Wednesday, November 30, 2011

FLEXIWARE 7 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY

We would like to hear from you. It has been just over a year since flexiWare 7 was released for both the new flexiVent FX and the legacy flexiVent systems. Your experience with this new software is extremely valuable to us in understanding your needs and ensuring that our future product developments continue to help you achieve your experimental goals. Your feedback is an integral part of our R&D and design process, as we strive to ensure that your data is as accurate and reproducible as possible.

As you are well aware, the changes we made in moving from flexiVent 5.3 to flexiWare 7 were big. With flexiWare 7, we have moved to a complete, integrated database architecture, which has allowed us to implement features designed to save you time in the lab and increase your efficiency when reviewing and exporting your data. flexiWare 7 consists of three different software modules integrated together – Study planning, Experimentation Session and Data Review.

Study Planning: this module is designed to allow you to save time during experimentation sessions by pre-planning your experimentation day. This module allows you to input your complete protocol, create subjects, define experimental groups and assign those subjects to experimental groups in advance.

Experimentation Session: this module is similar to that of older software versions, as it is where the data is collected. We have now included a much easier to use script editor, the ability to edit and save multiple ventilation patterns on the fly and improved the overall user interface. You are now able to continuously record data such as vital signs as well as the pressure/volume traces. The system has automatic data set and calibration validation and has retained other key aspects from previous versions.

Data Review: this module allows you to view data from multiple experimentation sessions all in one convenient location. You are now able to create export scenarios, which can include data from multiple (or all) experimentation sessions associated to a particular study. You are also able to standardize conditions across experimentation sessions and reanalyze data according to the new conditions established, thus giving you full control of your data.

All users of flexiWare 7 are eligible to participate in this survey, irrespective of the model of flexiVent you currently have installed. We look forward to hearing your feedback on these software changes. Please click this link to complete your anonymous survey.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to participate.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Join SCIREQ USA at the AZBio Expo

SCIREQ USA premiers in Arizona at the AZBio EXPO this Friday, October 14, in Chandler!

We look forward to meeting other members of the Arizona Biotech Industry community at our first local conference. Please visit the EXPO for an introduction to our product lines, including the flexiVent and inExpose, or to discuss your preclinical pulmonary research application.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Must See: McGill Dances for Cancer Research

While this is not strictly related to pulmonary research, we'd like to invite all readers of this blog to watch researchers dance for donations! In what is probably one of most creative ways to fund medical research, scientists and staff of McGill's Goodman Cancer Research Centre got up and danced down the aisles of their labs, earning a donation from a sponsor for every click on their YouTube video. Go ahead, it's fun for a good cause!

Monday, September 26, 2011

When in Amsterdam...Visit SCIREQ at ERS!


If you happen to be attending the European Respiratory Society Annual Meeting that is currently being held in Amsterdam (until Sept 28), make sure to stop by the joint SCIREQ/emka Technologies booth number F35 for a demonstration of our flexiVent and inExpose product lines. There are several new and exciting products on display at the booth, from the new flexiVent FX system that is on display for the first time in Europe to a prototype of the upcoming extension for up to four parallel subjects (see earlier postings on this blog).

As conferences go, you probably already have a pretty packed schedule, but if you have some space in your agenda here are a couple of interesting sessions and posters you could go to:

  • ‘Highlights in lung function 2011’ , Oral Presentation, Tuesday 10:45-12:45, Room 3.1 
  • ‘Translational models of airway disease’, Oral Presentation, Wednesday 8:30-10:30, Room 5.2.
  • ‘Experimental pulmonary hypertension’, Poster Discussion P3347, Tuesday 8:30-10:30, Room E102
  • ‘Efficacy of inhaled anti-IL-13 mAb in a mouse model of asthma’, Poster Discussion P4105, Tuesday 12:50-14:40 Hall 2-28
  • ‘Hypoxic exposure after smoke cessation restores alveolar surface area in mice’, Poster Discussion P3830, Tuesday 12:50-14:40 Hall 2-14

For additional details on these sessions please consult the online program.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Join SCIREQ at the Jackson Lab this September

SCIREQ’s chief scientist, Dr. Annette Robichaud, is a confirmed speaker at the “Workshop of Phenotyping Mouse Models of Human Lung Disease” to be held Sept 18-23, 2011 at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor ME.

The primary purpose of this workshop is to demonstrate how mouse models may be used to study pulmonary disease states in humans.  Using a mix of theory and practical application; participants will learn techniques for measuring lung function and mechanics, assessing models of lung disease and pathology; as well as techniques for in-vivo imaging. This is a great opportunity to discuss your ongoing flexiVent experiments with Dr. Robichaud as well as to try the newly redesigned flexiVent FX system.

There are still spots open, so register today at http://courses.jax.org/2011/human-lung.html

Friday, July 22, 2011

SUMMER SALE ON FLEXIVENT SOFTWARE UPGRADES

We are pleased to announce that for a limited time, we offer substantial savings of up to 50% on software upgrades for users of legacy flexiVent systems currently operated under flexiVent software version 5.3 or earlier. We strongly recommend that users of flexiVent 5.2 or earlier take this opportunity to update their systems at least to version 5.3, or ideally to flexiWare 7.

Why should you upgrade?

Our software continuously evolves, as do the operating systems and computers you run it on. To help you keep your software up to date and ensure that your system runs smoothly and reliably, we currently offer discounts on two upgrade options.

Preferably, we recommend that you upgrade to the new flexiWare 7. This software is completely redesigned to overcome some of the central limitations of our version 5.x and earlier software. flexiWare 7 consists of three distinct modules for Study Planning, Experimentation and Review & Reporting. A new data streaming feature permits continuous recording of breathing pattern parameters and vital signs throughout an experimentation session in addition to the familiar Forced Oscillation manoeuvres to measure respiratory mechanics. All data are stored into a database backend, allowing pooled review of data from multiple experimentation sessions from one or more flexiVent systems or other SCIREQ data acquisition instruments. Please contact our application specialists to find out about all the great features of flexiWare 7 and how they can help manage and accelerate your studies.

As a less costly alternative, we offer upgrades to flexiVent software version 5.3 for all users of version 5.2 or earlier. This upgrade will ensure continued technical support, stability and compatibility with current operating systems.

Important Notice: As of September 1st, 2011, SCIREQ Technical Support will no longer be able to provide the full range of technical support services for systems using flexiVent software version 5.2 or older.

What’s the offer?

Combined hardware/software upgrades from flexiVent 5.x to flexiWare 7.1 are available at a special substantially discounted package price. Software-only upgrades from flexiVent 5.2 or lower to version 5.3 or flexiWare 7 are available at discounts ranging from 25 to 50%. Your specific upgrade needs and options depend on your current system configuration. Please contact a SCIREQ application specialist or your nearest distributor for details on which upgrade is recommended for your system.

This offer is valid for written purchase orders received on or before August 31st, 2011.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

FLEXIVENT 5.3 SERVICE PACK 4 RELEASED

It is our pleasure to announce that Service Pack 4 for flexiVent 5.3 was recently released and is now available for download from the TechNet section of our website. This service pack resolves an intermittent stability issue experienced by some users on more recent EC controller models, recognizable by two Sync connectors on the rear panel. For users of older EC controller models that feature a COM port on the rear panel, this service pack is without effect and does not need to be installed.

Please note that we recommend that you ultimately upgrade you flexiVent system to run on the more recent flexiWare 7 software platform.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

FLEXIWARE 7.1.1 RELEASE

We would like to announce the release of Service Pack 1 for flexiWare 7.1.This service pack provides the following enhancements:

  • The embedded display on the flexiVent base unit now echoes instructions to the user during calibration as well as offering additional information and improved formatting during ventilation and perturbation execution.

  • flexiWare now recovers and resynchronizes with ongoing experimentation sessions in the event of a host-side failure without interruption of mechanical ventilation.

  • Error handling has been improved to provide more descriptive error messages and allows users to better manage exceptions.

  • An issue related to nebulizer priming during the initialization of an experimentation session has been resolved.

  • An issue leading to intermittent firmware instabilities has been resolved.

Please visit the TechNet section of our website to download.

Friday, May 6, 2011

WELCOME TO SCIREQ

Hello, and welcome to the SCIREQ blog!

First things first: SCIREQ is a biomedical engineering company that specializes in design, manufacturing and marketing of scientific apparatus for pre-clinical pulmonary research. Our clients include scientists from all over the world who study lung physiology and pathophysiology, investigating diseases such as Asthma, Emphysema, Chronic Bronchitis, Fibrosis and many others.

On this blog, a number of contributors will be posting about a variety of topics, including events such as user group meetings, conferences and trade shows, new products, interesting publications and general trends in our industry and your field of research. We hope that these contributions will be informative, and with your comments and contributions, they will hopefully start some interesting discussions. So post your comments and the debate – we look forward to hearing from you!

In the coming days and weeks, look for information on our newest product, the Parallel Subject Extension for the flexiVent.