SCIREQ Inc.

flexiWare 7.2 Service Release

noreply@blogger.com (Mackenzie) — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:12:00 +0000

We would like to announce the release of Service Pack 2 for flexiWare 7.2. This release resolves an issue with mechanical ventilation when used with flexiVent systems.

Description of the Issue

The nature of the issue we recently identified and resolved is such that the pressure limit was not always properly applied during Controlled Mechanical Ventilation (CMV). The issue was first introduced with the release of version 7.2, therefore users of flexiWare 7.1.1 or lower are not affected. Users of flexiWare 7.2 should note that for most experimental protocols used with the flexiVent, the pressure limit is encountered only at high levels of bronchoconstriction and elevated PEEP. Therefore, with very few possible exceptions, there should be no significant impact on the outcomes of your experiments.

There are no other changes in flexiWare 7.2.2, therefore there is no need to update from 7.2.1 to 7.2.2 for users who do not work with flexiVent instruments and CMV.

Download Instructions

To download flexiWare 7.2.2, please log into the TechNet section of our website. Upgrading from previous releases of flexiWare 7.2 does not require a new registration code or unlocking key, however a firmware upgrade will be necessary.

SCIREQ acquires SCL Medtech Product Lines

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:29:00 +0000

We are pleased to announce that SCIREQ Scientific Respiratory Equipment Inc. has acquired the activities of SCL Medtech Inc. SCL Medtech offers a family of products for aerosol research, inhalation toxicology and occupational Asthma, including the GenaSIC™, GenaSOL™ and GenaMINI™ product lines. Details about these products may be found at www.sclmedtech.com.

Integration Opportunities

SCL Medtech's product lines present an ideal complement to our current SCIREQ products, providing an array of exciting integration opportunities. We anticipate that these will rapidly translate into net benefits for our clients, and we look forward to posting further details in this regard as they become available.

Sustained Service

For current SCL Medtech clients, SCIREQ will honour all open quotations and existing service contracts for SCL Medtech products. SCL Medtech clients can also expect to benefit from SCIREQ's international presence and our established relationship with the pulmonary research community.

For further details, please contact info@scireq.com or info@sclmedtech.com.

Strong Attendance at SOT 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Approximately 7,200 scientists from academia and industry met earlier this week at the annual Society of Toxicology meeting in San Francisco. We would like to thank the numerous attendees who stopped by the SCIREQ booth in the ToxExpo exhibit hall. It was a pleasure to meet you, and to have an opportunity to present our products and discuss your applications. We will contact you to follow up on those discussions in the near future.

Next Opportunity: EB

For those who missed SOT, the next opportunity to meet us at a conference will be at the Experimental Biology meeting that takes place April 22-24 in San Diego, CA.

2012: Preview to an Exciting New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:15:00 +0000

The New Year is already more than a month old, and we hope that it started out well for all our clients, colleagues and associates. For SCIREQ, 2012 promises to become an exciting year during which we expect to roll out a number of interesting innovations to make your experiments more accurate, efficient and traceable.

Skip to: Multi-subject flexiVent | Conscious Oscillatory Mechanics | Translational Research | flexiWare 7 | Pressure Control Ventilation

Multi-subject flexiVent

One of our upcoming new products that has already received a lot of attention is the multi-subject extension for the flexiVent, a prototype of which was shown at last year’s ATS meeting in Denver [1]. This extension combines the efficiency of easily and simultaneously measuring respiratory mechanics in four parallel subjects with the highly detailed input impedance and Constant Phase Model measurements that make the flexiVent so unique. We expect to launch an initial version supporting mice at this year’s ATS meeting, with versions for rats and guinea pigs to follow by the end of the year. A call for beta testers for this device will follow soon on this blog.

Multi-subject extension for the flexiVent.

ZTR: OSCILLATION MECHANICS GOES CONSCIOUS

Our team of scientists and engineers continues to work towards a mature, easy to use solution for measuring transfer impedance (Ztr) in conscious subjects. Following up on our last year’s poster [2], we will present more data on this topic at this year’s ATS meeting. It is yet a bit too early to predict when this technique will become commercially available, but we will of course keep you posted about further developments.

TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH

Translational research has become one of the scientific buzz words of the decade. At SCIREQ, we are doing what we can to offer scientists tools that permit relating measurements obtained in the lab to those obtained at the bedside. A couple of years ago, we introduced an extension to the flexiVent permitting measurements of FEV_0.1 in mice. A version of this extension for larger subjects is expected later this year. There are a number of important differences between these measurements and human spirometry [3], but this technique nonetheless offers at least a first degree of continuity as you compare preclinical and clinical data.

Our engagement in translational research won’t stop there, though. Ultimately, we are working towards a set of techniques that can be applied virtually identically in laboratory animals and humans to permit a much closer correlation between results from the lab and the clinic. We expect to publish more on this topic in the course of the next few months.

FLEXIWARE 7 CONTINUES TO EVOLVE

With the introduction of the new flexiVent FX system in 2010, we also released our new flexiWare 7 software. As many of you know, this was not only an upgrade but a generation shift, and our software architecture is now more advanced, modern, efficient and expandable than ever before. As with any major transition, it took us and our distributors a few months to learn how to most efficiently present, configure and support this software to make sure it meets all your experimentation needs. This transition is now complete, and the new architecture and features translate into more efficient experimentation and data analysis for many labs. We’d love to give you a demo!

PRESSURE CONTROLLED VENTILATION

Our most recent flexiWare release, version 7.2, includes Pressure Controlled Ventilation (PCV) as a new ventilator mode. This feature is currently in beta test status and requires a special license key. If you are interested in using PCV, please contact our Technical Support team. Further ventilator modes are in preparation – details to follow...

References

[1] http://blog.scireq.com/2011/06/multi-subject-flexivent-unveiled-at-ats.html

[2] Am J Respir Crit Care Med 183;2011:A2187

[3] Shalaby et al., Respiratory Research 2010, 11:82

FLEXIWARE 7 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:03:00 +0000

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.

NEW ADDRESS FOR SCIREQ USA

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:29:00 +0000

SCIREQ USA has moved! We are pleased to announce our new office located in Tempe, Arizona.

Please update your records as follows:

SCIREQ USA
40 W Baseline Rd, Ste 204
Tempe, AZ 85283-1260
Fax: 480-559-9885
Toll-free: 877-5-SCIREQ (877-572-4737)

This expansion will allow us to further develop our exceptional service and support to our customers in the USA.

Join SCIREQ USA at the AZBio Expo

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:43:00 +0000

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.

Must See: McGill Dances for Cancer Research

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:54:00 +0000

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!

When in Amsterdam...Visit SCIREQ at ERS!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:28:00 +0000

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.

Join SCIREQ at the Jackson Lab this September

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:44:00 +0000

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

SUMMER SALE ON FLEXIVENT SOFTWARE UPGRADES

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:20:00 +0000

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.

FLEXIVENT 5.3 SERVICE PACK 4 RELEASED

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:25:00 +0000

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.

FLEXIWARE 7.1.1 RELEASE

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 20:55:00 +0000

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.

MULTI-SUBJECT FLEXIVENT UNVEILED AT ATS

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:56:00 +0000

The 2011 ATS International Conference took place in Denver, Colorado, a few weeks ago, and those who took a moment to stop by the SCIREQ booth were rewarded with an opportunity for a live preview of our upcoming multi-subject extension for the flexiVent. The prototype unit on display immediately captured the attention and imagination of our customers and even caused a bit of a stir among some of our competitors.

Proof of concept for studying multiple subjects with the flexiVent was provided at ATS 2010 when Robichaud et al. presented a flexiVent configuration that measured Transfer Impedance and obtained individual Resistance and Compliance values for each of two parallel anaesthetized subjects concurrently connected to a single flexiVent system. Continuing this project over the past twelve months resulted in the compact, elegant multi-subject extension prototype displayed at the SCIREQ booth at this year’s ATS, where the number of subjects has been extended to four parallel subjects.

With the new multi-subject extension, the flexiVent offers distinct study design advantages and greatly increases the efficiency of experimentation. The system will allow you to accelerate data collection and expediently carry out time-sensitive studies, for example when respiratory mechanics measurements must be obtained within a limited time after birth or an intervention. Detailed technical information about this product and additional pictures will be posted here and on our web site as they become available.

WELCOME TO SCIREQ

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas) — Fri, 06 May 2011 20:23:00 +0000

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.