Medtronic Invests in GI Dynamics

GI Dynamics, the Lexington, MA-based maker of a device for treating obesity and diabetes, said today that the device giant Medtronic (NYSE: [[ticker:MDT]]) has made a strategic investment in the company. The amount wasn’t disclosed in a statement, although GI Dynamics submitted a regulatory filing that says it just raised $15 million from a single investor. The GI Dynamics technology, called EndoBarrier, is like a sleeve that lines the gut and creates a barrier that controls how food is absorbed into the small intestine. Last month, the company received clearance to market the product in Europe.

Author: Luke Timmerman

Luke is an award-winning journalist specializing in life sciences. He has served as national biotechnology editor for Xconomy and national biotechnology reporter for Bloomberg News. Luke got started covering life sciences at The Seattle Times, where he was the lead reporter on an investigation of doctors who leaked confidential information about clinical trials to investors. The story won the Scripps Howard National Journalism Award and several other national prizes. Luke holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and during the 2005-2006 academic year, he was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT.