Medical Device Link.

TRENDS & PERSPECTIVES

• Seegene Inc. (Rockvile, MD) was awarded international patent protection for a technology that can accelerate the detection of highly personal variations in genetic sequences. The patent (WO/2008/143367) issued by the World Intellectual Property Organization covers a method for ApoE haplotyping using multiplex PCR.
  
  
• Fujirebio Diagnostics Inc. (Malvern, PA) and Roche Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) signed a worldwide license and supply agreement for the HE4 ovarian cancer test. Under the agreement, Roche will develop an assay kit utilizing Fujirebio’s HE4 test on its automated immunoassay analyzers.
  
  
• Bayer CropScience AG has contracted Tyrian Diagnostics Ltd. (Sydney, Australia) to manufacture 10,000 WheatRite kits and 500 ReadRite instruments for marketing and initial sales of the products. Tyrian will manufacture this order of WheatRite tests in house with the intention to outsource to a toll manufacturer as the volumes increase.
  
  
• Siemens Healthcare reached an agreement with Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, Spain, to integrate the use of laboratory diagnostics, imaging, and information technology systems with the intent to improve management of patient care. Under the agreement, Siemens and the Hospital Clinic will initially focus on three specific areas: liver fibrosis, fetal medicine, and colon cancer.
  
  
• Celera Corp. (Alameda, CA) and Abbott (Abbott Park, IL) revised the strategic alliance agreement between the two companies. Under a new distribution agreement, Abbott will exclusively distribute certain molecular diagnostic products manufactured by Celera. Under a second agreement, Celera will receive royalties on the sale of m2000 reagents, instruments, service, and related consumables, and Abbott will receive royalties on certain Celera genetic tests.
  
  
• ProGenTech Ltd. (Emeryville, CA) signed a collaboration agreement with the China CDC to create a joint laboratory that will focus on developing next-generation molecular diagnostic systems and assays. Under the agreement, the joint laboratory will leverage ProGenTech’s existing Entura instrument platform and proprietary cassettes for developing an integrated molecular diagnostic system.