Find ich auch nicht schlecht zusammen gefasst - aus einem heutigen seeking-alpha-Artikel: Advanced Cell Technology (ACTC.OB) Another great example of a company where the long haul strategy might pay off is Advanced Cell Technology. This is one company that I follow very closely and find most fascinating. In the past I have personally spoke with their Chief Executive Officer Gary Rabin via the telephone and asked the tough questions as an investor. As a result of that conversation and my own investigations I think ACTC is definitely a long haul candidate. For those who don't know ACTC here is its profile. Advanced Cell Technology is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of human embryonic and adult stem cell technology in the field of regenerative medicine. Right here in their profile is what the market and potential investors focus on. Stem cells, although they have been around for a while, are a new and untried technology. As exciting as they are, they have yet to prove themselves. This was all about to change when a company named Geron (GERN) entered the scene with a clinical trial using stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries. Since then the company has backed off the stem cell therapies and has decided to focus their assets elsewhere. Needless to say, the overall attitude of the financial markets toward stem cell companies have cooled somewhat. This is where we find ACTC now. Wall Street is behind the curve as they cannot fully understand either the technology or the potential ground breaking therapies. Their focus lies squarely on the financial issues that ACTC faces. Being a small company in a ground breaking field is not easy. Unexpected delays, expensive trials, and lack of funding are always plaguing the company. Add to this the possibility of a reverse split to uplist to the NASDAQ and past stock dilutions to settle potential litigation, and it's easy to see why most investors and Wall Street have taken a pass on the company. Investors have no choice but to be in the stock for the long haul, but the potential for the company is enormous. Entire articles could be written about all the potential for stem cells and ACTC, so let's just focus on their current FDA trials. As of the writing of this article ACTC has treated eight patients between the three ongoing macular degeneration trials. All of the patients are reported as doing remarkably well, and there have been no safety issues whatsoever. In more recent news, on June 29, 2012 the latest Stargardt's Disease (SMD) sufferer was treated at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. What it boils down to is a simple game of numbers. It is too early to get results from the most recent injection, but of the seven dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD) and Stargardt's patients, the company has reported both subjective and objective evidence of improved visual acuity and quality of vision. More important than that is the effects appear to be persisting. The first two patients, who are close to the one year mark of treatment, are maintaining the increases in visual acuity that was measured after their treatment. For more specifics one should consider the following. The company reports that one of the U.S. SMD patients improved from 0 to 5 letters on the ETDRS visual acuity chart. At the nine month follow-up the visual acuity gains remain stable and the patient continues to show improvement. In Europe a similar trend continues. The SMD patient there has improved from 5 letters to 10 letters on the visual acuity chart, and has reported that his vision has significantly improved to a point where he has the ability to read text on TV. In the dry AMD patient the vision improved from 21 to 28 letters on the ETDRS visual acuity chart. Results with the newer patients are said to show similar results. ACTC is going to fall into the long haul strategy for investors. Their cash on hand to finance the operations is limited, so they will need to attract a joint venture or partnerships in the not too distant future. At the end of 2011 ACTC had $13.1 million cash on hand, but for the year 2011 ACTC utilized $13.6 million in cash for operations. The cash burn rate could be an issue as the company moves forward. The good news is that ACTC states that another $15 million more is available and they are going to be able to self-fund both the U.S. clinical trials and EU clinical trial. Also, let's face it, no one like stocks for less than $1 per share. The company is a $134 million market cap, but few investors take time to look at that. What it comes down to is this, investors know that macular degeneration is an unmet medical need for the world worth well over $30 billion. There is no cure. Stargardt's Disease is robbing kids daily of their vision, while dry age-related macular degeneration attacks the older generations. With ACTC's clinical trials running with a 100% success rate so far, how long will it take for the word to spread? Obviously more tests are needed, and if they all turn out the same it won't take long for this stock to reach critical mass. What parent would not beat the doors down to save their child's sight? Likewise what adult would not do whatever it took to keep from going blind from dry AMD? These basic concepts are what keeps ACTC's investors going during the long clinical testing process. ACTC is going to take the long haul investment strategy. Many things can still go wrong, but with a little time and luck their future could be very bright. http://seekingalpha.com/article/...otech?source=yahoo#comments_header |
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