Novartis to sell blood transfusion Dx arm for $1.7B; Scottish researchers launch lung cancer blood test study;

> Novartis ($NVS) plans to sell its blood transfusion diagnostics arm to Spain's Grifols for $1.7 billion. Story

> California's Genmark Diagnostics ($GNMK) generated $4.6 million in revenue during its 2013 third quarter and more than $10.8 million in net losses, declines shaped, in part, by the lack of purchases by a major customer. Item

> The Infectious Diseases Society of America is calling for the development of more diagnostic tests that are easy to use, can identify a bug causing an infection and generate quicker results compared with current tests. Item

> IntelligentMDx in Massachusetts won FDA clearance for a new C. difficile test designed for use on Abbott's ($ABT) fully automated m2000 system. The company also completed moving its operations to Waltham. Item

> Scottish researchers are launching a massive study of a blood test designed to detect lung cancer before symptoms start showing. Story