Mark Eaton, President and CEO of Stellarray, said “HI-DAXS is well-suited to stationary CT and tomosynthesis, as it uses our cold cathode technology to make very fast x-ray pixels in a unique two-dimensional addressing format. This enables CT systems which are faster, more compact and cheaper than anything currently envisioned, with the added benefit of two-dimensional electronic scanning. HI-DAXS may also be an excellent source for phase contrast imaging.”

Dr. Nalin Kumar, Chief Technology Officer, is directing the project. Dr. Kumar has been a leader in cold cathode development for over twenty years and invented flat diamond cold cathodes at the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation, where he and Mr. Eaton were colleagues.

Stellarray develops and produces flat panel radiation sources and systems using them. The company’s first system product is a self-contained blood irradiator (SCBI) for ensuring the safety of transfusion blood supplies without the use of dangerous radioactive isotopes. SCBI uses a simpler version of the company’s flat panel x-ray sources and has been developed with support from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of NIH. For further information please contact Mark Eaton at (512) 997-7781 or eaton@stellar-micro.com.

Stellarray, Inc. announced today that it will exhibit an improved prototype of its Self-Contained Blood Irradiator (SCBI) at the American Association of Blood Banks show at the San Diego Convention Center, October 22-25. Stellarray will be at Booth 744 and invites interested parties from blood banks, hospitals and other transfusion centers to stop by. SCBI has not yet received FDA clearance and is not yet available for sale. The device is intended to treat transfusion blood supplies to treat a fatal condition known as graft-versus-host disease.

SCBI will be the first medical device to use Stellarray’s patent-pending flat panel X-ray sources (FPXS), a new kind of X-ray source which produces the radiation over a broad, externally exposed X-ray target, instead of a single point like a traditional X-ray tube. The FPXS is well-suited to blood irradiation and to sterilization applications since it produces X-rays more efficiently than tubes, matches the flux generation and target areas to efficiently use the X-rays and can dissipate heat efficiently over its broad target area. FPXS development has been supported by the NIST Advanced Technology Program, while SCBI development is being supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Stellarray, a spin-off of Stellar Micro Devices in Austin, is developing flat panel X-ray sources and products using them. Plain X-ray panels are being developed primarily for sterilization and materials processing applications. The digitally addressable panels are being developed for more imaging systems, where they will enable CT systems with no moving parts. For further information please contact Mark Eaton at (512) 997-7781 or eaton@stellar-micro.com.

Stellarray, Inc. announced today that it received an R01 grant subcontract from the National Institutes of Health, through prime contractor MD Anderson Cancer Center, for the development of four-dimensional digital tomosynthesis (4DDT) systems.   The grant is for five years and encompasses research and development for the real-time imaging of cancer-related angiogenesis, breast digital tomosynthesis and other imaging modalities.   Stellarray will make improved versions of its pixilated digitally addressable X-ray sources while the Digital Imaging Research Laboratory at MD Anderson will work on system design and prototyping.

Stellarray develops flat panel radiation sources and products using them.   Plain X-ray panels are primarily for sterilization while pixilated X-ray panels are being developed for advanced imaging applications.  Basic panel technology has been developed with previous support from the Air Force SBIR program and the Advanced Technology Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.  For further information please contact Mark Eaton at (512) 997-7781 or eaton@stellar-micro.com.

Stellarray, Inc. announced today that it will exhibit a prototype of its Self-Contained Blood Irradiator (SCBI) at the American Association of Blood Banks show at the Baltimore Convention Center, October 9-12.  Stellarray will be at Booth 444 and invites interested parties from blood banks, hospitals and other transfusion centers to stop by.  SCBI has not yet received FDA clearance and is not available for sale.   We are talking with prospective users now about what they would like to see in this product and would like them tell us how our prototype could meet their needs.

SCBI will be the first medical device to use Stellarray’s patent-pending flat panel X-ray sources (FPXS), a new kind of X-ray source which produces the radiation over a broad, externally exposed X-ray target, instead of a single point like a traditional X-ray tube.   The FPXS is well-suited to blood irradiation and to sterilization applications since it produces X-rays more efficiently than tubes, matches the flux generation and target areas to efficiently use the X-rays and can dissipate heat efficiently over its broad target area.   FPXS development has been supported by the NIST Advanced Technology Program, while SCBI development is being supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Stellarray, a spin-off of Stellar Micro Devices in Austin, is developing flat panel X-ray sources and products using them.   Plain X-ray panels are being developed primarily for sterilization and jaterials processing applications.  The digitally addressable panels are being developed for more imaging systems, where they will enable CT systems with no moving parts.  For further information please contact Mark Eaton at (512) 997-7781 or eaton@stellar-micro.com.

Stellarray, Inc. has received a grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to commercialize a blood irradiator using the company’s proprietary flat panel X-ray sources. Blood is routinely irradiated at hospitals and blood banks to prevent transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease, a usually fatal condition in which active T-leukocytes attack recipient organs, particularly in immuno-suppressed cases such as cancer patients. Irradiation is indicated in 10% of all blood/blood component transfusions in the U.S., meaning about 2.3 Mn blood units are irradiated per year. The predominant method is exposure to radioactive cesium 137. A 2008 report by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, however, identified cesium 137 as the single most hazardous isotope in the inventory and the top priority for phase out, since it has a long half-life and is made in a dispersible salt form, making it the prime candidate material for a dirty bomb.

The grant awards Stellarray $2,983,958 for a three-year project to commercialize a non-radioactive blood irradiator using the company’s flat panel X-ray sources, which produce X-rays across a broad X-ray target. The Stellarray self-contained blood irradiator (SCBI) will provide hospitals and blood banks a safe alternative that will be cheaper, lighter, smaller and easier to operate than current choices. Hospitals and blood banks will be relieved of the onerous and costly security measures now required with isotope irradiators. Some of the many institutions which have not been able to install an irradiator will now be able to provide this service. Stellarray plans to continue discussions with prospective users over the summer and fall and have the first SCBI model ready for exhibit in October. Stellarray will be applying for FDA approval this year.

The NIH award has been made with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Stellarray will work on this project with a local hospital, blood research organizations and the electronic sterilization research program at Texas A & M University. In addition to providing the required dose for preventing graft-versus-host disease, which is an established FDA standard, the project will also break new ground in researching the use of radiation to extend the shelf life of blood platelets. Platelets typically can only be stored for five days for fear of bacterial contamination. Radiation at the right doses under the right conditions may be able to extend this period.

Mark Eaton, Stellarray’s President and CEO, said “This award gives us a chance to serve two important public needs – national security and blood safety – at once. We have been talking with blood banks and hospitals for over a year and believe we will provide them an effective solution that will get them out of the security business so they can spend that time serving the needs of transfusion patients. If on top of that we can help to increase the blood platelet supply we will have made a further contribution.”

Stellarray develops flat panel radiation sources and products using them. Plain X-ray panels are primarily for sterilization while pixilated X-ray panels are being developed for advanced imaging applications, such as small, real-time CT systems. SCBI will be the company’s first branded product. The basic panel technology has been developed with previous support from the Air Force Research Laboratory SBIR program and the Advanced Technology Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. For further information please contact Mark Eaton at (512) 997-7781 or eaton@stellar-micro.com.

Stellarray, Inc. announced today that it has received a Phase I SBIR award from the National Science Foundation to develop a new class of radiation sources for the safe, efficient and economical  treatment of difficult contaminants in municipal wastewater systems.   These “large area radiation sources” (LARS) are being made in X-ray versions for the treatment of solid streams and UV-C versions for the treatment of fluid streams.  Large flat panel and long, closed pipe sources are being developed for both spectra.  All versions are based on proprietary cathode array technology developed at Stellarray.

Mark Eaton, Stellarray’s President and CEO, said “LARS are a fundamentally new type of source in that they use cathode arrays to emit electrical current across a vacuum to make the radiation.  In X-ray LARS, we turn an X-ray tube inside out to make a wide panel source, cool the anode efficiently and get the kind of power needed to treat things like ascaris eggs.  In UV-C LARS, we use the same kind of cathodes to excite powder phosphors, so our approach is very different from mercury lamps or LEDs.   It’s still early days, but we’re already within range of the power efficiency of medium pressure mercury lamps used now for fluid streams.  Both the panels and the pipes can be made in a range of sizes, and both are modular, so we will offer a flexible solution for treatment system design.”

Dr. Michael Mueller (Ph.D. UC Berkeley) is Principal Investigator on the project and leads work on panel and pipe prototypes.  The Electronic Sterilization program under Dr. Suresh Pillai at Texas A & M University is responsible for dosimetry and the measurement of sterilization effectiveness.   Their work includes testing LARS pipes and panels against parasite eggs in wastewater sludge and a range of bacterial contaminants in fluids, as well as investigating the effectiveness of radiation in breaking down estrogen.

Stellarray develops flat panel radiation sources and products using them.   Plain X-ray panels are primarily for sterilization while pixilated X-ray panels are being developed for advanced imaging applications.  Basic panel technology has been developed with previous support from the Air Force SBIR program and the Advanced Technology Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.  For further information please contact Mark Eaton at (512) 997-7781 or eaton@stellar-micro.com.

Stellarray, Inc. has received a Phase I SBIR grant from the National Cancer Institute of the U.S. National Institutes of Health to develop a new kind of breast imaging system that can improve the diagnostic accuracy of mammograms. This digital breast tomosynthesis system (DBTS) will be based on Stellarray’s digitally addressable X-ray source (DAXS) and enable three-dimensional imaging of the breast with no moving parts or motion blurring. 3D breast imaging can reduce the number of false positive and false negative readings by better resolving overlapping tissue types. The DBTS will require little or no compression of the breast, which will make mammograms more comfortable than they are now and encourage women to get them.

Dr. Mitali More, formerly a Radiology Research Associate at the University of Virginia Medical Center and a Research Engineer at the Imaging Technologies Lab of General Electric Global Research, will lead the research. The Digital Imaging Research Laboratory of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston is our partner on this project.

Mark Eaton, Stellarray’s President and CEO, said “We are pleased to start work in this important field of medical imaging and hope to make a significant contribution to women’s’ health. There is considerable room for improvement in the accuracy, comfort and accessibility of mammograms and DAXS-based systems should be able to fill a large part of it.”

Stellarray, a spin-off of Stellar Micro Devices in Austin, is developing flat panel X-ray sources and products using them. Plain X-ray panels will be released next year, primarily for sterilization systems, the first of which is a small irradiator for sterilizing transfusion blood supplies. The pixilated DAXS panels are being developed for more complex imaging systems, such as the DBTS, small animal imaging and portable CT systems. Both panels have been developed with support from the Advanced Technology Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. For further information please contact Mark Eaton at (512) 997-7781 or eaton@stellar-micro.com.

Stellarray, Inc. of Austin was named one of the most promising Life Science companies at the 8th Annual Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship Life Science Venture Forum in Houston last week. Life Science companies showcased their new ventures for an audience of more than 400 attendees, including investors, venture capitalists, industry representatives, business leaders, advisors/mentors, service providers, and entrepreneurs.

Cynthia A. Doerr, M.D., partner, Essex Woodlands Health Ventures said of the presenters, “This is one of the most mature groups of healthcare-related company presentations that I have reviewed in Houston, and I intend to follow their progress closely.”

Stellarray is developing “flat panel X-ray sources” with applications in the sterilization and medical imaging areas. The first products are blood irradiators, to replace current models that present a security risk due to their use of radioactive cesium isotopes. These will be followed by irradiators for the sterilization of medical products and pharmaceuticals. The company will also soon begin its first project in medical imaging, with the MD Anderson Cancer Center, for the development of a 3D breast imaging system aimed at improving the accuracy of mammograms. Development of the flat panel X-ray source has been supported by the Air Force SBIR program and the NIST Advanced Technology Program.

Stellarray CEO Mark Eaton said that “This award is the result of considerable hard work by our development team and a fitting recognition of the potential of our new way of making X-rays. We intend to make a positive difference in several life science fields, starting with safer ways of purifying transfusion blood supplies.”

The one day event culminated in an announcement of the Most Promising Life Science Companies chosen from nearly 35 competitors and judged by the Rice Alliance Information Technology Advisory Board, based on the companies’ elevator pitch presentations. The exercise simulates meeting an investor on an elevator and having only 90 seconds to convince them to invest in your company.

In addition, five other new life science technology companies were pre-selected to present their 10 minute business plan presentation at the forum, and as one of the chosen five, were also named a Most Promising Life Science Technology Company.

Rice Alliance Director Brad Burke, announced the winners of the Most Promising Life Science Company awards at the event. “Every year the quality of companies improves. Many of the companies at this year’s event have developed prototypes, obtained proven results and are on their second round of funding. This makes them more appealing to investors, who have also expressed appreciation for the quality of the companies.”

The Forum was supported by Baker Botts, LLP, Essex Woodlands Health Ventures, Winstead Attorneys and Oracle with media sponsors Houston Business Journal and the BusinessMakers Radio Show. Elevator pitches from the competition can be heard at businessmakersradioshow.com starting June 20, 2009.