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GEPT tried to trade up today
on above average volume, but didn't make much progress. Check today's BLOG
for
the chart. The stock tried to break out of its regression channel, but
ultimately failed. This is not setting up for a short term trade. I wasn't
looking for anything like the 4 point move we had in the stock in December.
This is a much different market. Worries about rising oil prices, and higher
interest rates have all the hot money flowing into commodities and commodity
related stocks. It gives you an opportunity to accumulate at a decent level.
Longer term investors only.
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Xenomics (OTC
BB: XNOM); A Biotech Phenom |
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Today's edition is what I call a
"First
Look". I love authoring the first looks. Over time, it's very exciting
to watch these companies develop, and hopefully make an extraordinary return
on the stock in the process. Today, you are going to learn about a new
biotech company with revolutionary technology that no one knows about.
Since the stock has never really traded, it's impossible to make any predictions
about where it might trade based on where it has traded in the past.
The OTC Journal has a pretty
good history with first look companies. NWKI was a first look company
at $.40 (split adjusted). NWAV was a first look company at
$.92.
VTSI was a first look at $.10 with their new simulators. Those are
currently trading at $2.04, $1.55, and $.30 respectively.
You have a competitive advantage
over the rest of the market with one of our First Look companies.
Nobody knows their story yet, and OTC Journal Members will be the
first to learn of it.
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Xenomcis
Takes Aim at Amniocentisis With Transrenal DNA |
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Like many biotech breakthroughs,
this particular technology has its roots in a 20 year old discovery. In
1986, Dr. Samuil Umansky was working for the Russian Health Ministry and
doing clinical research on the radiation poisoning from the Chenobyl disaster.
Dr. Umansky discovered that radiation
poison could be detected in urine. In order to be in urine, the radiation
had to survive the kidney's highly effective cleansing process. The radiation
poison was actually carried in the DNA. Until that discovery, the health
sciences community never realized DNA could survive the kidneys and be
passed out of the body in urine.
Hence the phrase "Transrenal DNA"-
this is DNA which has been passed through the kidneys and can be
detected and analyzed in urine.
Fast forward to 1996. Dr. Umansky
is in the US, and has three patents concerning the use of Transrenal
DNA. The three patents cover the applications of Transrenal DNA
for use in transplantation, cancer, and early genetic testing of
an unborn fetus.
The company, as it exists today,
has been operating since last July. Despite being public since that time,
XNOM
has never made any effort to get its message out to investors. Therefore,
you get the first look.
The company sees potential revenue
generating applications in four areas for Transrenal DNA;
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Cancer Detection
-
Infectious Disease Detection
-
Genetic Testing of an Unborn Fetus
-
Transplantation Monitoring
XNOM has spent the last nine
months gathering data in its lab facility in Princeton, NJ. Ten highly
qualified scientists work there on a full time basis doing the foundational
research.
To date, XNOM has successfully
harvested over 300 samples, otherwise known as "data points" in
the industry. They have identified alien DNA (DNA not from the mother)
in 119 urine samples from pregnant women, and analyzed data points from
200 samples of cancer patients in a study conducted with Thomas Jefferson
University.
XNOM is destined to end up
on the radar screens of many investors in the coming months. XNOM
is preparing to start clinical trials for an FDA Approval of its first
application in April. Since this is a non-invasive urine test, XNOM
need only demonstrate the product works. They don't have the same stringent
requirements you would have with a new drug. Therefore, XNOM anticipates
it will only take about 2 years to obtain the FDA Approval. Clinical data
will be made available to the public markets thoughout the course of the
studies.
XNOM is taking aim at the
barbaric "AMNIOCENTESIS" test performed on pregnant women worldwide.
In the US alone there are approximately 6.2 million pregnancies each year.
Of those, 10% to 15% are considered high risk for genetic diseases such
as Downs Syndrome, Sickle Cell Anemia, Tay Sachs, and Huntingtons.
Currently, most pregnant women undergo
a three panel test to prescreen prior to amniocentesis. If the doctor and
patient decide to move forward, the amniocentesis test is performed.
An eight inch needle is inserted
into the pregnant women's abdomen. Barbaric for a simple test. It penetrates
the amniotic sack, and a small amount of amniotic fluid is withdrawn. The
test is highly invasive and very dangerous. About 1% of tests performed
lead to negative complications.
The amniotic fluid contains fetal
DNA, which can be tested for genetic diseases.
XNOM expects to begin clinical
trials in April for a test which could make amniocentesis obsolete. The
test will be designed to replace the three panel test doctors recommend
before considering amniocentesis. Most pregnant women who receive medical
care in the US take this test.
XNOM's patented technology
has the capability of identifying the fetal DNA in the mother's urine.
Once identified, the DNA can be tested for genetic diseases.
Down the road XNOM intends
to develop cancer and organ transplantation tests using the patented Transrenal
DNA. In transplantation the patient has tissue with someone else's DNA.
Early rejection can be detected in DNA changes. DNA from tumors can also
be detected. Early detection of colon, liver, and pancreatic cancer is
also possible with Transrenal DNA.
Today, after the market closed, XNOM
announced an exciting development out of its joint venture with the National
Institute for Infectious Diseases in Italy known as Lazzaro Spallanzani.
XNOMannounced
clinical results that demonstrate for the first time the ability to detect
tuberculosis DNA in the urine of HIV infected patients. This could lead
to the development of tests which provide significant advantages over the
current tests.
There is a lot more to cover with
this company. The management team led by CEO Randy White is exemplary.
Randy White's resume is extraordinary in the biotech industry. Thomas Adams
serves on the board- he was the CTO at stock market superstar Hybritech,
and the founder and Chairman of Gen Probe, Inc, the leader in blood screening
technologies. We'll save that for future editions.
There is not much to say about the
trading history of the stock. The little it has traded has been in the
$4 range for the last six months. I have absolutely no idea where it will
trade tomorrow. It closed today at $2.50. There are 16.5 million shares
I&O according to their last SEC filing. This idea is only for long
term investors who want to get in on the first look at unique and exciting
new biotechnology. If you like the biotech sector, a small position in
this stock is a must own for the speculative end of your portfolio.
Here is the complete text of today's
press release for your review:
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Xenomics Scientists
Detect Tuberculosis DNA Using Proprietary Trans-Renal DNA Testing Technology;
Breakthrough Diagnostic Test Can Identify Multiple-Drug Resistant Strains
of TB and AIDS-Associated TB Simultaneously
Business Wire via COMTEX
Mar 17, 2005 4:10:01
PM
NEW YORK, N.Y., Mar 17,
2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Xenomics, Inc. (OTCBB:XNOM),
a developer of next-generation medical DNA technologies, has announced
clinical results that demonstrate for the first time the ability to detect
tuberculosis Transrenal-DNA (Tr-DNA) in the urine of infected patients.
This application of the Company's patented technology platform may enable
development of more sensitive and accurate testing methods that require
only a simple and safe urine specimen. Equally important, Xenomics scientists
also reported the ability to use a single urine specimen to simultaneously
detect both HIV and the common tuberculosis infections that occur opportunistically
in immune-compromised AIDS patients. The discovery was made at the Company's
joint venture with the National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro
Spallanzani" in Rome.
"Tests to diagnose tuberculosis
(TB) already exist, but Xenomics' new Tr-DNA test provides a number of
significant advantages, such as detection of both pulmonary and extra-pulmonary
infections, ease of use and time to result," said Dr. Randy White, Xenomics
CEO. "The Xenomics test can produce a result in a matter of hours compared
to days for traditional microbiological methods."
The need for new, rapid
methods for detecting the disease is being driven by a number of worldwide
health concerns, including the emergence of multiple-drug resistant strains
of TB, and the high coincidence of TB in HIV-positive AIDS patients. An
estimated 40% of confirmed TB cases involve multiple-drug resistant strains.
According to Dr. L. David
Tomei, head of Xenomics research team in Rome, "Tests based on Xenomics'
Tr-DNA platform may help with detection and treatment of the new drug-resistant
strains of TB. The Xenomics tests are capable of detecting and simultaneously
determining the specific genetic characteristics of specific strains of
bacillus. Such information could help doctors more effectively treat these
new strains with newly-developed drugs."
With current diagnostic
technologies, doctors must use a number of different testing platforms,
using multiple clinical specimens, to determine the specific identity of
a strain of TB. The Xenomics Tr-DNA platform could enable the creation
of a single, common diagnostic technology platform that would greatly simplify
and improve the diagnostic process for doctors.
Another important finding
made by the Xenomics scientists involved the technology's ability to use
a single urine sample to detect the DNA of both HIV and TB. Many cases
of AIDS are accompanied by TB, due to the immune system deficiency of AIDS
patients. Clinical studies have shown that accurate diagnosis and timely
treatment of TB in AIDS patients can significantly improve patient health
and survival rates.
Medical authorities estimate
that approximately 2 billion people -- one-third of the world's population
-- are infected with latent tuberculosis. Most do not become sick, but
approximately ten percent can be expected to develop active TB within their
lifetimes, millions of whom will die from the disease.
The research conducted
at the Spallanzani Institute is based on the Company's patented Trans-renal
DNA (Tr-DNA) technology. Xenomics' team of scientists, headed by Dr. Samuil
Umansky, was the first to discover the existence of DNA that has passed
through the kidneys and is excreted in the patient's urine. Because Xenomics'
Tr-DNA test uses urine specimens instead of blood, as required for most
existing tests, it is significantly safer and easier to collect; blood
is potentially infectious and is widely considered to be a biological hazard
to health care workers, whereas, urine is not.
About Xenomics, Inc.
Xenomics is a molecular
diagnostic company that focuses on the development of DNA-based tests using
trans-renal DNA (Tr-DNA). Xenomics' patented technology uses safe and simple
urine collection and can be applied to a broad range of applications, including
prenatal testing, tumor detection and monitoring, tissue transplantation,
infectious disease detection, genetic testing for forensic identity determination,
drug development, and research to counter bioterrorism. Scientists from
Xenomics were the first to report that fragments of DNA from normal cell
death cross the kidney barrier and can be detected in urine. The Company
believes that its technology will open significant new markets in the molecular
diagnostics field. Xenomics has three issued U.S. patents covering different
applications of the technology for molecular diagnostics and genetic testing
and a pending European patent for the same applications. The Company has
organized a joint venture to conduct research on infectious disease detection
with the National Institute for Infectious Diseases (Instituto Nazionale
per le Malattie Infettive "Lazzaro Spallanzani") in Rome, in the form of
a new R&D company called SpaXen Italia, S.R.L. For more information
visit http://www.xenomics.com. For more investor-specific information,
including daily and historical Company stock quote data and recent news
releases, please visit http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/xenomics. To
read or download the Company's Investor Fact Sheet visit http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/xenomics/factsheet.html.
To view an online video about Xenomics technology and products, visit http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/xenomics/video.html.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made
in this press release are forward looking. Such statements are indicated
by words such as "expect," "might," "should," "anticipate" and similar
words indicating uncertainty in facts and figures. Although Xenomics believes
that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are
reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations reflected in
such forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. As discussed
in the periodic reports of Xenomics, as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, actual results could differ materially from those projected
in the forward-looking statements as a result of the following factors,
among others: uncertainties associated with product development, the risk
that Xenomics will not obtain approval to market its products, the risk
that Xenomics' technology will not gain market acceptance, the risks associated
with dependence upon key personnel, and the need for additional financing.
SOURCE: Xenomics, Inc.
Xenomics, Inc. Randy
White, 212-297-0808 or Investor Relations Trilogy Capital Partners, Inc.
Paul Karon, 800-342-1467 paul@trilogy-capital.com
Copyright Business Wire
2005
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