S2 to investor forum

Larry Foster's doing a lot of right things with his S2 Interactive startup, which has technology to keep surgeon's tools coming in proper order during complex surgeries.. next, he pitches a venture forum in Memphis. Here it is.

VenX investment

Today's SEC filing indicates $1.7MM going to VenX, the medical device manufacturer that's gotten strong investment from TriStar Technology Fund, the TNInvestco. Filing here.

FDA gives VenX nod

VenX, a medical startup that treats spider veins and is backed by TNInvestco-certified TriStar Technology Fund got the FDA nod and 510(k) pre-marketing notification. More here.

Wright Med reverb's

Wright Medical reverberations continue, with further shakeup of the management team, the CA reports.

Wunderlich adds Med-devices stock analyst

Memphis-based Wunderlich Securities added medical-devices and tech analyst Gregory
Simpson, working from St. Louis. He was co-head of the healthcare group at Stifel Nicolaus. Earlier this month, the firm named analyst Brian Freed to follow enterprise services, with emphasis on storage and security. Freed was with Morgan Keegan.

Surgical robots do battle

In Chattanooga, the Times Free Press reports on the "arms race" driving increased use of surgical robots, with focus on the da Vinci system. Related TFP article here. Closer to home, VNC reported earlier on Pathfinder Therapeutics.

Big River manufactures devices for surgery

Two Memphis entrepreneurs salvaged a failing company, and today Big River Engineering & Manufacturing serves Medtronic, Smith & Nephew, et al. The CA has it.

NellOne Therapeutics licenses from UT-Battelle

Knoxville-based NellOne Therapeutics has licensed patents covering inventions based on the Nell-1 gene. The IP is driving protein therapy treatment now under development and takes advantage of the gene's cell-signaling pathway, which controls tissue growth and maturation in mammalian organs. It could mean restorative therapies for hearts and other muscles. Our story's here.

BioMimetic's Papasan profiled

Franklin-based BioMimetic Therapeutics Chairman Larry Papasan is profiled in today's Memphis Business Journal (sub). He lives in Memphis and is on numerous boards, there.

FDA scrutiny of new Med devices

The New York Times reports the FDA is being challenged to strengthen its review of clinical-trials data for efficacy and danger of new medical devices, following allegations of inadequate rigor in reviewing trials.

Knoxville Quadriciser device lauded

The KNS reports on the Quadriciser Corp. therapeutic device created by Larry Bohanan. The machine exerciser helps patients regain lost mobility and flexibility, and it's now at the center of a growing business. Bohanan is a former ORNL patents illustrator.

Medtronic logistics 'state of art'

Medronic Inc. has opened a 'state-of-the-art' logistics facility in Memphis. The CA reports.

Wright Medical to Oz

Memphis-based Wright Medical announced a new subsidiary based in Australia and a new distribution partner, there. The CA reported it. Here's the company's release.

Medtronic shuffles deck

Minneapolis-based and Memphis-centric Medtronics yesterday announced a reorganization of C-level reporting alignments, intended partly to produce "market leading financial performance." Read the release here.

VCs let venture CEO pick Memphis hometown for HQ

Now, that's what we're talkin' about: Novalign Orthopaedics (formerly known as Osteolign) was hatched out of the Innovation Factory in Duluth, Ga., and funded by VCs who let the CEO Jeff Roberts, a Memphis native and U. Memphis grad, pick the Novalign headquarters. He picked Memphis. The VCs are Accuitive Medical Ventures, Duluth, Ga.; SV Life Ventures of Boston; and, Versant Ventures, Menlo Park. MB Ventures of Memphis is also mentioned as having invested in other medical devices. Novalign's big play, right now, is a nail approved by FDA for use in fixing messy fractures. The story was recently reported by the Commercial Appeal.

Luminetx taps CEO

Richard Kindberg (left) has been tapped to lead Luminetx, the Memphis-based provider of VeinViewer. He may face some Street Cred issues. Our brief is here.

NewsBits, Feb. 13

For updates on ICA, iPayment, Tractor Supply, TN Solar Institute interest, Stimulus impact, Tech startup competition, and Med-devices firms...visit our Newsbits, here.

Luminetx claims health sector embraces VeinViewer

CORRECTED Jan. 12: Saying the company is "truly leading the health care industry to a new standard of care when it comes to vascular access," Memphis-based Luminetx Corp. announced yesterday that "VeinViewer sales have now occurred on every major continent," phrasing that may signal Luminetx is taking a pass on marketing at the North and South Poles. Luminetx avers its sales jumped 77 percent in '08 over '07, but no financials are provided. The puffery comes in the wake of intensifying Luminetx litigation against its former sales and clinical chiefs, who've joined a competitor. CORRECTION: VN Blog was in error re: Luminetx presenting to JP Morgan. The company Luminex, and VN Blog regrets the error.

VCs hold differing views on Tech plays

In one story, Seth Harward (left) of Frontier Capital says Nashville is a good hunting-ground for SaaS and IT companies for his private-equity firm, while in a second offering this morning MB Venture Partners' Gary Stevenson says he'd rather leave that to the natives, while he collaborates with them and tends his own chosen niche. The two stories thus complement one another.

Pharos in med-devices

Nashville/Dallas-based Pharos Capital invested again in a Series B round for med-devices maker Pioneer Surgical Technology of Marquette, Mich. InvestMichigan! Growth Capital Fund was a first-timer in the round, while Pharos, Highlander Partners, Hopewell Ventures and River Cities Capital took a second bite. Our earlier profile of Pharos is here.