SFC Fluidics (Fayetteville, Arkansas) says it has received a $5 million contract from U.S. Army under the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program to develop a handheld device for rapid diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The device is scheduled to begin clinical trials for FDA approval in the summer of 2013, the company said. (Medical Device Daily)

Covidien (Dublin, Ireland and Mansfield, Massachusetts) has agreed to pay roughly $210 million to acquire Aspect Medical Systems (Norwood, Massachusetts), a company that develops brain-monitoring technology. (Medical Device Daily)

Boston Scientific (Natick, Massachusetts) said it has completed patient enrollment in the workhorse portion of its PLATINUM clinical program. PLATINUM is a global, randomized, pivotal controlled trial designed to support approval of the platinum chromium Promus Element everolimus-eluting coronary stent system in the U.S. and Japan. (Medical Device Daily)

Medtronic (Minneapolis) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, Massachusetts) have reported new pre-clinical research findings from their Huntington's disease program at the 2009 World Congress on Huntington's Disease this week in Vancouver, British Columbia. The two companies are developing a drug-device combination for the treatment of Huntington's disease. (Medical Device Daily)

St. Jude Medical (St. Paul, Minnesota) reported FDA clearance and the U.S. launch of its EnSite Velocity Cardiac Mapping System. The company says this new system has been designed to help doctors more efficiently diagnose and guide therapy to treat abnormal heart rhythms. (Medical Device Daily)