Medical Device Link.

TRENDS & PERSPECTIVES

• Integrated DNA Technologies (Leuven, Belgium) announced the completion of its European facility in the Haasrode Research Park area of Leuven, Belgium. The 2000 m² production facility enables the company to provide effective service for its customers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
  
  
• Agencourt Bioscience (Fullerton, CA) entered into a supply agreement with Third Wave Technologies Inc. (Madison, WI). Under the terms of the agreement, the Agencourt Genfind DNA isolation system will be integrated into the Third Wave new human papillomavirus (HPV) tests.
  
  
• A.i. Scientific (Clontarf, Australia) and Data Innovations (South Burlington, VT) announced a partnership in which Data Innovations’ Instrument Manager will be offered with all of A.i. Scientific’s new PathFinder laboratory automation platforms. For each tube presented to a Pathfinder system, Instrument Manager will use test orders supplied by the laboratory information system to determine the appropriate processing sequence for each sample to be performed by PathFinder.
  
  
• Roche Diagnostics (Indianapolis) and Response Biomedical (Burnaby, BC, Canada) entered into a partnership that will allow Roche to market the first line of cardiovascular tests for Response’s new point-of-care platform, the Ramp 200. Roche has exclusive rights to market the cardiovascular line in the United States, Canada, and other global markets.
  
  
• Genomic Vision (Paris) raised $6.3 million in a series B financing round. New investor Vesalius BioCapital joined existing investor Societe Generale Asset Management Alternative Investments. The funds will be used to expand Genomic Vision’s in-house research and development programs and automation, as well as strengthen the firm’s ongoing collaborative programs with partners.
  
  
• MorphoSys AG (Munich) announced that Phadia AB (Uppsala, Sweden) implemented a series of HuCAL-based recombinant antibodies in its autoimmune tests, Varelisa and EliA. Phadia became the first IVD company to introduce recombinant antibodies in an autoimmune screening platform. AbD Serotec, MorphoSys’ research and diagnostic antibodies division, received license fees and will supply Phadia with recombinant antibody material.