ANNOUNCEMENT

Save $150 on MedCity CONVERGE Healthcare Innovation Summit July 9-10 in Philadelphia. Offer ends July 8..

Thomas Lee

Thomas Lee

Thomas Lee was the Minnesota Bureau Chief for MedCityNews.

Follow Thomas Lee: Website |


Venture capitalist abandons effort to create Minnesota early stage fund(?)

Venture capitalist abandons effort to create Minnesota early stage fund(?)

January 6, 2011 3:05 pm by | 0 Comments

Fund founder Jim O'Reilly says it was "fairly impossible" to raise money. For O'Reilly, explaining Upwind to potential investors proved to be a challenge in itself. For one thing, O'Reilly ... Read more

Minnesota maker of biotech containers raises over $1m

Minnesota maker of biotech containers raises over $1m

January 6, 2011 1:09 pm by | 1 Comments

Applied Bioprocess Containers LLC has raised $1.03 million from the sale of equity, about $30,000 shy of its goal, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ... Read more


Nascent Surgical raises $200,000 for smoke filtering device

Nascent Surgical raises $200,000 for smoke filtering device

January 5, 2011 4:35 pm by | 0 Comments

Nascent Surgical LLC raised $223,000 from the sale of equity, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ... Read more

Biolyst wants $1m plus to franchise laser treatment for nerve disease

Biolyst wants $1m plus to franchise laser treatment for nerve disease

January 5, 2011 2:48 pm by | 0 Comments

Biolyst LLC is seeking $1.25 million from the sale of equity and warrants, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ... Read more

New hearing aid designed to boost amplification, reduce wind noise

New hearing aid designed to boost amplification, reduce wind noise

January 5, 2011 10:28 am by | 0 Comments

The hearing aid system is supposed to boost the outer ear's natural ability to direct and amplify high frequency sound and reduce wind noise. It's made by ReSound, a medical ... Read more

Riverside Co. buys St. Paul software maker CareFacts Information Systems

Riverside Co. buys St. Paul software maker CareFacts Information Systems

January 4, 2011 4:25 pm by | 0 Comments

Private equity firm Riverside Co. has acquired CareFacts Information Systems, based in St. Paul, Minnesota, for an undisclosed amount. ... Read more

Minnesota legislative preview: For healthcare, defense is the best offense

Minnesota legislative preview: For healthcare, defense is the best offense

January 4, 2011 2:45 pm by | 0 Comments

Life science current events will collide with political realities in Minnesota. Last year the medical industry made important strides, including winning an angel investment tax credit. This year healthcare interests ... Read more


Morgan Stanley downgrades St. Jude Medical, citing slower ICD business

Morgan Stanley downgrades St. Jude Medical, citing slower ICD business

January 3, 2011 1:00 pm by | 0 Comments

In his research report, Morgan Stanley analyst David Lewis says St. Jude faces significant challenges -- both big picture and small picture. ... Read more

Medtronic’s Bill Hawkins’ (brief) tenure as CEO

Medtronic’s Bill Hawkins’ (brief) tenure as CEO

December 24, 2010 12:32 pm by | 0 Comments

Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) announced this week that CEO Bill Hawkins will retire in April 2011 after just three-plus years on the job. While his tenure was relatively short, Hawkins left an ... Read more

University of Minnesota researchers discover potential HIV block

University of Minnesota researchers discover potential HIV block

December 23, 2010 12:36 pm by | 1 Comments

The University of Minnesota said its scientists have discovered a possible way to stop the spread of the virus that causes AIDS by preventing the pathogen from attaching itself to ... Read more

GT Urological raises nearly $5m for urinary incontinence device

GT Urological raises nearly $5m for urinary incontinence device

December 23, 2010 12:05 pm by | 0 Comments

GT Urological has raised $4.56 million from the sale of equity, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ... Read more

Vaccines and Viruses: Best, worst of Minnesota medical in 2010

Vaccines and Viruses: Best, worst of Minnesota medical in 2010

December 23, 2010 8:53 am by | 0 Comments

Thank God for St. Jude Medical, pro-investment legislators and hearing device companies plugged by Rush Limbaugh. Thumbs down to Boston Scientific, a diminishing amount of venture capital and boondoggle business ... Read more

University of Minnesota researchers link tau to Alzheimer’s disease

University of Minnesota researchers link tau to Alzheimer’s disease

December 22, 2010 10:59 am by | 0 Comments

The University of Minnesota said Wednesday that scientists have established a firm relationship between a protein known as tau and Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of elderly dementia in ... Read more

BridgePoint Medical raises $9M for device to unblock blood vessels

BridgePoint Medical raises $9M for device to unblock blood vessels

December 21, 2010 2:50 pm by | 0 Comments

BridgePoint Medical Inc. has raised $9.1 million from the sale of equity. The company based in Plymouth, Minnesota, is developing balloon catheter system to treat chronic coronary and peripheral total ... Read more

Medtronic wins FDA approval for stent graft to treat abdominal aneurysms

Medtronic wins FDA approval for stent graft to treat abdominal aneurysms

December 21, 2010 12:14 pm by | 0 Comments

The FDA approval of the Endurant system adds yet another stent to the list of Medtronic's cadriovascular products. The company is relying on new innovative medical devices to continue ... Read more