A Medical Device Daily

NinePoint Medical (Cambridge, Massachusetts), a maker of in vivo pathology medical devices, has entered into an intellectual property (IP) licensing agreement with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH; Boston). Under the agreement, NinePoint has certain exclusive rights in multiple fields to 188 patents and patent applications owned by MGH. This is the largest IP agreement for medical device technology in the hospital's history as well as one of the largest IP agreements overall for MGH. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

The patents and patent applications will support NinePoint's high-resolution optical imaging platform, which is based on a next-generation optical coherence tomography technology. NinePoint is currently developing a suite of optical imaging devices based upon its innovative platform for use initially in the gastrointestinal tract.

NinePoint's new suite of products is initially being developed to enable gastroenterologists and offsite pathologists to review advanced tissue images during biopsies and other therapeutic and diagnostic procedures, in real time. This capability would potentially provide physicians with immediately actionable information and eventually, the ability to treat questionable cells at the time of diagnosis. By streamlining the timeline and the steps required to go from diagnosis to treatment, NinePoint believes it can significantly improve patient experiences and outcomes, improve the efficiency of care and provide important savings to the healthcare system. Over time, the company believes that the technology will have broad applicability across a number of diagnostic and therapeutic categories.

“High quality images provided by optical frequency domain imaging – or OFDI – may one day enable physicians to implement routine, less invasive screening procedures for high-risk patients,“ said Gary Tearney, MD, PhD, a researcher in Pathology and the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and co-developer of the technology. “The ability to perform accurate diagnoses for conditions like Barrett's esophagus could also provide significant improvements over random biopsies that are currently the standard of care for patients at risk for developing esophageal cancer.“

NinePoint's product development strategy is currently focused on novel devices that can significantly improve the access, diagnosis and treatment standards for gastroesophageal reflux disease and Barrett's esophagus.

In other agreements/contracts news:

• Israel Biological Signal Processing (BSP; Tel Aviv, Israel), which makes products for the non invasive, accurate diagnosis of heart diseases, has signed a U.S. non-exclusive distribution agreement with Synergistic Medical Network (SMN; Los Angeles), to distribute and market its products to physicians in clinics and hospitals throughout the U.S. BSP's products are based on its HyperQ technology which offers first line diagnostics of unmatched performance for the detection of Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD).

“We believe that SMN, with its proven sales track record in the US, is optimally positioned to commercialize our revolutionary products,“ said Nissim Greisas, CEO of BSP. Greisas added: “In an atmosphere of increasing concerns over patient exposure to radiation and recent cutbacks on the payment for costly cardiac imaging modalities, our products provide a novel – low cost, radiation free and accurate IHD diagnostic option, ripe for wide implementation in the U.S. healthcare system.“

The HyperQ technology uses advanced signal processing techniques for extracting and analyzing valuable clinical information from high-resolution ECG signals, providing a diagnostic tool with superior accuracy, compared to conventional stress ECG analysis, BSP said.

Synergistic Medical Network is comprised of a network of over 120 independent representatives covering all 50 states in the U.S.

• iMDsoft (Needham, Massachusetts), a provider of hospital-wide clinical information systems, and Mindray (Mahwah, New Jersey), a medical device manufacturer, reported a new distribution agreement. Mindray will sell only clinical information systems by iMDsoft, and will be the sole distributor of MetaVision in China. Mindray will also distribute iMDsoft's MetaVision Suite solutions in 10 countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

The MetaVision Suite includes fully-integrated tools for data collection, presentation, order management, reporting, and analysis across the continuum of care. It promotes patient safety and enhances quality initiatives, cost containment, revenue capture, research, and compliance.

“We are very pleased to forge this agreement with iMDsoft,“ said Guo Yanmei, VP of development and panning at Mindray. “After significant efforts preparing the Chinese market for iMDsoft's solution, we look forward to a long term, mutually beneficial cooperation. We are excited to offer the comprehensive MetaVision solution throughout mainland China and internationally.“

Mindray has three established business segments: patient monitoring and life support products, in vitro diagnostic products, and medical imaging systems.

“The Chinese healthcare market has experienced explosive growth over the past decade. We are proud to partner with Mindray, whose products hold a 40% market share in China,“ said Moshe Friedman, VP of Business Development and Marketing, iMDsoft. “Together we can offer compelling solutions for hospitals all over the world.“