Brief summaries of recent product and company developments in the device industry, including the demise of GE's proposed $8 billion acquisition of Abbott Diagnosticss, the Cytyc/Hologic merger, and Alsius' SPAC merger.

A preview of the emerging health care companies profiled in the current issue of Start-Up. This month's profile group, Building a Better Drug for Schizophrenia, features profiles of Galenea Corp., Potomac Pharma Inc., Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Xytis Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Plus these Start-Ups Across Health Care: Aqueduct Medical Inc., CryoFluor Therapeutics LLC, 3DM Inc. and Xigen SA.

Off-label use of multiple drugs has become a widespread clinical practice in treating schizophrenia. Potomac Pharma Inc. aims to improve outcomes by developing a highly selective alpha-2 antagonists for adjunctive use in treating neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Start-ups in pursuit of novel targets are capturing the attention of venture capitalists.