Venture capitalists in this industry have a lot weighing on their mind these days: an increasingly erratic regulatory process, new FDA leadership, healthcare reform, growing economic uncertainty in Europe, and the U.S. economy is just now beginning to rebound after a difficult 2008 and 2009. (Medical Device Daily)

Academic scientists seeking financial support of their work tend to find themselves in a bit of a pickle. They need funding, often provided by industry, to help spur innovation through their research, but that support tends to result in – either real or perceived – bias in favor of their industry partner. (Medical Device Daily)

The widespread use of electronic health records (EHRs) in the U.S. is inevitable, according to David Blumenthal, MD, and Marilyn Tavenner, RN. But, they note in a New England Journal of Medicine editorial, "inevitability does not mean easy transition." (Medical Device Daily)

The neuro space is heating up, according to med-tech analyst Rick Wise of Leerink Swann, who issued a note Monday regarding Johnson & Johnson's (J&J; New Brunswick, New Jersey) plan to acquire Micrus Endovascular (San Jose, California) in a cash for stock exchange valued at about $480 million. (Medical Device Daily)

The English proverb, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," tells us that if our adversaries are stronger than us it is better to join them than to compete with them. And, as Alcon (Huenenberg, Switzerland) demonstrated this week, if your market share is being threatened by a competitor's technology – buy it. (Medical Device Daily)

Patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD) will soon have a therapeutic option they've never had before – an implantable miniature telescope developed by VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies (Saratoga, California). The FDA said it has approved the device to improve vision in some patients with end-stage AMD. (Medical Device Daily)

There were times in 2009 when Linden (Chicago) would have been excited to hit its $300 million fundraising target for its second fund, Linden Capital Partners II (LCP II), Tony Davis, a founder and partner at the healthcare-focused private equity firm, told Medical Device Daily. Medical Device Daily

Kensey Nash (Exton, Pennsylvania) executives have had a lot of dotted lines to sign lately, as the company this week reported inking agreements with both St. Jude Medical (St. Paul, Minnesota) and Arthrex (Naples, Florida). (Medical Device Daily)

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University (both Atlanta) are working to develop a new method of delivering flu vaccine – one that, if successful, would make getting the vaccine much more convenient, affordable, and less painful. (Medical Device Daily)

Interventional cardiologists aiming to tackle the dual problem of in-stent restenosis and stent thrombosis associated with the use of stents have found a potential remedy by combining drug-eluting and pro-healing technologies. (Medical Device Daily)