* Advanced Magnetics Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., reported its marketing partner Eiken Chemical Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, has received marketing approval for Feridex from the Koseisho, the Japanese equivalent of the FDA. Feridex is a contrast agent used with magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of liver lesions.

* Affymetrix Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., has launched its GeneChip p53 assay for research applications. The GeneChip p53 assay is the first commercially available DNA probe array-based product capable of analyzing the full-length coding sequence of the human p53 tumor suppresser gene, a gene that is mutated in greater than 50 percent of all human cancers.

* Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp., of San Diego, reported an agreement with Schering AG, of Berlin, for a worldwide license to develop and market Imagent US, a potential new contrast agent for enhancement of ultrasound images. The product has recently completed Phase II clinical studies for cardiac function and detection of myocardial infarction.

* Athena Diagnostics Inc., of Worcester, Mass., has launched a non-invasive version of its ADmark ApoE Genotype Analysis and Interpretation for use in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. The new technology uses a buccal swab (cheek brush) rather than an invasive blood draw to gather the necessary sample.

* Behring Diagnostics GmbH, of Frankfurt, Germany, and Dade International, of Deerfield, Ill., have completed an agreement for the merger of Dade with Behring Diagnostics' business unit. The companies are proceeding with the regulatory approval process for the merger in the U.S. and Europe.

* Behring Diagnostics GmbH, of Frankfurt, Germany, reported the availability of the OPUS PSA assay for the quantitative measurement of prostate specific antigen in serum. The assay is an adjunctive test for use as an aide in the monitoring of prostate cancer patients.

* BioGenex Laboratories, of San Ramon, Calif., reported that BioTek Solutions Inc., a subsidiary of Ventana Medical Systems, of Tucson, was ordered to pay punitive damages for willfully infringing BioGenex's patent on the "antigen retrieval" procedure for treating tissue specimens. BioGenex was awarded $303,112.50. Compensatory damages were $404,150.

* Biopool International Inc., of Ventura, Calif., has received approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health to market four additional products in Japan. The four products are monoclonal antibody-based reagents for use in blood grouping and typing and cross-matching for blood transfusions.

* Biosite Diagnostics Inc., of Atlanta, has added methadone to its Triage Panel for Drugs of Abuse, a point-of-care, rapid immunoassay that tests for eight of the most commonly abused drugs. In addition to methadone, the new Triage DOA Panel tests for opiates, barbiturates, marijuana, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, cocaine and tricyclic antidepressants.

* Cygnus Inc., of Redwood City, Calif., reported that Becton Dickinson and Co., of Franklin Lakes, N.J., has elected to broaden its collaboration with Cygnus by agreeing to fund, in part, the development of a second-generation GlucoWatch, a painless, bloodless and automatic glucose monitoring device.

* Epix Medical Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., has received a $2 million milestone payment from Mallinckrodt Inc., of St. Louis, the company's partner in the development of its lead product, MS-325, an injectable magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent designed for multiple cardiovascular indications. Also, Epix and Dyax Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., have formed an alliance to develop contrast imaging agents for the diagnosis of severe blood clots in the lungs and legs.

* Geron Corp., of Menlo Park, Calif., and PharMingen, of San Diego, have launched TeloQuant, a telomere-length measurement assay to be marketed by PharMingen under license from Geron.

* Hemagen Diagnostics Inc., of Waltham, Mass., has obtained FDA clearance to market the VIRGO Anti-mitochondrial Antibody kit to screen patients for primary biliary cirrhosis, a dysfunction of the liver.