Atlanta) as part of a grant to Emory from the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) to support FDA pivotal clinical trials for a new non-invasive cervical cancer detection device.

The $64,700 matching grant will be used for the clinical trial of the SpectRx-developed technology at Grady Memorial Hospital (also Atlanta) under the guidance of Lisa Flowers, MD, of Emory.

“We believe that the grant from GRA is a further validation of the potential of this exciting technology,“ said Mark Faupel, PhD, president of Guided Therapeutics, the subsidiary company of SpectRx that is commercializing the non- invasive cervical cancer technology.

“This new technology offers the potential to overcome many of the barriers to early detection of cervical cancer that exist today,“ he said. “It could eliminate the anxiety of waiting days for test results and many of the false positive results that are a burden on the patient and the healthcare system.“

Launched last year, the Georgia Research Alliance Innovation Fund is designed to foster long-term partnerships between Georgia companies and the state's research universities. The main criteria for selection as an Innovation Fund participant is the company's potential for developing new technologies that will grow the state's economy.

The non-invasive cervical cancer detection device from Guided Therapeutics uses proprietary technology to identify cancers and pre-cancers painlessly and non-invasively by analyzing light reflected from the cervix. The device creates an image of the cervix that highlights the location and severity of disease.

SpectRx is a diabetes management company developing and providing solutions for insulin delivery and glucose monitoring.

Bio-Matrix Scientific Group (San Diego) said it is sub- mitting a grant application for Micro Cryogenic Coolers to the U.S. Department of Defense. A company spokesperson indicated that developing micro cryogenic coolers could lead to major advances in stem cell cryogenics, as well as military and engineering implications.

According to Dr. Phil Watts, director of research and development, Bio-Matrix Scientific will investigate and research areas of micro electro-mechanical systems and implementations of Micro Cryogenic Coolers. This project dovetails into the company's business model of advancing stem cell storage technology.

Bio-Matrix Scientific's ultimate objective is the realization of micro-scale devices and sub-systems with “unprecedented performance, attained via micro-scale targeted cryogenics, which will lead to a reduction in both size and power consumption required for cryogenic cooling systems.“