In an effort to become a profitable company sooner, Nanogen (San Diego), a developer of molecular and rapid in vitro diagnostic products, has agreed to combine its business with the Elitech Group (Paris), a private French diagnostics company, in an all-stock deal. (Medical Device Daily)

The FDA has cleared a robotic system that seems to follow the "practice makes perfect" school of thought. The DidiMatch Robodoc allows orthopedic surgeons to perform a hip replacement procedure virtually, using a 3-D bone image created from a CT scan of the patient's anatomy, before beginning the actual operation. (Medical Device Daily)

A company that had hoped to be the first to bring an artificial liver device to the U.S. market has suspended its operations. Arbios Systems (Waltham, Massachusetts) said the move is a way to conserve cash while it seeks financing or some relationship to fund clinical trials for its Sepet liver assist device. (Medical Device Daily)