Olympus has come up with  its new Enzymatic Creatinine assay, that can be used across the range of Olympus diagnostic analyzers. Developed to determine the quantity of creatinine in human urine, serum and plasma, the novel assay makes use of an enzymatic method to attain greater precision, interfering lesser and lesser with antibiotics and bilirubin. It compliments the Jaffe technique, currently in use, measuring creatinine more exactly for specific cases in which the potential interference exists from diabetes, liver failure, renal failure and jaundice.

Medtronic, Inc.’s Discyphor Direct™ Catheter System is now available in United States. Doctors use the second-generation catheter system to get more information on detecting the disc that causes discogenic low back pain. The system uses the company’s innovative Functional Anaesthetic Discography™ Procedure. Each disc is anesthetized individually for diagnosis of the disc that causes pain. Spine surgeons often use the procedure’s benefit in the form of diagnostic results to determine the best treatment for patients.

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center are working on developing a spectral imaging system that could reduce the operating times for infants undergoing surgery for Hirschsprung’s disease, according to a mouse study published in the Journal of Biophotonics. Apart from the diagnostic capabilities, the system could provide an “optical biopsy,” enabling surgeons to determine the exact location of a needed intervention.

Photo by Mat Culpepper

Masimo has been granted FDA approval for its breakthrough noninvasive and continuous total hemoglobin monitoring technology (SpHb). The technology should make hemoglobin measurement more convenient and available to clinicians in hospital and outpatient settings, according to the company. It is designed to improve patient safety and decrease costs. Noninvasive total hemoglobin monitoring will be offered as part of the upgradable Masimo Rainbow SET technology platform. The company expects the technology to be available to select customers by the third quarter of this year.

Scientists at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn and Peking University in Beijing have received a U.S. patent for their virtual telemicroscope. This software may be used by offsite pathologists to diagnose diseases in patients located elsewhere. Chinese company Motic has used the patent to create a microscope that scans the slides at different magnifications and the compressed images produced thereafter are emailed to various required locations.

Aerocrine AB has filed a patent infringement suit against Medisoft P.A.E. associated with the marketing and sale of Nitric Oxide (NO) analyser in Germany. Aerocrine AB is seeking an injunction and damages against the Belgian company. Medisoft P.A.E. has recently begun the marketing and sale of the Hypair exhaled NO analyzer in the country.

Abviva Inc. (formerly known as Genesis Bioventures) has been issued a pivotal patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the core technology used in the company’s breast cancer diagnostic test. The Mammastatin Serum Assay (MSA) is a blood test used for the early detection of breast cancer through the identification and measurement of the amount of Mammastatin in women.

Urodynamix Technologies Ltd. has begun the evaluation of its second generation prototype near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) DRE system. Digital rectal examination (DRE) is the most common screening test for prostate cancer and Urodynamix’s NIRS sensor measures blood flow in the prostate gland during the examination. The device improves physicians’ ability to detect prostate cancer as well as other prostate-related diseases.

Veridex LLC has received FDA clearance to market the CellSearch(TM) Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) Kit as an aid to monitoring patients suffering from metastatic prostate cancer. The CellSearch System had already been cleared for metastatic breast and metastatic colorectal cancer and counts CTCs in a patient’s blood sample to predict progression-free and overall survival. The CellSearch CTC Kit was developed by Immunicon Corporation and is exclusively marketed by Veridex.

Diazyme Laboratories has received a 510(k) clearance from the FDA to market its Cystatin C Assay Kit for verifying Cystatin C in serum and plasma samples for the early detection of chronic kidney disease. The Cystatin assay is highly accurate and precise and offers an extended reportable range of 0.47 to over 8 mg/L, reducing the need for repeating tests on elevated samples.