Silk-Based Electronics Dissolve on Cue for Vanishing Medical Implants
Source: Scientific American, Katherine Harmon  (9/27/12)
"A flexible device that is just nanometers thick can fight post-surgical infections or even capture images—until its work is done, when it vanishes." More >

Three New Findings Change Our View of the Brain
Source: Michael Robinson, Era of Radical Change   (9/21/12)
"By solving the brain puzzle, we will rid mankind of many cruel diseases while making our physical world smarter and more in tune with the way our minds work." More >

Apple's iPhone 5 Lightning Dock Could Drive Medical Devices to Bluetooth
Source: eweek, Brian Horowitz  (9/17/12)
"Medical devices that connect to the iPhone include glucometers, heart rate monitors and fitness sensors. The iPhone also can act as a Smart Ready hub to connect Smart peripherals, which collect data on patient vital signs." More >

Five Medtech Ideas to Leverage
Source: George S. Mack, The Life Sciences Report  (9/16/12)
Before spending the last decade as a sellside analyst, James Terwilliger, now with The Benchmark Company, worked at Johnson & Johnson and other medtech companies where he learned quickly that the way to a surgeon's heart is to bring shiny new technology into the office. Physicians who spend their working lives in interventional cath labs or hospital operating suites have a natural inclination to listen and learn about new ideas and see how the latest toys work. But medtech companies want to sell their mature product lines as well. "Face time with the physician is hugely important because that new product doesn't just drive the new business," says Terwillger. "It also puts the medical device sales force in the position to do a pull-through with other products." He learned all the tricks first-hand. More >

This Tough Gel Could Replace Human Cartilage
Source: Michael Robinson, Era of Radical Change  (9/11/12)
"Breakthroughs like this will help us live longer and healthier lives. No doubt there will be plenty of opportunity for smart companies and their investors to become filthy rich in the process." More >

Top Medtech Analyst Points to Post-Obamacare Opportunities
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (9/6/12)
New product visibility is vital in medical device stories. Without something new to show physicians, there is no way to get through the door. Medical Devices and Outsourcing Services Analyst James Terwilliger of The Benchmark Company looks for investments that will pique the interests of cardiologists, orthopedists and long-term care facilities. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Terwilliger shares the names of companies poised to grow as the economy rebounds in the next two years. More >

Fact-Checkers Find Few Flaws in Clinton's Healthcare Claims
Source: The Hill, Sam Baker  (9/6/12)
"Self-proclaimed fact-checkers have drawn plenty of criticism from both parties, as well as neutral observers, and many individual assessments of 'fact' are highly debatable. In the aggregate, though, the fact-checkers haven't found much to complain about in Clinton's healthcare comments." More >

Medtech Deals Buoyed by Cost Pressures, Device Tax
Source: Reuters, Debra Sherman and Soyoung Kim  (9/5/12)
"Medical device mergers look poised to take off in 2013 as the industry compensates for shrinking reimbursements, a new U.S. tax and executive shake-ups at its biggest companies." More >

Four Important Biotech Stocks Targeting Unmet Needs
Source: George S. Mack, The Life Sciences Report  (9/1/12)
Biotech rallies need catalysts to be sustained. Market moving events include drug approvals, such as a couple of obesity products from Vivus Inc. and Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc., as well as a product to help control serum lipids from Amarin Corp. Plc (AMRN:NASDAQ). But the major diagnostic feature of a market that might be putting it all together is merger and acquisition (M&A) activity. The theory is that if fully integrated, major drug developers want products and platforms. You can bet they've done their due diligence and that market conditions are nearly perfect. Even retail investors begin to pay attention. More >

Fearing Anchors Away After M&A
Source: Alex Philippidis, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News  (8/24/12)
"Big pharma's growing M&A appetite threatens to give two of the nation's largest biotech clusters heartburn over the next few months, as they await the future of homegrown 'anchor' companies recently acquired by some of the world's largest drug developers." More >

Think Long Term and Win Big with Small Biotechs: Hugh Cleland
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (8/9/12)
BluMont Capital Portfolio Manager Hugh Cleland has taken a venture capital and private equity approach to investing in public companies, some of which have penny-stock market caps in the $5–15 million range. The idea is to invest in small- and micro-cap stocks without facing redemption risk, and to employ a hands-on approach when helping innovative companies create and realize value over the long term. In this way time becomes the friend—not the enemy—of companies looking for scarce capital in a risk-averse world. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Cleland shares the names of a handful of small companies that could return tenfold or greater multiples to investors. More >

This Tiny Startup Has Scored 'Microchip Medicine' Breakthrough
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (8/9/12)
"A novel new drug-tracking sensor could literally save your life one day. It's a 'pill' as big as a grain of sand and it could mean huge profits for big pharma companies in the not-too-distant future." More >

Nanofibers May Quicken Healing After Heart Attacks
Source: Bloomberg News, Jeanna Smialek  (8/8/12)
"With development, the treatment could be used to enable people who would otherwise be bedridden to recover." More >

FDA Is No Slower with Device Approvals than EU Counterparts
Source: Cardiovascular Business  (8/2/12)
"Conventional wisdom holds that, when it comes to deploying new medical technologies, the U.S. is much slower than Europe’s four largest markets. Conventional wisdom is wrong." More >

Fascinating New Technology Trends Offer a Glimpse into a Wild Future
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (7/27/12)
"Cutting-edge high tech is moving at warp speed, with new advances coming faster than any one person can track." More >

Venture Capital: Medical Device 'Big Exits' on the Rise
Source: Mass Device   (7/23/12)
"The device industry notched 18 'Big Exits,' beating biotech's 17 and extending an upward trend in exit activity in the life sciences, with more than 25 per year since 2009." More >

Why Your Health Care Is So Darn Expensive
Source: Alex Daley and Doug Hornig, Casey Research  (7/19/12)
"At that point, it isn't lifestyle changes that are keeping us alive—it's machines and doctors and medicines doing a lot of the heavy lifting in order to grant us those precious extra days." More >

Mergers Show How Affordable Care Act Will Deliver Profits
Source: Don Miller, Money Morning  (7/19/12)
"The two largest managed care firms, UnitedHealth Group Inc. and WellPoint, are now big players in Medicare Advantage and Medicaid, according to The Huffington Post. And with the impending influx from the Affordable Care Act, they plan to get even bigger." More >

Four Ways to Outrun Obsolescence in Biotech
Source: Zachary N. Russ, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News  (7/17/12)
"To stay ahead in the ever-quickening world of research, scientists must be fast and cunning." More >

Sugar-Fueled Brain Chips Are Major Medical Breakthrough
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (7/14/12)
"These or similar devices could play a vital role in the biotech revolution. They could help brain-damaged patients and stroke victims walk again or operate computers with their minds." More >

New User Fees Will Expedite Med Device Reviews
Source: MassDevice  (7/9/12)
"The deal boosted the user fees from $295 million over five years to $595 million in exchange for the FDA meeting performance goals." More >

The Race between Science and Politics
Source: Ray Blanco, The Daily Reckoning  (7/6/12)
"On the one hand, we have scientific advance, unraveling the mysteries of life and developing revolutionary new therapies. On the other, we have politicians trying to lock everything down into a stasis, whether they know it or not." More >

Biopharmaceutical Intellectual Property Is Safe Behind the BRIC Wall
Source: Michael Harris, BioWorld  (7/6/12)
"A significant amount of growth is expected from an influx of biopharma companies looking to establish a presence in BRIC countries, where they not only will be seeking to capitalize on the R&D and manufacturing infrastructures but also filing patent applications to sell drugs to local populations." More >

Follow Venture Capital to Big Gains in Biotech: Peter Johann
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (7/5/12)
Peter Johann is a managing general partner at NGN Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in private and public biotech and medical device companies. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Johann discusses pharmaceutical and medical device companies in his portfolio, pointing out opportunities for venture capitalists that are also potential boons for private investors. More >

Supreme Court Sets Stage for Changes to Drug Development and Investment Priorities
Source: Alex Philippidis, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News  (7/5/12)
"Innovative drugs that offer clear superiority over existing products are likely among the beneficiaries of the healthcare overhaul." More >