(Charlotte, N.C.) Nexxus Lighting, Inc. (NASDAQ: NEXS) announced today it has begun production and shipment of its new Array™ Quantum LED R30 replacement light bulb. Developed in conjunction with QD Vision, this is the first commercially available LED lamp that utilizes quantum dots to deliver true 2700° Kelvin, high-color rendering (91 CRI) incandescent warm white light at an industry leading 60 lumens per watt. Read the rest of this entry →

(Chapel Hill, N.C.) PharPoint Research, Inc., a drug development service company providing biostatistics and data management services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, announces that it has incorporated Medrio’s EDC technology platform into its growing suite of data management applications. Read the rest of this entry →

(Charlotte, N.C.) Mariner, an industry-leading business intelligence and performance management solutions provider, is pleased to present “Visualizing Success: Visualization Strategies for Better Decisions,” a business intelligence event series designed for the executive suite and their direct reports. The four-session series kicks off with “Data Visualization in Action” on Thursday, March 25th, 7:30 am eastern, featuring Visualization Expert, Stephen Few. Read the rest of this entry →

(Raleigh, N.C.) LipoScience, Inc., a high growth diagnostic company, announced today that Richard O. Brajer, the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, will be presenting at the Cowen and Company 30th Annual Health Care Conference on Monday, March 8, at 1:00 p.m. EST at the Boston Marriott Copley Plaza. Read the rest of this entry →

(Research Triangle Park, N.C.) Precision BioSciences, Inc., today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has issued non-final Actions Closing Prosecution in the reexamination proceedings for U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,833,252 (“the ‘252 patent”) and 7,214,536 (“the ‘536 patent”) that are owned by the Institut Pasteur and the Universite Pierre et Marie Cure (UPMC), and licensed to Cellectis, SA (ALCLS). For the second time, the PTO has rejected all claims under consideration as lacking novelty and/or as obvious in view of a variety of references, including many that were not provided to the patent examiners during prosecution by the patent applicants. Read the rest of this entry →

(Durham, N.C.) Asparity Decision Solutions, a leading provider of decision support and data solutions in health care and employee benefits, has announced its PlanSmartChoice Plus award recipients for the 2010 Open Season. This award recognizes the top-rated health plans in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program based on their PlanSmartChoice results and user satisfaction ratings. PlanSmartChoice is an online suite of health plan selection tools available free to all federal employees to help them select a medical plan that best provides for their personal and financial needs. Read the rest of this entry →

(Research Triangle Park, N.C.) Humacyte, Inc. and Xcellerex, Inc. have entered into an initial strategic collaboration for Xcellerex to develop a novel manufacturing process that will enable the production of Humacyte’s lead regenerative medicine product using Xcellerex’s XDR single use bioreactor system in its FlexFactory®. Humacyte’s product is a large diameter vascular graft that is based on its innovative and proprietary platform technology for engineering human, extracellular matrix-based tissues that have properties that are similar to native tissues. Humacyte’s vascular grafts represent a breakthrough that will first be used for arterio-venous access in patients on hemodialysis and eventually would be used as a replacement of diseased or damaged blood vessels. Xcellerex will provide development expertise and product manufacturing in exchange for manufacturing development fees from Humacyte. Humacyte will utilize the initial grafts produced under this collaboration for preclinical development, and the parties may continue their collaboration for the development of large scale manufacturing of vascular grafts for transplantation for clinical and commercial use. The FlexFactory will enable Humacyte to later scale up its production to meet late stage clinical and worldwide commercial market demands. The technology for cultivation of vascular grafts was developed by Humacyte using small-scale bioreactors that produced one graft at a time. The grafts have successfully completed animal tests, enabling Humacyte to begin scale up for manufacturing of grafts for human clinical trials and eventually commercial production. The collaboration is partially funded by a Small Business Innovation Research grant awarded to the companies by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Read the rest of this entry →

(Charlotte, N.C.) OrthoCarolina and Mariner are highlighted in a case study recently issued by Microsoft that spotlights the benefits of a Microsoft-based business intelligence practice management solution. Mariner, an industry-leading business intelligence and performance management solutions provider, helped design and implement a complete Microsoft Business Intelligence Solution for OrthoCarolina. One of the nation’s largest specialty practices, OrthoCarolina was formed when two local orthopedic practices merged. OrthoCarolina and Mariner collaborated to develop dashboards and analytical tools that enable the combined medical practice to operate more effectively. The business intelligence solution empowers doctors to improve clinical outcomes, boost operational efficiency, and increase patient satisfaction. Read the rest of this entry →

(Wilmington, N.C.) PPD, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPDI) today announced it has achieved national Gold Well Workplace designation by Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA), becoming one of only two North Carolina companies honored in 2009 for its commitment to protecting and enhancing the health and well-being of its employees. Well Workplace designation is a rigorous process, which measures companies against seven health-focused benchmarks, including CEO support, creating cohesive wellness teams, data collection to drive health efforts, crafting an operating plan, choosing appropriate interventions, creating a supportive environment and consistently evaluating outcomes. Read the rest of this entry →

(Apex, N.C.) Excel Physical Therapy in Apex has launched a new, informative website detailing the six-year-old clinic’s personalized approach to hands-on care for adults, teens, kids and seniors rehabbing injuries or recovering from surgery. The website, www.xlpt.net, provides insight for patients and referring physicians into Excel’s consultative care model incorporating manual therapeutic techniques at their fully equipped PT clinic and customized patient home exercise programs. Read the rest of this entry →

(Durham, N.C.) Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISPH) announced today financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2009, reporting a net loss of $2.6 million or ($0.03) per share for the fourth quarter and a net loss of $40.0 million or ($0.60) per share for the full year. Read the rest of this entry →

(Charlotte, N.C.) Mariner and Microsoft invite school district and Department of Education leaders to participate in a series of Web sessions that began January 19th and continue with the second session on March 23rd. The series, entitled “Managing for Performance: From the School to the State House,” highlights education analytics that improve student achievement and are the backbone of data-driven initiatives in K-12 organizations across the country. The third and fourth sessions will take place April 20th and May 18th. An archive of past sessions is available for on-demand reference. Read the rest of this entry →