NCONTACT RAISES $7.5 MILLION

Medical device company nContact Surgical has raised $7.5 million in venture capital to complete clinical trials, and if all goes well, it will gear up to sell its first product. The Morrisville company's goal is to develop a minimally invasive means of destroying problem cells that cause atrial fibrillation -- erratic heartbeats -- and other debilitating cardiac problems, said co-founder James Whayne. Those cells are typically eradicated during open-heart surgery.

The News & Observer (http://www.newsobserver.com/104/story/494983.html)