Who will be the next Medtronic? What will be Minnesota's next breakthrough industry? Patent Pending will provide you the latest information and commentary on the people, companies, and trends driving innovation in Minnesota. From visionary entrepreneurs to game changing technologies, this blog will offer a window into the future of Minnesota's economy.

Thomas Lee writes about growth/emerging companies with a special focus on medical technology.

He has previously covered food, retail, and financial services but gets his biggest rush from focusing on the "What next?" versus the "What now?"

You can reach Thomas at tlee@startribune.com.

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Virtually always available
Virtual Radiologic Corp. has made a booming business of sending medical images to radiologists, which is an increasingly popular way to overcome the growing shortage of doctors who are available to read scans around the clock.

Field of biotech dreams
A developer envisions a bioscience park on an elk farm along Hwy. 52 near Pine Island. All it needs now are state backing and tenants.

U's transfer problem
The University of Minnesota needs more eggs ... and more baskets. With time running out on its royalty income stream, the U is scrambling to find the next Medtronic.

His job: Magician
The University of Minnesota's research VP brings his experience honed in Madison to jump-start innovation in the Gopher state.

Venturing to be No. 1 in hit products
Scouting for Best Buy's future hot sellers has led the nation's big electronics retailer into the venture-capital arena. It's also a way to help get new products onto shelves first and exclusively.

Angel investor tax credit again bedeviled at Legislature
The state of Minnesota's attempt to win passage for a bill to lure start-up investors with tax credits was stripped down.

Idea man: 270 patents
Minnesota's most prolific inventor -- creator of a stopwatch-sized ICD and much, much more -- just keeps tinkering.