Beckman Launches Thyroid Tests, Regulatory Software
UCI Researchers Create Amino Acid; Irvine Showcases Medical Tech
HEALTHCARE
by Vita Reed
Beckman Coulter Inc., Fullerton, recently released two new assays it says will help laboratories, hospitals and endocrinology clinics to expand thyroid testing.
The company’s new Access Thyroglobulin and Access Thyroglobulin Antibody tests are used to help detect disorders such as cancer, Hashimoto’s disease, Graves’ disease and nontoxic goiters.
Thyroglobulin is a protein produced by the thyroid either in the normal part of the gland or in a cancerous tumor. If the patient’s thyroid gland is absent, then the measurement of the protein in a blood sample can be used to determine whether there’s any part of the cancerous tumor left behind or whether a new tumor may be growing.
Thyroglobulin antibodies often are present in patients with autoimmune thyroid conditions such as Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s disease.
Separately, Beckman released new software intended to help medical labs develop, implement and manage a quality system to comply with regulatory and accreditation requirements. Beckman’s package includes Quality Link 5, software that helps streamline the creation of documents relating to quality issues.
The package also includes Lab Accelerator, a template that includes sample documents, forms and data on Beckman’s lab equipment. The templates are intended to allow organizations to customize their database tables and fields, including employee information, laboratory information systems reports and other documents.
Amino Acid Could Aid Researchers
A University of California, Irvine, chemistry professor has created an amino acid that could help researchers looking into new drugs that regulate molecules involved with cancer, HIV and Alzheimer’s disease.
The amino acid created by UCI’s James Nowick and Kit Lam, a cancer researcher at the University of California, Davis, can be attached to small protein strands called peptides, making them fold into beta-sheet structures.
Beta-sheets are considered integral parts of complex protein structures and are involved with many protein interactions. But if the protein is either mutated or part of a viral or bacterial agent, the beta-sheet interactions can be involved in disease.
“By studying the interactions of peptides containing our amino acid, we hope to learn more about the protein interactions and to ultimately learn how to develop compounds that control these interactions,” Nowick said in a statement. “Thus, our amino acid may eventually serve as the basis for developing new drugs to control these diseases.”
Nowick and Lam’s findings appeared in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation supported the research.
Irvine Touts Medical Technology
Late last month, Destination Irvine, an arm of the Irvine Chamber of Commerce, hosted a showcase of life science and biotechnology companies in the city. The event was geared toward members of the pharmaceutical and medical trade press, as well as global media outlets.
Company officials at the event spoke on various topics, such as their presence in Irvine, access to labor, closeness to the University of California, Irvine, and specific research, products or technology.
The first day’s activities included a tour of UCI and the Beckman Laser Institute’s Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics.
Speakers included Vincent Simmon, president of Irvine-based Cortex Pharmaceuticals Inc., which is developing a proprietary class of drugs for treating neurological disorders, and Bob Cockrell, founder of Ambry Genetics Corp., Costa Mesa, which develops DNA tests.
The second day featured presentations from Stuart Foster, corporate vice president, technology and discovery at Irvine heart valve maker Edwards Lifesciences Corp., and NeoTherapeutics Inc., which recently saw its Neotrofin drug for Alzheimer’s fail a key clinical test.
Bits and Pieces:
Cardiac Science Inc., Irvine, signed a joint marketing pact with the Institute for Applied Management and Law Inc., Newport Beach. Under the pact, the companies will promote Cardiac Science’s Powerheart automated external defibrillator to the institute’s client base of more than 20,000 public and private companies Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Newport Beach, introduced HomMed Monitor, a device intended to manage patients with congestive heart failure Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center marked its 30th anniversary late last month The Adaptive Business Leaders Organization, Orange, named three Orange County health executives as finalists for its Innovations in Healthcare awards, being presented Wednesday. They are Bob Rosenbluth, chief executive of Aliso Viejo-based MicroVention Inc.; Gary Coughlen, co-founder of Refractec Inc., Laguna Hills; and Chris Selecky, chief executive of LifeMasters Supported SelfCare Inc., Irvine Pocket Reference Journals, Fountain Valley, launched a “sugar-free” cruise series for people with diabetes. The cruises include lectures and discussions in self-management, skin and foot care and nutrition.
