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Sequenom, Inc. (Nasdaq: SQNM) announced the launch of the SensiGene™ Fetal(XY) (Fetal Sex Determination) test by Sequenom's CAP accredited and CLIA-certified laboratory, Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine (Sequenom CMM). This is the company's second laboratory developed test powered by its SEQureDx™ technology...

A tiny new sensor could provide fresh, inexpensive diagnosis and treatment methods for people suffering from a variety of diseases. University of Florida engineers have designed and tested versions of the sensor for applications ranging from monitoring diabetics' glucose levels via their breath to detecting possible indicators of breast cancer in saliva...

OmniComm Systems, Inc. (OTCBB: OMCM), one of the fastest growing companies in the EDC marketplace, announced today that a leader in the medical device industry has selected OmniComm's TrialMaster EDC solution for the data capture of a Phase IV cardiovascular study. The 24-month, 7-site study will enroll 100 subjects. "We look forward to continuing our successful collaboration with this device company," remarked Stephen Johnson, COO of OmniComm Systems.

The Institute for Health Technology Studies (InHealth) has awarded three new research grants totaling more than $1.4 million to investigators at the University of Southern California, Northwestern University, and Stanford University. The funding will support three separate studies that will examine the social and economic impact of therapeutic medical devices, as well as the device innovation process.

From scopes that help premature babies breathe to techniques for imaging live neurons and beating hearts as they develop, the latest optical and laser technology being deployed in medicine and the biosciences will be on display at the Optical Society's (OSA) Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics (FiO), which takes place Oct. 11-15 at the Fairmont San Jose Hotel and the Sainte Claire Hotel in San Jose, Calif.

Excelsior Medical, one of the leading manufacturers of pre-filled catheter flush syringes and syringe pump systems, announced that it has launched a major new product: the SwabCap ™ Luer Access Valve Disinfection Cap. SwabCap™ is a simple twist-on device that disinfects swab-able luer access valves prior to catheter line access.

UCLA's newly launched on-campus technology incubator at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) has opened lab space to MediSens Wireless, a startup company that develops and manufactures personal body-monitoring systems for medical and health applications. The incubator program was established in March to nurture early-stage research and accelerate the commercial translation of technologies developed at UCLA.

Newly announced National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding will expand the reach of ongoing University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) research into a unique nanostructured coating to improve the performance and longevity of total joint replacement components. The broadened UAB research opportunity is funded by a four-year, $790,931 National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant through the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).

Investigators from Hospital for Special Surgery have shown that a biodegradable scaffold or plug can be used to treat patients with damaged knee cartilage. The study is unique in that it used serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and newer quantitative T2 mapping to examine how the plug incorporated itself into the knee. The research, abstract 8372, was presented during the annual meeting of the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, June 9-12, in Keystone, Colo.

Physio-Control Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medtronic, Inc., (NYSE: MDT), announced that it has received a Gold Medical Design Excellence Award (MDEA) for its LIFEPAK® 15 monitor/defibrillator. Physio-Control accepted the award at the MDEA ceremony held last week at the Medical Design & Manufacturing East 2009 Conference and Exposition in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City.

Thermo-chromic window films which regulate room temperature; a heart and breathing rate monitor which could revolutionise the monitoring of babies during childbirth; and improved tests for food sensitivities and allergies are among innovations developed at The University of Nottingham highlighted by the Design Council's Innovate for Universities initiative.