Industry News

GOLD 2011 disease severity classification in COPDGene: a prospective cohort study

MeiLan K Han, Hana Muellerova, Douglas Curran-Everett, Mark T Dransfield, George R Washko, Elizabeth A Regan, Russell P Bowler, Terri H Beaty, John E Hokanson, David A Lynch, Paul W Jones, Antonio Anzueto, Fernando J Martinez, James D Crapo, Edwin K Silverman, Barry J Make

Summary
Background The 2011 GOLD (Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease [COPD]) consensus report uses symptoms, exacerbation history, and forced expiratory volume (FEV1)% to categorise patients according to disease severity and guide treatment. We aimed to assess both the influence of symptom instrument choice on patient category assignment and prospective exacerbation risk by category.

Published Online August 18, 2012
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COPD Foundation Announces Second Phase of Groundbreaking COPDGene Project

Largest study ever of the genetics of COPD strengthens efforts to identify approaches for diagnosing, classifying and treating specific subtypes of the disease

WASHINGTON, Aug 07, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The COPD Foundation (COPDF) recently announced that the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) will fund the second phase (2012-2017) of the COPDGene project as R01 grants to National Jewish Health and the Brigham and Women's Hospital. The grant enables scientists to build on the first phase of the COPDGene Study in analyzing the human genome comprehensively to find additional genetic predispositions to developing COPD. By understanding the biological mechanisms causing COPD, the Study could lead to specific treatments that would prevent further progression of the disease.

"The importance of this Study, and NHLBI's continued funding, is paramount," says John W. Walsh, president and co-founder of the COPD Foundation. "This research has the potential to identify the set of genes that controls susceptibility to COPD. Such information would aid the development of new therapies that could improve the quality of life for individuals with COPD - and potentially save lives."

The COPDGene cohort of 10,171 subjects was created by medical centers across the US and is composed of subjects with a background of heavy smoking and who either have COPD or are at risk for developing this disease. In the second phase of this project, follow-up visits at a five-year interval from the initial visit will be done on all available COPDGene subjects in order to determine longitudinal changes in disease development and progression.

Walsh adds, "Ultimately, by providing a greater understanding of COPD, the COPDGene Study lays a solid foundation for the development of personalized therapy."

About COPD Foundation

The mission of the COPD Foundation is to develop and support programs, which improve the quality of life through research, education, early diagnosis, and enhanced therapy for persons whose lives are impacted by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. The C.O.P.D. Information Line, 866-316-COPD (2673), is a toll-free number for information and referrals on COPD, offering callers access to peer-to-peer patients and caregiver associates.

American Lung Association supports CT screening for smokers

April 23, 2012 -- Based on mounting evidence that lung cancer screening with CT can save lives, the American Lung Association today recommended CT lung cancer screening for smokers and former smokers. The move is a major step toward the development of a population-based CT screening program in the U.S.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the U.S., with more than 150,000 deaths per year and a five-year survival rate as low as 15%. CT screening is the only path -- outside of never smoking to begin with -- that has shown significant potential to reduce lung cancer's toll.Read Full Article »

Emphysema on CT scans tied to higher lung cancer risk

By Reuters Health

April 16, 2012 -- NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Emphysema that is visible to a doctor reading a CT scan is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, according to a report online March 19 in Lung Cancer.
There was no such increased risk when emphysema was detected by a computer interpreting the scan.

"Our suspicion is that radiologists and automated computer software may detect different types of emphysema," Dr. Benjamin M. Smith from McGill University, Montreal, Canada, told Reuters Health in an email. "With respect to lung cancer risk, it would appear radiologists detect the type of emphysema that matters. Currently we are investigating the differences between emphysema detected by radiologists and by computer software. This research will shed new light on the complexity of emphysema and its association with lung cancer."
Dr. Smith and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of seven published studies to explore the evidence of association between emphysema detected on CT and lung cancer risk.

Five studies of chest CT in patients without a history of lung cancer met prespecified quality requirements. They included a total of 7,368 subjects, including 2,809 with emphysema detected on CT and 870 diagnosed with lung cancer. The pooled odds of lung cancer were 2.11-fold higher among patients with emphysema on CT compared to those without emphysema.

When the patients were stratified by detection method, the pooled odds of lung cancer were 3.5 when emphysema was detected visually by an individual interpreting the CT scan, whereas there was no significant increase in the odds of lung cancer when emphysema was detected using quantitative densitometry.

"Patients found to have emphysema detected visually on CT scan are at increased risk of developing lung cancer," Dr. Smith concluded. "For such patients, smoking cessation should be strongly encouraged. I would also advise them of the potential benefits (and risks) of participating in lung cancer screening program, highlighting that having emphysema, in addition to smoking, puts them at particularly high risk of developing lung cancer."

By Will Boggs MD
Source: http://bit.ly/IAXFWj

Imaging equipment services sector projected to rise

By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
April 6, 2012

Global demand for imaging equipment services is expected to rise sharply over the next five years, according to a new report by market research firm Global Industry Analysts (GIA). As the global economic picture begins to improve, a combination of factors is expected to propel the market to a value of $12.35 billion by 2017, GIA said.

The main factors driving growth include an increasing aging population and a growing need for medical imaging procedures, as well as technological advancements, increasing demand for high-end imaging and replacement systems, new clinical applications, and even buyers' increasing preference for refurbished equipment, GIA said.

Other trends boosting demand for medical equipment imaging services include the expanding portfolios of service providers, multivendor services, and demand from the mobile medical imaging equipment sector.

Despite reductions in new equipment orders during the recent recession due to budget cutbacks and the difficulty of obtaining financing, purchases of refurbished equipment have expanded in the U.S. and Europe as providers became more accustomed to its presence in the marketplace, GIA said.

Growth is projected to be strongest in the Asia-Pacific market, at 7% by 2017, followed by strong growth in Latin America and the Middle East. The largest equipment OEMs are expected to benefit most from the new business, GIA said.

Effect of Fissure Integrity on Lung Volume Reduction Using a Polymer Sealant* in Advanced Emphysema

Helgo Magnussen; Mordechai R Kramer; Anne-Marie Kirsten; Charles Marquette; Arschang Valipour; Franz Stanzel; Reiner Bonnet; Juergen Behr; Oren Fruchter; Yael Refaely; Ralf Eberhardt; Felix J F Herth

Posted: 03/30/2012; Thorax. 2012;67(4):302-308. © 2012 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & British Thoracic Society

Abstract

Rationale Interlobar fissure integrity has previously correlated with responsiveness to endobronchial lung volume reduction therapy in patients with advanced emphysema.
Objective This report summarises the effect of interlobar fissure integrity on responses to treatment with a novel endoscopic tissue sealant (AeriSeal emphysematous lung sealant (ELS)) that collapses hyperinflated lung. Download Article »

Picture Perfect: Imaging in Drug Discovery and Translational Medicine

Imaging is taking on new roles in clinical trials, discovery, and even patient stratification. By Allison Proffitt February 7, 2012 |
Imaging in drug discovery has been rising to the forefront of conversations more and more recently. The IT & Informatics Best Practices winner for 2010 was Novartis' Image Analysis Interface and ImageECD, while the Oyster Imaging Collaborative Portal from Pfizer won an honorable mention in 2011. Managing editor Allison Proffitt spoke with Ken Kilgore, Director of Immunology Pharmacology at Janssen Research & Development (formerly Centocor Research & Development), a Johnson & Johnson company, about how—and why—imaging's role is changing in drug discovery.Read Article »

ALung poised for sales in Germany

By Alex Nixon PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEWFriday, February 3, 2012

ALung Technologies Inc. closed on a $10 million fundraising round last week as it prepares to begin selling its artificial lung in Germany this year, the company said on Thursday.

The South Side medical-device company has raised $40 million from investors since its founding in 1997. Alung, though, expects to need at least $25 million more before it's ready to start selling in the United States, said CEO Peter DeComo.

"It's become much, much more expensive to get a product fully approved" by the European Union and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, he said.

Not only is approval more expensive. It's difficult convincing investors to fork over millions of dollars to a start-up after the financial crisis of 2008 and resulting recession, DeComo said.

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The Future of InterVapor: Q&A with Uptake's Chief Medical Officer Steven Kesten

InterVapor, from Uptake Medical (Tustin, CA), is a non-surgical endoscopic lung volume reduction procedure that uses thermal ablation without leaving foreign materials in the lung. In clinical studies of patients with severe emphysema, InterVapor has demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in breathing function, exercise capacity and quality of life. The company has now closed a Series C funding round, which will support commercialization of InterVapor for treatment of severe emphysema. This news comes on the heels of Uptake Medical receiving CE mark approval for InterVapor in September, completing the first commercial use of InterVapor in Germany in November, and recently announcing TGA approval for InterVapor to be marketed in Australia. Steven Kesten, Chief Medical Officer at Uptake Medical, answered our questions about the company and its technology: Read Article »

Pulmonx Gains Regulatory Approval for Expanded Labeling for Emphysema Treatment

New labeling clears the way for the treatment of many more patients

NEUCHATEL, Switzerland, Jan 10, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Pulmonx SARL today announced that its European notified body has granted CE approval for expanded labeling of its Zephyr(R) endobronchial valve (EBV). The approval was based upon an independent review of clinical data from numerous studies including the recently completed Chartis multi-center study(1) and the European VENT study (a randomized multi-center European trial of Zephyr EBV therapy)(2).Read Article »

Make CT Scans Part of Lung Cancer Screen, Group Says

By Charles Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: November 03, 2011

Patients at high risk for lung cancer should have regular screening with low-dose CT scans, according to guidelines issued by a consortium of the nation's major cancer centers.

A negative scan should be followed by annual low-dose CT scans for three years and then periodically until age 74, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommended in the guideline for lung cancer screening.Read Article »

The impact of quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery: Charting our course for the future.

Yi-Xiang J Wang1, Chin K. Ng2 Quant Imaging Med Surg Sep 11, 2011. DOI: 10.3978/j.issn.2223-4292.2011.09.01

Visual inspection and interpretation by radiologists or other physicians with adequate trainings are the currently acceptable clinical practices of exploring and utilizing the information generated by various medical imaging technologies. This approach is considered adequate for disease detection, diagnosis, and even for disease staging. Modern imaging techniques, however, can be employed to collect both quantitative anatomic information and in vivo metabolic or functional information. Read Article »

NIH-funded study shows 20 percent reduction in lung cancer mortality with low-dose CT compared to chest X-ray:

NCI Press Release: Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Scientists have found a 20 percent reduction in deaths from lung cancer among current or former heavy smokers who were screened with low-dose helical computed tomography (CT) versus those screened by chest X-ray. The primary research results from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) were published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine.Read Article »