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TECHNOLOGY: Nanotubes
NanoCell
1.23.2007
Nanotubes consist of a lattice of carbon atoms curved into a cylinder (see figure) of about 1-2 nanometers in diameter. They may be produced via arc-discharge methods to make multi-walled nanotubes (MWNT) or via laser ablation or chemical vapor deposition to make single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT). See this site on nanotube production for a description of these methods.
Nanotubes are a very popular aspect of nanotechnology because of the interesting features that they possess. SWNTs have strengths determined to be 50-100 times that of steel and with an elasticity on the order of terrapascals, which is among the most elastic materials on Earth. Moreover, nanotubes have a higher thermal conductivity than any natural material and 100 times the electrical conductivity of copper, the most commonly used conductor in electronics. Nanotubes have a density half that of aluminum and, to top it off, are stable of temperatures exceeding 2700 degrees C.
Applications
One of the mort commonly sited applications of carbon nanotubes is for use in electronics as nano-sized transistors. Their size and manipulatability in the nano levels are promising as we attempt to keep up with Moore's law to create smaller and smaller chips. Moreover, the potential of nanotubes for superconductivity drastically reduces the heat waste in transmission that creates such a problem in today's computers. Though the technology is still in its relative infancy, nanotubes look to be the next revolution in chip-making that will allow us to keep up with the breathtaking progression that Moore's law predicts.
Their amazing mechanical properties give nanotubes many other potential applications as well. For instance, nanotubes are being used in bikes in the Tour de France and being researched as materials for use in space by NASA. As production of carbon nanotubes becomes cheaper and more precise, their applications will surely multiply.
Source: nanocell.blogspot.com
The convergence of food technology and nanotechnology:
http://members.ift.org/NR/rdonlyres/C0BB5515-A9CE-4D4D-894A-CB084DB2998A/0/0107nano.pdf
MFIC News:
News Release from: Microfluidics
Subject: M-110EH-30
Edited by the Laboratorytalk Editorial Team on
15 January 2007
Microfluidiser processors on show at Powtech 2007
Microfluidics will showcase the latest version of its laboratory microfluidiser high-shear processor, the M-110EH-30, at the Powtech 2007 conference and exhibition, 27-29 March in Nurnberg, Germany.
Designed to operate reliably and efficiently at up to 30,000 psi process pressure, the M-110EH-30 is beneficial to the production of nano-suspensions and nano-emulsions as well as cell disruption with the least number of passes. Additionally, more efficient processing of pharmaceutical formulations, fine chemicals, and biological material ranging from simple oil-in-water emulsions to highly immiscible solids-in-liquid suspensions will result. All results from the M-110EH-30 machine are guaranteed to be scaleable to Microfluidics's broad line of M-700 pilot and production machines.
Utilising Microfluidics's fixed geometry interaction chamber technology, the M-110EH-30 is capable of generating shear rates within the product stream that are orders of magnitude greater than any other fluid processing or mixing equipment on the market.
Shear rate, which is directly proportional to the process pressure setting, imparts the required energy directly to the product stream, safely disrupting bacteria cells and reducing particles and droplets to nanoparticles.
Equipped with a single acting intensifier pump that amplifies the hydraulic pressure at the simple turn of a knob, the M-110EH-30 is able to drive the product stream through the interaction chamber.
The machine provides an average flowrate (with water) of 320ml/min and can handle batch sizes of up to several gallons.
Within the patented wear-resistant diamond interaction chamber is specially designed fixed-geometry micro channels that accelerate the product stream to high velocities and create high shear and impact forces to achieve the desired results.
Upon exiting the interaction chamber, the product flows through an onboard heat exchanger that regulates the product to a desired temperature.
At this point, the product may be recirculated through the system for further processing or directed externally to the next step in the process.
The system is easy to operate and is designed for clean-in-place and steam-in-place with a steam sterility option.
Because the interaction chamber employs no moving parts, no disassembly is required for cleaning.
Sono-Tek Announces Third Quarter Earnings
Friday January 12, 2:24 pm ET
MILTON, N.Y., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sono-Tek Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: SOTK - News) today announced sales of $1,624,000 for the three months ended November 30, 2006 compared to sales of $1,671,000 for the same period of last year, a decrease of 2.8% or $47,000. For the nine months ended November 30, 2006, the Company reported sales of $5,240,000, an increase of 3% or $157,000 compared to sales of $5,083,000 for the same period of last year. The Company's nine months sales levels have increased slightly as the result of continued new product development efforts, related marketing thrusts, and expansion into international markets. The Company experienced a significant increase in sales in its international markets, which offset a 20% decline in its domestic electronics business this year. The Company anticipated this decline in view of an accelerating move to offshore electronics production, combined with a slowdown in the housing market, and a reduction in the competitiveness of domestic automotive manufacturers. The housing market and domestic automotive companies are large users of printed circuit boards in a variety of electronic devices.
Net income for the three and nine month periods ended November 30, 2006 was $114,000 and $473,000, respectively, compared to $280,000 and $666,000, respectively for prior year periods. Net income decreased by 59% for the three month period ended November 30, 2006 when compared to the same period last year. Net income decreased by 29% for the nine month period ended November 30, 2006 when compared to the same period last year. The decreases in net income are mainly a result of increased spending on marketing, sales, and product development, plus some minor impact from older inventory write-downs and the impact of new SEC regulations that treat stock option awards as current expenses. According to Dr. Christopher L. Coccio, Sono-Tek's CEO and President, "We believe that some reduction in current income generation resulting from increased spending on product and market development is well justified in that it is expected to create future growth opportunities for the Company. We have been successful in creating new business in the medical device market, and in growing a significantly larger international business in electronics, medical device coatings, and coatings for new areas such as fuel cells and solar panels using our innovative WideTrack coating systems. Without these initiatives, the Company would have experienced a decline in sales related to the decline in domestic electronics production."
The balance sheet is improved from last year at this time, with working capital of $4,093,000 at November 30, 2006 versus $3,078,000 at November 30, 2005, and stockholders' equity increased from $3,595,000 at November 30, 2005 to $4,755,000 at November 30, 2006. The Company has total debt of $85,000, resulting in an excellent debt to equity ratio. The strong balance sheet and cash position has allowed the Company to make current expenditures in both new technology and geographical markets this year, so that it can continue its commitment to achieving double digit percentage growth in sales in the future.
According to Dr. Christopher L. Coccio, "We are continuing to invest time and money in the creation of new products and markets. For example, in the past quarter, we have engaged a food technology expert, Dr. Joseph Riemer, to help us explore and pursue opportunities for ultrasonic spray applications in that industry, particularly as that industry turns to coating technology that includes nanotechnology to prevent spoilage, improve flavorings, and to reduce costs. Dr. Riemer will be joining Sono-Tek this month on a full time basis to head up our engineering organization, in addition to pursuing opportunities in the food industry. We feel that his strong technology and management background will be an asset to Sono-Tek in the future. We are also collaborating with an oil burner company to develop a new, higher efficiency way of heating based on our nozzle technology. In addition, we are continuing the development of our WideTrack coating system for application to glass lines, textile lines, solar and fuel cell applications, and a growing array of nanotechnology based applications."
For further information, contact Dr. Christopher L. Coccio, at 845-795-2020, or visit our website at http://www.sono-tek.com
Sono-Tek Corporation is a leading developer and manufacturer of liquid spray products based on its proprietary ultrasonic nozzle technology. Founded in 1975, the Company's products have long been recognized for their performance, quality, and reliability.
This earnings release contains forward looking statements regarding future events and the future performance of Sono-Tek Corporation that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These factors include, among other considerations, general economic and business conditions; political, regulatory, competitive and technological developments affecting the Company's operations or the demand for its products; timely development and market acceptance of new products; adequacy of financing; capacity additions and the ability to enforce patents. We refer you to documents that the company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which includes Form 10-KSB and Form 10-QSBs containing additional important information.
Sono-Tek Corporation
Selected Financial Data
Nine Months Ended Three Months Ended
November 30, November 30,
2006 2005 2006 2005
Net Sales $5,239,698 $5,082,730 $1,624,015 $1,670,586
Net Income $472,810 $666,378 $114,143 $280,203
Basic Earnings Per Share $0.03 $0.05 $0.01 $0.02
Diluted Earnings Per Share $0.03 $0.05 $0.01 $0.02
Weighted Average Shares
- Basic 14,359,738 14,111,339 14,204,448 14,048,236
Weighted Average Shares
- Diluted 14,456,779 14,417,106 14,298,155 14,163,279
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Sono-Tek Corporation
A nanomicrocap with 22 consecutive quarters of profits:
Form 10QSB for SONO TEK CORP. (SOTK.ob)
12-Jan-2007
Quarterly Report
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OR PLAN OF OPERATIONS
Forward-Looking Statements
We discuss expectations regarding our future performance, such as our business outlook, in our annual and quarterly reports, press releases, and other written and oral statements. These "forward-looking statements" are based on currently available competitive, financial and economic data and our operating plans. They are inherently uncertain, and investors must recognize that events could turn out to be significantly different from our expectations. The following risks are by no means all inclusive but are designed to highlight what we believe are important factors to consider when evaluating our trends and future results.
- Our ability to respond to competition in national and global markets.
- General economic conditions in our markets.
We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement.
Overview
Sono-Tek has developed a unique and proprietary series of ultrasonic atomization nozzles, which are being used in an increasing variety of electronic, medical, industrial, and nanotechnology applications. These nozzles are electrically driven and create a fine, uniform, low velocity spray of atomized liquid particles, in contrast to common pressure nozzles. These characteristics create a series of commercial applications that benefit from the precise, uniform, thin coatings that can be achieved. When combined with significant reductions in liquid waste and less overspray than can be achieved with ordinary pressure nozzle systems, there is lower environmental impact.
We have had a well established position in the domestic electronics assembly industry for many years, based on our SonoFlux spray fluxing equipment, which accounted for a significant portion of our business. Our SonoFlux equipment saves customers from 40% to 80% of the liquid flux required to solder printed circuit boards over more labor intensive methods, such as foam fluxing. Less flux equates to lower material cost, fewer chemicals in the workplace, and less clean-up. Also, the SonoFlux equipment reduces the number of soldering defects, which reduces the level of rework.
Several years ago, we recognized that the trend in the electronics assembly industry was a move toward offshore production into China and other developing countries. The change in the global structure of this business created the need for Sono-Tek to change as well.
One change that has proven to be successful is our diversification into the medical device market. In the past three years, we have focused engineering resources on the medical device market, with emphasis on providing coating solutions for the new generation of drug coated stents. We have sold a significant number of specialized ultrasonic nozzles and MediCoat stent coating systems to large medical device customers. Sono-Tek's stent coating systems are
superior compared to pressure nozzles in their ability to uniformly coat the very small arterial stents without creating webs or gaps in the coatings. We also sell a bench-top, fully outfitted stent coating system to a wide range of customers that are manufacturing stents and/or applying coatings to be used in developmental trials.
Another change that has stimulated an increase in business has been the development of the WideTrack coating system, a broad based platform for applying a variety of coatings to moving webs of glass, textiles, plastic, metal, food products and packaging materials. The WideTrack is a long term product and market development effort. Thus far, we have made successful inroads with WideTrack systems into the glass, medical textile (bandages) and solar and fuel cell industries. We plan to increase our marketing efforts into the broader textile and food industry markets. This will require a continuation of market and technology development in these areas in the years ahead. Some of these WideTrack applications involve nano-technology based liquids. We believe there is an excellent fit between the thin, precise films required in nano-technology coating applications and our ultrasonic nozzle systems.
In the electronics, medical device and WideTrack coating markets, it has been incumbent upon us to focus our attention and resources on the development of a much greater international presence. We believe we have accomplished this and plan to continue our marketing efforts. Our international sales have risen from approximately 20% of total revenues in Fiscal Year 2003 to over 54% today, and we expect to increase that percentage in the years ahead.
Past history shows the cyclical nature of the electronics business. This cycle, coupled with the increasing trend toward moving electronics production offshore, created a need to diversify. As expected, our US based electronics business has declined this year and is approximately 20% below previous levels, as a result of the trend toward production moving offshore, coupled with a slower economy and the reduced competitiveness of our US based automotive customers. We have been able to offset this reduction in US electronics sales with an increase in our international electronics, medical device and WideTrack coating sales.
The creation of technological innovations and the expansion into new geographical markets requires the investment of both time and capital. These investments are clearly shown in the year over year increase in both R&D and Marketing and Sales expenses, resulting in a reduction in our reported net income. However, the Company is in a good position to make these expenditures based on its strong balance sheet with an excellent cash position and virtually no debt. Although there is no guarantee of success, we expect that over time, these newer markets will be the basis for Sono-Tek's continued growth and will contribute to future profitability. It is management's opinion that this strategy will be a better one than being bound to a shrinking domestic market.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Working Capital - Our working capital increased $394,000 from a working capital of $3,699,000 at February 28, 2006 to $4,093,000 at November 30, 2006. The Company's current ratio is 6.24 to 1 at November 30, 2006 as compared to 5.33 to 1 at February 28, 2006.
Stockholders' Equity - Stockholder's Equity increased $525,000 from $4,230,000 at February 28, 2006 to $4,755,000 at November 30, 2006. The increase is the result of net income of $473,000, stock option exercises of $2,500 and an adjustment for stock based compensation expense of $50,000.
Operating Activities - Our operations provided $638,000 of cash for the nine months ended November 30, 2006, an increase of $333,000 when compared to the nine months ended November 30, 2005.
Investing Activities - We used $215,000 for the purchase of capital equipment and patent application costs during the nine months ended November 30, 2006 compared to the use of $135,000 during the nine months ended November 30, 2005.
Financing Activities - For the nine months ended November 30, 2006, we used $16,500 in financing activities resulting from the repayment of notes payable of $19,000 and the proceeds of stock option exercises of $2,500. For the nine months ended November 30, 2005, the net cash provided by financing activities was $343,000 resulting from: the issuance of stock and stock option exercises of $623,000, repayment of the outstanding line of credit of $350,000 and the net proceeds of notes payable of $70,000.
Results of Operations
During the nine month period ended November 30, 2006, our sales increased $157,000 or 3% to $5,240,000 as compared to $5,083,000 for the nine months ended November 30, 2005. For the three months ended November 30, 2006, our sales decreased $47,000 when compared to the three months ended November 30, 2005. During the nine month period ended November 30, 2006, sales of our Nozzles, Medi-Coat systems and Fluxer units increased. The increase in sales of these units was offset by a decrease in sales of WideTrack units and EVS systems.
Our gross profit increased $129,000 to $2,615,000 for the nine months ended November 30, 2006 from $2,486,000 for the nine months ended November 30, 2005. The gross profit margin was 49.9% of sales for the nine months ended November 30, 2006 as compared to 48.91% of sales for the nine months ended November 30, 2005. Our gross profit decreased $6,000 to $811,000 for the three months ended November 30, 2006 from $817,000 for the three months ended November 30, 2005. The gross profit margin was 49.94% of sales for the three months ended November 30, 2006 as compared to 48.91% of sales for the three months ended November 30, 2005.
Research and product development costs increased $150,000 to $597,000 for the nine months ended November 30, 2006 from $447,000 for the nine months ended November 30, 2005 and $67,000 to $219,000 for the three months ended November 30, 2006 from $152,000 for the three months ended November 30, 2005. The increases were due to increased engineering personnel, engineering materials, food industry initiatives and increased depreciation expense.
Marketing and selling costs increased $134,000 to $966,000 for the nine months ended November 30, 2006 from $832,000 for the nine months ended November 30, 2005 and $53,000 to $306,000 for the three months ended November 30, 2006 from $253,000 for the three months ended November 30, 2005. The increases were due principally to increased international travel expenses, international representative commissions and trade show expenses.
General and administrative costs increased $28,000 to $629,000 for the nine months ended November 30, 2006 from $601,000 for the nine months ended November 30, 2005 and $2,000 to $190,000 for the three months ended November 30, 2006 from $188,000 for the three months ended November 30, 2005. The increase was principally due to recording the current period stock based compensation expense of $50,000. We are now required to directly expense the effects of stock based compensation expense, a non-cash expense item.
Interest income increased $41,000 to $49,000 for the nine months ended November 30, 2006 compared to the nine months ended November 30, 2005. Our present investment policy is to invest excess cash in short term commercial paper with an S & P rating of at least A1+.
Our net income was $473,000 and $114,000 for the nine and the three month periods ended November 30, 2006 as compared to $666,000 and $280,000 for the nine and three month periods ended November 30, 2005.
The Company's backlog of firm orders was $253,000 at November 30, 2006. All of these orders are deliverable before the end of the Company's current fiscal year, which is February 28, 2007.
the chart looks ok on TINY but this may be a use of cash and could be seen as a negative short term let's see
cool tech..
Harris & Harris Group Invests In Xradia, Inc.>TINY
01/12/2007
Dow Jones News Services
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01-12-07 1455ET
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*DJ Harris & Harris Grp Invests $4M In Series D Pfd Financing In Xradia >TINY
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01-12-07 1456ET
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Harris & Harris Group Invests In Xradia, Inc.>TINY
01/12/2007
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http://xradia.com/index.html
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01-12-07 1455ET
Nanotech-Based Medicines Nearing Commercialization
NEW YORK, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Innovations at the
intersection of medicine, biotechnology, engineering, physical sciences and
information technology are spurring new directions in R&D,
commercialization and technology transfer. Basic research in nanomedicine
and bionanotechnology is rapidly producing commercially viable products.
Governments and industries across the globe are staking their claims by
investing billions for research. Clearly, international rivalries are
growing and political alliances and battle lines are beginning to gel.
The nanotech community will gather at ALM's Strategic Research
Institute's "2nd Annual NANOMEDICINE: Commercializing Drug Delivery,
Diagnostics and Medical Devices" conference for two days on March 26-27,
2007 in Arlington, VA to discuss the most important applications of
nanotechnology in drug delivery, diagnostics and medical devices. The
two-day event will consist of presentations, panels and networking
opportunities, providing insights into trends in nanomedicine, dissociating
myths from realities and highlighting future areas of commercial potential.
The previous conference was so successful that a front-page lead cover
story covering the conference appeared in Genetic Engineering News.
The 2007 event will focus on cutting-edge R&D, commercialization
strategies, policy, regulatory and IP issues -- offering networking
opportunities to researchers from industry, government and academia;
physicians; intellectual property practitioners; business and economic
development professionals; technology transfer specialists, policy makers
and venture capitalists.
For more information on registration, potential speaking engagements,
or sponsorship/exhibition opportunities, please contact the organizer, Jon
E. Liong of Strategic Research Institute at jliong@srinstitute.com or call
(212)967-0095 ext. 243. The conference website is http://www.srinstitute.com/nano.
ABOUT STRATEGIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE
The Strategic Research Institute is part of ALM's Conference and Trade
Show Division, one of North America's largest producers of educational and
networking events for business leaders and the legal profession. The
division offers more than 300 conferences and two leading industry
tradeshows, as well as conferences in Europe and Asia. Attendance at the
division's events, which span a broad range of topics including law,
finance, natural resources, life sciences, multi-cultural marketing, real
estate and healthcare, will exceed 40,000 executive-level decision makers
this year.
ABOUT ALM
Headquartered in New York City, ALM is a leading integrated media
company, focused on the legal and business communities. ALM currently owns
and publishes 37 national and regional magazines and newspapers, including
The American Lawyer(R), Corporate Counsel(R), The National Law Journal(R)
and Real Estate Forum(R). Other ALM businesses include Law.com(R), the
Web's leading legal news and information network, Law Journal Press books,
newsletter publishing, court verdict and settlement reporting, production
of professional educational seminars, market research and content
distribution. ALM was formed by U.S. Equity Partners, L.P., a private
equity fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP. More information on ALM's
businesses and services is available on the Web at http://www.alm.com.
SOURCE Strategic Research Institute
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related links:
http://www.srinstitute.com
http://www.alm.com
MFIC website updated to show 2007 calendar for tradeshow and conference participation. Noteworthy are involvement in the two nanotech conferences, NSTI Nanotech and NanoTX, and the UMass Food Symposium.
Tradeshow Date Place Booth#
CSU - Biotech Jan 12-13, 2007 Los Angeles, California
* U of CA - LA Feb 1, 2007 University of CA - Los Angeles
* Case Western Reserve Feb 7, 2007 Cleveland, OH
* Cleveland Clinic Foundation Feb 8, 2007 Cleveland, OH
** U of CA - SD Feb 8, 2007 University of CA - San Diego
Life Sciences Forum Feb 14-15, 2007 Munich, Germany
* Duke University Feb 21, 2007 Raleigh, NC
* Texas A&M Feb 28, 2006 College Station, TX
* Texas Medical Center March 1, 2007 Houston, TX
ISPE Vendor Night March 1, 2007 San Fransisco, CA
SCIFT March 7, 2007 Anaheim, CA
* U of CA - San Francisco March 14, 2007 San Francisco, CA
* U of TN March 21, 2007 Memphis, TN
Technopharma March 27-30, 2007 Nürnberg, Germany
* U of Georgia March 29, 2007 Athens, GA
* U of IA April 11, 2007 Iowa City, IA
* Northwestern Medical School April 18, 2007 Chicago, IL
* U of IL - Chicago April 19, 2007 Chicago, IL
Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress April 22-25, 2007 RAI Congress Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Interphex April 23-25 NYC, NY 2547
Vaccine Research April 30-May 2, 2007 Baltimore, MD
* Thomas Jefferson U May 9, 2007 Philadelphia, PA
* U of PA - Philadelphia May 10, 2007 Philadelphia, PA
Total Exhibit May 15-18, 2007 NEC (Solihull), Birmingham, UK
* U of MI May 16, 2007 Ann Arbor, MI
SCC May 15-16, 2007 Meadowlands, NJ
NSTI Nanotech May 20-25, 2007 Santa Clara, CA
UMass Food Symposium May 23-25, 2007 Amherst, MA
Bioperspectives May 30-June1, 2007 Cologne, Germany
** U of PA June 7, 2007 Philadelphia, PA
** Georgetown U June 8 Washington DC
* Abbott - UMass Medical School June 14, 2007 Worcester, MA
* U of Pittsburgh June 20, 2007 Pittsburgh, PA
** U of CO June 20, 2007 Boulder, CO
Interphex Japan June 20-22, 2007 Tokyo, Japan
AAPS National Biotechnology June 24-27, 2007 San Diego, CA
Controlled Release Society July 8-11, 2007 Long Beach, CA
* Rockefeller University July 11, 2007 New York City, NY
* New York University July 12, 2007 New York City, MY
* U of Kentucky July 18, 2007 Lexington, KY
* Mayo Clinic July 25, 2007 Rochester, MN
* U of MN July 26 Minneapolis, MN
* Washington University August 1, 2007 St. Louis, MO
* St. Louis University August 2, 2007 St. Louis, MO
* U of Chicago August 8, 2007 Chicago, IL
* OK Medical Research Foundation August 15, 2007 Oklahoma
* Ohio State University August 29, 2007 Columbus, OH
* U of Cincinnati Childrens Hospital August 30, 2007 Cincinnati, OH
** Columbia University September 19, 2007 New York City, NY
* Mt Sinai School of Medicine September 20, 2007 New York City, NY
* U of UT September 26, 2007 Salt Lake City, UT
ILMAC September 25-28, 2007 Basel, Switzerland
SCC - Long Beach October Long Beach, CA
NanoTX October 3-4 Texas
Biotechnica October 9-11, 2007 Germany
Chem Show October 30 - November 1, 2007 NYC, New York 951
* U of CA - Davis November 7, 2007 Davis, CA
BioAsia November 7-9, 2007 Thailand
* U of CA - Berkley November 8, 2007 Berkley, CA
AAPS November 11-15, 2007 San Diego, CA
* U of AZ November 14, 2007 Tucson, AZ
* Life Science Exhibits Suppliers Product Shows. For more informations, visit their website at: www.lifescienceexhibits.com
**Bio Research Product Faires. For more information, visit their website at: www.biotradeshow.com
New Taglich Bros. report on MFIC:
http://www.taglichbrothers.com/equityuniverse/companies/mficcorp/mficcorp-01032007.pdf
Alert Triggered for MFIC Corp
MFIC Corp (MFIC) Price Crossed Above Its 60 Day Moving Average
MFIC crossed above its 60 day moving average of $1.63 with a trade of $1.65 at 1:05 PM EST, up 6.5% from the moving average. It is currently trading strongly higher on the day, up 7.1% to $1.65.
Lumera Showcases New Design of ProteomicProcessor(TM) at PepTalk -- Sponsors Workshop for Dr. Joshua LaBaer of Harvard Institute for Proteomics --
Thursday January 4, 9:00 am ET
BOTHELL, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lumera Corporation (NASDAQ: LMRA - News), an emerging leader in the field of nanotechnology, announced today it will be showcasing the new design of its ProteomicProcessor(TM) at PepTalk, a week long conference on protein research being held in San Diego from January 8 - 12, 2007. The company is also sponsoring a luncheon workshop at the conference for Dr. Joshua LaBaer of the Harvard Institute of Proteomics, in which he will discuss his research using Lumera's ProteomicProcessor(TM).
"The new design is the result of feedback from drug discovery scientists at several biopharmaceutical companies with whom we have ongoing discussions," said Ron Dudek, Lumera Business Development Director. "The input we've received from the field has allowed us to incorporate important features that we believe will meet customer expectations."
Harvard's Dr. LaBaer is a well-known researcher in the field of proteomics. He recently discussed his research in an article in the December 14 issue of Nature Magazine (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7121/index.html). Lumera executives were also interviewed in the article.
"Josh LaBaer is a giant in his field and we're very pleased to sponsor the luncheon workshop at PepTalk. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with him on the protein research he's been developing," said Dr. Tim Londergan, Director of Lumera's Bioscience Business Unit.
About Lumera
Lumera is a leader in the emerging field of nanotechnology. The company designs proprietary molecular structures and polymer compounds for the bioscience and communications/computing industries, both of which represent large market opportunities. The company also has developed proprietary processes for fabricating such devices. For more information, please visit www.lumera.com.
Certain statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the company's forward-looking statements include the following: market acceptance of our technologies and products; our ability to obtain financing; our financial and technical resources relative to those of our competitors; our ability to keep up with rapid technological change; government regulation of our technologies; our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights and protect our proprietary technologies; the ability to obtain additional contract awards and to develop partnership opportunities; the timing of commercial product launches; the ability to achieve key technical milestones in key products; and other risk factors identified from time to time in the company's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Contact:
The Summit Group Communications
Todd Wolfenbarger, 801-595-1155
801-244-9600 (cell)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Lumera Corporation
Great news for SOTK as it is a supplier of batch-coating equipment for drug-eluting stents:
The New York Times - Market Place
Street Expresses New Confidence in Drug-Coated Stents
By BARNABY J. FEDER
Published: December 28, 2006
WALL STREET’S fears of a steep decline in the $6 billion stent business seem to have evaporated after an inconclusive federal regulatory review of coronary stent safety this month. Might the optimism be premature?
In their relief, analysts are now forecasting that the lucrative drug-coated versions of the stents, which prop open heart arteries, will still account for 75 percent to 80 percent of the domestic stent market in the last quarter of this year. That would be down from about 88 percent a year ago.
But analysts see it as a relatively strong performance in the face of many months of troubling headlines about potentially deadly clotting risks in a small percentage of them.
While the Food and Drug Administration’s safety panel did suggest that heart doctors take various measures to reduce the risks associated with the stents, it did not call for the agency to impose new restrictions on their use.
As a result, Wall Street is looking for the sales slide to end in 2007. Indeed, some analysts speculate that a rebound may already have begun.
“None of the physicians we spoke with have or will change their behavior, suggesting that market share and penetration may be stable or, perhaps, on the upswing,” Jan D. Wald, an analyst at A. G. Edwards, wrote in a recent note to investors on the effect of the F.D.A. hearings.
Glenn J. Novarro, an analyst at Banc of America Securities, was a bit more pessimistic in his forecast, indicating that the drug-coated stent share of the United States market could fall to a low of 72.5 percent next spring before rebounding. But, he told clients that he has not revised downward his projection of an 81 percent share for the drug-coated devices in 2008.
Some of the rebound might come from the expected arrival in the market in the second half of next year of Medtronic’s drug-coated Endeavor stent. But the biggest winner from a rebound would probably be Boston Scientific, the domestic market leader.
Boston Scientific became a major player in implantable defibrillators and reduced its dependence on Taxus, its blockbuster drug-coated heart stent, with its acquisition last spring of Guidant. But Taxus still accounts for well over 25 percent of sales and an even larger share of profits.
What if the current confidence in the drug-coated stent market is wrong?
How far might drug-coated stent use fall if doctors become much more cautious about implanting the devices, which cost roughly $2,200 each? That’s nearly three times as much as the bare-metal devices they have largely supplanted.
Stents are used to improve angioplasty, a procedure in which a balloon is inflated to clear a blockage in an artery. Stents were introduced to reduce the frequency with which cleared arteries quickly reclogged. Drug-coated stents have been roughly twice as effective at halting such reclogging, which allows more patients to avoid return visits to the hospital to reopen the artery.
But serious complications from procedures to reopen arteries are rare. Thus, even a slight increase in deadly clotting from the newer stents might be seen as a risk outweighing the benefit of fewer follow-up procedures.
Consider what happened in Sweden, a nation that keeps centralized records on every stent implant. Swedish use of drug-coated stents topped 62 percent at the end of 2005. Some Swedish hospitals used such stents in nearly 90 percent of the angioplasties where stents were implanted.
Then, as reports from many nations began circulating that clots were developing in the drug-coated stents months or even years after they were implanted — a problem rarely seen in bare-metal stents — hospitals began switching back to bare metal.
The switching accelerated in September after a cardiology conference in Spain that spotlighted the accumulating data. Sweden’s own data also showed slightly higher clotting rates after six months in patients that got drug-coated stents. By the end of October, the drug-coated devices were being used in just 25 percent of angioplasty cases — and just over 30 percent of the cases where a stent was used.
Dr. Lars Wallentin, a cardiologist from Uppsala, Sweden, who flew to Washington to share the Swedish data with the F.D.A. panel this month, said that the Swedish media had overreacted by labeling the drug-coated devices “death stents.”
But Dr. Wallentin said that the current use of the devices seems appropriate for now. He said Swedish studies, like some in the United States, showed higher risks associated with using drug-coated devices in patients with more complicated blockages and health problems than the patients studied in clinical trials for the devices. As in the United States, most patients getting the stents have been in such “off-label” groups.
Even cardiologists who are outspoken critics of stent practices in the United States, like Dr. Sanjay Kaul of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, argue that the medically justified usage of drug-coated stents is somewhat higher than current levels in Sweden.
But opinions vary widely. Dr. Kaul says clinical data supports use of drug-coated stents in perhaps 40 percent of angioplasty cases. But stent advocates with close ties to the industry, like Dr. Gary S. Roubin at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, say use should actually rise from current levels.
Boston Scientific would be hit by a 17.5 percent shortfall in projected earnings per share next year if drug-coated stents fell to 40 percent of the domestic market, according to Lawrence Biegelsen of the Prudential Equity Group. A similar decline would nick just 1.3 percent from the earnings per share of Johnson & Johnson, the diversified health care giant that makes the only other drug-coated device currently sold in the United States.
It seems farfetched that drug-coated stents could fall that far. Unless, of course, there is more bad news about clotting risks.
There was a guy on CNBC this morning talking about nano solar panels and how cheap and easy they are to make... spray on any substrate and make a solar panel.
Adviser Soapbox
Top Five Nanotech Breakthroughs Of 2006
Josh Wolfe, Forbes/Wolfe Nanotech Report 12.27.06, 8:30 AM ET
New York - This year saw a slew of remarkable nanotech breakthroughs, and narrowing down the top five was no easy task. One major theme of 2006 was the intersection of computing and biology--integrated circuits were used to study everything from neural activity to tissue dynamics, and disposable bio labs-on-a-chip became a reality.
One Harvard research team, led by Robert Westervelt, created a hybrid chip that can control the motion of biological cells; with the chip, researchers can assemble cells one by one into artificial tissue, which can then be used to test the efficacy of various drugs.
This year also brought us several steps closer to nanotube computing, as many research groups developed new ways to custom design nanotubes. Researchers at Stanford University and at Northwestern University came up with two novel ways to sort nanotubes by their electrical properties.
In addition, a group led by James Tour at Rice University developed a revolutionary method first envisioned by the legendary Richard Smalley for growing mass quantities of nanotubes from nanotube "seeds." These methods will find near-term applications in innovative materials, high-definition displays and solar cells, among others.
While many breakthroughs came out of academia, the corporate sector held its own. For instance, Motorola's (nyse: MOT - news - people ) carbon nanotube TVs are ready to leave the lab and hit the market, outperforming today's flat panel displays and IBM (nyse: IBM - news - people ) is leading the way to nanoscale computing. From biotech to electronics, it's been an exciting year, and the following breakthroughs are the cream of the crop. So without further ado, we give you the top five nanotech breakthroughs of 2006.
1) DNA ORIGAMI
Researcher: Paul W. K.Rothemund (Caltech)
The sheer simplicity and versatility of Dr. Rothemund's "DNA origami" renders it a revolution in nanoscale architecture. Rothemund developed a technique to fold a single long strand of DNA into any 2D shape held together by a few shorter DNA pieces. He created software to quickly determine what short sequences will fold the main strand into the desired shape, such as the DNA smiley face he built, which is a mere 100nm across and 2nm thick, or his nanoscale map of the Americas.
They sound silly, but these creations are proof of concept: here is a method for building scaffolding that can be used to hold quantum dots in a quantum computer or proteins in a multi-enzyme factory, to name just a few potential applications.
2) NANOMAGNETS TO CLEAN UP DRINKING WATER
Researchers: Vicki Colvin, Amy Kan, William Yu, J.T.Mayo, Arjun Prakash, Joshua
Falkner, Sujin Yean, Lili Cong and Heather Shipley (Rice University)
According to the World Bank, nearly 65 million people are at risk from arsenic-related health problems due to millions of contaminated wells, especially in developing nations like India and Bangladesh. Now, a research team led by Vicki Colvin at Rice University has developed a simple and inexpensive way to solve the problem.
Rust nanoparticles, which have magnetic properties, bind to arsenic; the rust and arsenic can then be lifted out of the water by nothing more than a handheld magnet. The breakthrough was the realization that the manipulation of nanoscale rust would not require huge magnetic fields, as was expected. The unique properties at the nanoscale cause the rust nanoparticles to act as one large magnet that can be easily drawn out of the water, leaving behind drinking water pure enough to meet Environmental Protection Agency standards. The method, which requires no electricity or extensive hardware, will have a global impact.
Special Offer: Wireless gaming, ringtones, cell-o-vision? The Wireless Revolution is on and bargains are still available among stocks in the sector. Will Qualcomm’s 3G initiatives overtake Wintel’s WiFi crusade? How can you profit from the new WiMax technology soon to hit the airwaves? Click here for five Wireless Winners in Forbes Wireless Stock Watch.
3) ARRAYS CONNECT NANOWIRE TRANSISTORS WITH NEURONS
Researchers: Charles Lieber, Fernando Patolsky, Brian Timko, Guihua Yu, Ying Fang, Andrew Greytak, and Gengfeng Zheng (Harvard University)
In the first ever two-way interface between nanoelectronics and living neurons, Dr. Lieber and his team have created a revolutionary way to study brain activity. Silicon nanowires link up with the axons and dendrites of live mammalian neurons, creating artificial synapses between the two and allowing scientists to study and manipulate signal propagation in neural networks.
The device can measure the brain's electric signals with unprecedented sensitivity, amplifying signals from up to 50 places on a single neuron. It will allow researchers to accurately model complex brain activity, pave the way for powerful neural prosthetics, and open the possibility for hybrid nanoelectronic and biological information processing.
4) SINGLE NANOTUBE ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS
Researchers: Phaedon Avouris, Zhihong Chen, Joerg Appenzeller, Yu-Ming Lin, Paul Solomon (IBM's T.J.Watson Research Center); Jennifer Sippel-Oakley and Andrew Rinzler (University of Florida); Jinyao Tang and Shalom Wind (Columbia University)
This year, IBM unveiled the most complex and highest performance electrical circuit based on a single nanotube, demonstrating the applicability of CMOS technology and paving the way for the future of computing.
The integrated logic circuit consists of 12 transistors made of palladium and aluminum tracing the length of a single carbon nanotube. The circuit is hundreds of times slower than today's silicon processors, but it is 100,000 times faster than any previous carbon nanotube device and has the potential to be much faster. Unlike silicon, it doesn't require doping, which scatters electron flow and is far more heat efficient. Expect to first see these nanotube circuits in hybrid nanotube-silicon computers.
5) NANOPARTICLES DESTROY PROSTATE CANCER
Researchers: Robert Langer (MIT); Omid Farokhzad, Benjamin Teply, Ines Sherifi, Jerome Richie (BWH and Harvard); Jianjun Cheng (U.of Illinois); Sangyong Jon (Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea); Philip Kantoff (Dana Farber Cancer Institute)
Here's one battle with cancer where cancer is losing dramatically--researchers at MIT and Harvard have custom-designed nanoparticles that hone in on prostate cancer cells and deliver doses of targeted chemotherapy.
In trials with mice, which were given human prostate cancer, a single injection of these nanoparticles completely eradicated tumors in five out of seven animals, significantly reducing tumor size in the other two. The work may be replicable for treatments of breast and pancreatic cancer, as well. Look forward to seeing these cancer-killers in human clinical trials.
Looking Ahead To 2007:
What do we have to look forward to in the coming year? We are sure to see more groundbreaking developments in the emerging interface of nanoelectronics and biology. The number of novel nanoparticles for biomedical applications is poised for accelerated growth, and there will be a special emphasis on combination products that can be used for medical imaging and targeted drug delivery, especially for cancer.
As the corporate world continues to go green, environmental nanotech will come to the forefront, with applications in fuel cells, solar energy and hydrogen storage, to name a few. There's a lot looming on the horizon and we will keep you several steps ahead of the game on the pages of this newsletter. Here's to another great year of thinking big about thinking small!
Excerpted from the December issue of Forbes/Wolfe Nanotech Report.
Merry Christmas Everyone
yes it does
SKYE continues nicely
That's really strange.
Wednesday, 20 December 2006
MFIC Corporation Makes Statement
LOS ANGELES, CA (NAMC) - Late yesterday OTC Bulletin Board traded stock MFIC Corporation (OTCBB: MFIC) issued a statement that they have no clue what prompted the recent high volume in the stock nor the decline. Lets chime in on this one, what may account for these events could be the fact that the company hired an investor relations firm on December 7, 2006. The purpose of an investor relations firm is to increase investor awareness and in turn potentially increase the volume as investors take positions in the stock.
The second possibility is the fact that on December 14, 2006 the company hired the brokerage firm Taglich Brothers to initiate coverage of this company. In the real world not too many OTC Bulletin Board companies receive analyst coverage so the next best thing may be to purchase that analyst coverage.
According to Taglich Brothers even though they get a monthly retainer their outlook is unbiased.
In any event I found this statement interesting enough to write about, and I guess it was necessary to make such a statement for the purpose of transparency. I do not know much about the company and usually would not comment on a OTCBB company but I couldn't resist.
David Kingston
Business News Correspondent
NAMC Newswire
www.namcnewswire.com
SKYE Pharma had drug approval news overnight
#msg-15623377
MFIC 1.71 - Taglich Brothers Issues Updated Research Report for MFIC Corporation and Significantly Raises 12 Month Price Target
December 14, 2006 08:38 PM Eastern Time
NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MFIC Corporation (“MFIC” or the “Company”) (OTCBB:MFIC) announced today that Taglich Brothers on December 11, 2006 increased its twelve month price target for MFIC to $2.80 while retaining its rating of MFIC as a “Speculative Buy” and published an updated research report for the Company (current price $1.71).
MFIC’s Chairman and CEO, Irwin Gruverman, commented “We are pleased to see an increase in the target price for our shares. We note that Taglich has estimated that MFIC’s audit fees will increase by $400,000 in 2007 as a result of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. We estimate that such increase is more than twice the amount of the total Sarbanes-Oxley related increase that we expect to experience in 2007 and that only a relatively small portion of that amount will be attributable to increased audit fees, while the balance will be allocated to Sarbanes-Oxley compliance consultants for implementation and review.”
MFIC, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Microfluidics Corporation, produces and markets a broad line of proprietary fluid materials processing systems used for a variety of mixing, microemulsion, nanosuspension, encapsulation, and cell disruption applications. Microfluidics offers Microfluidizer® high shear fluid processor equipment capable of creating nanostructures, as well as new Microfluidizer® Mixer/Reactor Systems for continuous production of nanoparticles for applications in drug delivery, catalysts, superconductors, high temperature ceramics, coatings, and encapsulated active ingredients.
Taglich’s rating for MFIC is available at: http://www.taglichbrothers.com/equityuniverse/companies/mficcorp/mfic corp.asp and the complete updated Research Report can be reached either by a hyperlink on MFIC’s web site: www.mficcorp.com/ or at http://www.taglichbrothers.com/equityuniverse/companies/mficcorp/mfic corp-12112006.pdf
(Editor's Note: Due to the length of some of the URLs in this press release, it may be necessary to copy and paste them into your Internet browser’s URL address field.)
TAGLICH BROTHERS
Taglich Brothers, Inc. is a full-service broker dealer focused exclusively on microcap companies. Taglich Brothers defines the microcap segment of the equity market as companies with less than $250 million in market capitalization. Taglich Brothers currently offers institutional and retail brokerage services, investment banking and comprehensive research coverage to the investment community.
All research issued by Taglich Brothers, Inc. is based on public information. Taglich Brothers, Inc. does not currently have an Investment Banking relationship with the Company and was not a manager or co-manager of any offering for the Company within the last three years. The Company, for the creation and dissemination of research reports for the first year, paid $19,500 (USD) on April 2004, and in August 2005 the Company paid, for the creation and dissemination of research reports for the second year, a monetary fee of $17,550. After the second year of publication, the Company will pay a monthly monetary fee of $1,462.50 (USD) to Taglich Brothers, Inc. for creation and dissemination of research reports. All further disclosure and caveats are contained in the Taglich Brothers full report.
MFIC CORPORATION
MFIC Corporation, through its Microfluidics subsidiary, provides patented and proprietary high performance Microfluidizer® materials processing equipment to the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetics/personal care, and food industries. The equipment enables the manufacture and formulation of numerous nanomaterials and nanoscale products. MFIC applies its 20 years of high pressure processing experience to produce the most uniform and smallest liquid and suspended solid structures available, and has provided manufacturing systems for more than 15 years.
The Company is a leader in advanced materials processing equipment for laboratory, pilot scale and manufacturing applications, offering innovative technology and comprehensive solutions for nanoparticles and other materials processing and production. More than 3,000 systems are in use and afford significant competitive and economic advantages to MFIC equipment customers. For more information please visit http://www.microfluidicscorp.com/
Contacts
MFIC Corporation
Irwin Gruverman, CEO & Chairman
Robert P. Bruno, President & COO, or
Jack M. Swig, Investor Relations
617-969-5452
Fax 617-965-1213
E-mail: info@mfics.com
or
Kawski Investor Relations, Inc.
James L. Kawski, 978-490-6827
jkawski@comcast.net
Alert Triggered for MFIC Corp
Analysts Increased MFIC's Annual Earnings Estimate
December 14, 2006
One analyst revised his or her annual earnings estimate. This increased the Consensus Estimate from $0.03 to $0.04.
Lumera Achieves Multi-Band Millimeter Wave Communications System Milestone with Successful Test of Wireless Bridge at 10Gbps
Wednesday December 13, 8:45 am ET
BOTHELL, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lumera Corporation (NASDAQ: LMRA - News), an emerging leader in the field of nanotechnology, announced today encouraging results for its multi-band millimeter wave wireless bridge.
Previously, the Company had announced the successful test of its single band prototype. The new tests were of its multi-frequency band prototype, which is designed to transmit data at spectrum frequencies of 35, 94, and 140 GHz. Data rates from 2.5 Gbps to 10 Gbps were successfully tested and Lumera anticipates that the system will have the capacity to operate at a range of up to three miles per data link. In addition to high data rate transmission, the multi-band system offers adaptive frequency switching to provide link resilience by responding to changes in atmospheric conditions.
"This is a significant milestone in our millimeter-wave communication system product plan," said Dr. Raluca Dinu, Director of Lumera's Electro-Optics Business Unit. "We are pleased with the 10 Gbps data rates achieved for our multi-frequency band system. In the next 12 - 18 months, we will continue to improve the functionality of the system, optimize the design, and continue testing as we work to create a commercial ready product. The improvements will include the integration of security software against interception and interference."
Lumera's wireless bridge offers high data rate transmission at low cost in an integrated solution, while avoiding the expense of digging and laying optical fiber. Potential applications for the wireless bridge include enterprises that have massive amounts of data that need to be transmitted. For example, companies that are spread between multiple buildings either in a campus setting or within a metropolitan area and transmit backup files of customer data, billing data, etc. would be interested in the ability to service higher traffic loads. Similarly, universities, health care enterprises, and government agencies also have high data capacity users. Moreover, in many underdeveloped countries, where no fiber optic infrastructure exists, a wireless solution can become a very attractive broadband connectivity option.
It is believed that the U.S. telecommunications backhaul market is a $2-billion market in 2006 and could grow to $16 billion by 2009.
About Lumera
Lumera is a leader in the emerging field of nanotechnology. The company designs proprietary molecular structures and polymer compounds for the bioscience and communications/computing industries, both of which represent large market opportunities. The company also has developed proprietary processes for fabricating such devices. For more information, please visit www.lumera.com.
Certain statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the company's forward-looking statements include the following: market acceptance of our technologies and products; our ability to obtain financing; our financial and technical resources relative to those of our competitors; our ability to keep up with rapid technological change; government regulation of our technologies; our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights and protect our proprietary technologies; the ability to obtain additional contract awards and to develop partnership opportunities; the timing of commercial product launches; the ability to achieve key technical milestones in key products; and other risk factors identified from time to time in the company's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Contact:
The Summit Group Communications
Todd Wolfenbarger, 801-595-1155
Cell: 801-244-9600
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Lumera Corporation
Cosmetic companies lead nanotech phenomenon
By Louise Prance
CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com
December 13, 2006
A recent report points out that while many European market industries are ‘missing the boat’ on nanotechnology, large cosmetic companies such as L’Oreal are emerging as market leaders in the use of the technology.
The report by Marks & Clerk, a leading firm of patent and trademark attorneys, looks at worldwide patent activity in the fields of nanoelectronics, nanoenergy and nanotechnology in health and personal care, confirms that the European market is falling behind the US and Far East in terms of the growth of patent applications.
However, bucking this trend, it is cosmetic companies that are largely driving the patent application process, dominated by the likes of large companies such as LOreal, that are significantly impacting the number of applications in France, home of the cosmetics giant.
L'Oreal has emerged triumphant with a total of 15 patent families in comparison to significantly lower figures from the likes top corporations such as Elan Corp (12) and The Government of United States of America (7).
Rhian Granleese, partner at Marks & Clerk and co-author of the report said “To date, cosmetics has been a big driver for developments in nanotechnology in health and personal care. But with an ever ageing population and significant drug patents expiring, we expect the major pharmaceutical companies to look closely at the nanomedicine market, both in terms of trying to reformulate their blockbusters in order to extend market exclusivity, and to look at completely new therapeutic regimes and processes.”
Nanotechnology, which deals with controlling matter at near-atomic scales to produce unique or enhanced materials, products and devices, has been touted as the next revolution in many industries, including cosmetics and packaging.
The report went on to conclude that despite Europe having stronger representation in the nanotechnology field in the health and personal care sector, the US and Far East, are also dominant in this area.
Europe is represented by Germany which has filed for 38 patents and France which filed for 32 and applications to the European Patent Office. In comparison to the US, 380, followed by China and Japan who filed 147 and 41 respectively.
The report states that there has been a record amount of investment in research in the European market, in particular from public funding.
According to the Nanosciences and Nanotechnology Unit in the European commission, despite the total R&D spenditure being significantly less than the US and China in 2004, Europe did, however, gain funding from the European public purse, exceeding that of the US and the Far East.
Due to this significant public investment, there has been cause for concern at the decreased patent applications in the European market.
“Some estimates predict that the value of the nanotechnology-related product and services market will exceed $1 trillion by 2015, but European institutions and companies may be foregoing their claim to commercial returns by not filing patents on their research.” Granleese stated.
It has been suggested that this is due to some companies not maximising the ‘potential value of their research', do not fully understand the benefits of Nanotechnology and are still somewhat dubious about the possible risks of the science.
A recent survey by Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has confirmed this theory, stating that clear definitions, terms and standards as well as far more research into the potential problems of nanotechnology are needed before the science is used to a greater degree in products.
The German survey confirms calls by scientists and others across the world for more regulatory oversight of nanotechnology to calm public fears about the possible risks posed by the emerging science.
However, Granleese said “Some estimates predict that the value of the nanotechnology-related product and services market will exceed $1 trillion by 2015, but European institutions and companies may be foregoing their claim to commercial returns by not filing patents on their research.”
so true my friend... get ya some icecream today chocolate dip ;)
only as well as the last trade! lol what have I done for myself lately ;)
XDSL ty doc.. hope you guys are doing well
XDSL might be a good bottom buster, Susan.
Full Taglich Bros. upgrade report on MFIC:
http://www.taglichbrothers.com/equityuniverse/companies/mficcorp/mficcorp-12112006.pdf
Keep an eye on this space: This has been heard in court already and a written opinion will be out within days (and perhaps hours):
http://www.nano-proprietary.com/About/KeesmannUpdate.asp
There are some other things, but I would urge you to read the NNPP thread on iHub, since this is more of a thread about all nanotech stocks. I am the worst stock promoter in the world... because I try and avoid hype when I can... but this is one stock to be enthusiastic about mid term and long term
It's been a nice latter half of the year in nanotech and there are plenty of great places to poke a little money, aren't there?
Maybe this will help, as far as valuation -- and this is a small part of the patent portfolio:
Canon Expert Witness Report Summary
Our amended complaint alleges that Canon committed fraud in connection with a 1999 patent license agreement by failing to disclose an ongoing relationship with Toshiba aimed at developing an SED flat panel display that would practice the licensed patents. The complaint also alleges that the Canon/Toshiba joint development efforts and resulting joint venture -- SED, Inc. -- are not covered by our 1999 license because they do not constitute licensed "subsidiaries" as that term is defined by our 1999 agreement. Fact discovery closed at the end of August 2006, and trial is docketed for March 2007. Canon has moved for summary judgment on whether SED, Inc. is a "subsidiary" under the agreement. That motion is fully briefed and awaits a ruling from Judge Sam Sparks of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.
We retained an expert witness to calculate the damages that we sustained as a result of Canon's actions. The expert's preliminary report was completed and served on October 30, 2006. The report calculates the damages that we incurred using five different methods. The first four methods include: damages based on foregone royalties, damages based on Canon's expected rate of return on its investment in the joint venture (SED,Inc.), damages based on Canon's expected rate of return on sales of the joint venture, and damages based on the impact of Canon's conduct on the market capitalization of our common stock. These estimates of our damages range between approximately $74 and $190 million. A fifth method, based on the value of our intellectual property to the joint venture, estimates damages at approximately $786 million.
-----
Ruling on Canon's Motion for Summary Judgment (November 2006):
http://www.nano-proprietary.com/PDFs/Ruling%20on%20Cannon%20Motion.pdf
Will, Congrats. on DYSL's excellent EPS report today!
Because the stock price will appreciate.
They have some news coming that will generate some investor attention. The stock has bottomed in 2006.
Why NNPP? Too many shares and too few assets and/ or cash. Compare with MFIC CVV SOTK or DYSL
NNPP will be getting another lift within a few days, imo
NVE Notified of Grant of MRAM Patent
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Dec. 12, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) (PRIMEZONE) -- NVE Corporation (Nasdaq:NVEC) said that it has been notified by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) of the expected grant today of a patent relating to Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (MRAM). The patent, titled "Magnetoresistive Memory SOI Cell," is number 7,148,531 and is the grant of a patent under the application published by the USPTO as number 2005-0242382.
MRAM is an integrated-circuit memory which is fabricated with nanotechnology, and which uses electron spin to store data. MRAM may have the potential to combine many of the best attributes of different types of semiconductor memories.
NVE's invention relates to MRAM incorporating silicon-on-insulator (SOI) materials. The invention could allow smaller MRAM cells and lower power consumption by reducing the electrical current required to write data to the memory cells.
The grant brings NVE's U.S. patent total to 39. The company has more than 100 patents worldwide issued, pending, or licensed from others. Links to the new patent and NVE's other U.S. patents can be found at the "About NVE" section of the company's Website (www.nve.com).
NVE is a leader in the practical commercialization of spintronics, a nanotechnology that many experts believe represents the next generation of microelectronics. NVE licenses its MRAM intellectual property and sells spintronic products, including sensors and couplers, to revolutionize data sensing and transmission.
The NVE Corporation logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3120
Statements used in this press release that relate to future plans, events, financial results or performance are forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties including, among others, such factors as uncertainties relating to the grant of patents in the future, risks in the enforcement of our patents, as well as the risk factors listed from time to time in our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the SEC.
CONTACT: NVE Corporation
Curt Reynders, CFO
(952) 829-9217
MFIC stock price upgrade today by Taglich Brothers to 2.80 from 2.00:
Taglich's Company Profile for MFIC Corporation:
Symbol: MFIC
Analyst: John Nobile
Taglich Rating: Speculative Buy
Price Target: $2.80
Time Horizon: 12 Months
Rating Established: September 5, 2006
Price When Established: $1.38
Most Recent Report: December 11, 2006
Price When Issued: $1.91
Re: TINY in Barrons Online's Tech Trader Daily (see MFIC comment at the end of the blog):
http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2006/12/07/nanosys-executive-chairman-larry-bock-leaves-the...
New highs weekly for MFIC.ob but still waiting for some company news. Lots of speculation regarding collaborations/possible royalty deals with food ingredients, oil recovery methods and drug delivery systems. MFIC.ob has been partnering with UMass-Lowell in its Center for Nanomanufacturing Excellence which has been a great source of information for me.
Nanomanufacturing Research
UML Home > College of Engineering > Plastics Engineering > Research > Nanomanufacturing
Scientific breakthroughs in Nanoscience have come at a surprisingly rapid rate over the past few years. While the list of commercial "nano-products" seems almost endless, technology transfer can be severely hindered by a lack of understanding of the barriers to manufacturing at the nanoscale. If these "nano-products" are to become a commercial reality, we must understand how to create high-volume, low-cost processing solutions. The overall objective of this research team is to understand the fundamental science affecting the nanoscale processing of plastics. At these scales, on the order of the molecular size, interfacial behavior becomes a dominant mechanism. Our focus is on the effect of polymer properties and process conditions on "internal" interfaces between phases in polymer blends and on the "external" material/tooling interface. The Plastics Engineering Department is involved in two separate nanomanufacturing initiatives described below.
The Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing, CHN, is one of the prestigious NSF-funded Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers. The CHN is an equal partnership between three Universities: UML, Northeastern, and UNH. NU features a state-of-the-art semiconductor fabrication facility, complete with e-beam lithography, etching, thin photoresist films, contaminant removal, and plating for template functionalization and manufacture. UNH’s organic chemistry laboratories specialize in carbon-nanotube synthesis and surface functionalization, and UML’s expertise lies in polymer processing, such as high-rate injection molding of nano-scaled features and structures. UML’s Plastics Engineering facility contains the largest collection of plastics processing of any university including state-of-the-art extruders, injection molders, blown film, blow molding, rotational molding and thermoforming equipment. UML's Materials Characterization facility has just been renovated and includes a comprehensive collection of state-of-the-art analytical equipment including dip-pen nanolithography, STM/AFM, NSOM, SIMS, SEM, TEM, XRD, AEM, XPS, and a full compliment of rheological, thermal, and mechanical characterization equipment.
The CHN is developing tools and processes that enable high-rate/high-volume bottom-up, precise, parallel assembly of nanoelements (such as carbon nanotubes, nanoparticles, etc.) and polymer nanostructures. The Center uses nanotemplates to direct the assembly of nanoscale elements by controlling the forces required to assemble, detach, and transfer nanoelements at high rates and over large areas. The Center has developed and fabricated templates with nanostructures down to 20 nm and utilized them to conduct directed assembly of carbon nanotubes, nanoparticles and polymers. The Center also works very closely with partner companies to ensure that the developed nanotemplates can be utilized for their application. CHN has fabricated MEMs devices that are used as reliability and characterization tools for nanoelements and is developing nanoscale contamination control. In addition, the center is concurrently assessing the environmental, economic, regulatory, and ethical impacts of nanomanufacturing.
The Nanomanufacturing Center of Excellence, NCOE, is funded by the Massachusetts Technical Collaborative through the John Adams Innovation Institute to to support the development of the innovation economy in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and to strengthen local industry clusters’ competitiveness. The NCOE objective is to develop high-rate, high-yield, environmentally-safe processing technologies which capitalize on converting nanotechnological breakthroughs into manufacturable products. The initial focus is on extending to nanoscale manufacturing processes such as multilayer coextrusion, electrospinning, nanocomposite fabrication, and injection molding of nanoscale structures. With its multidisciplinary faculty, the Center collaborations will produce new manufacturing processes and products, which merge technologies from electrical engineering, biotechnology, chemistry and physics amongst others. In addition to having the largest collection of plastics processing equipment of any university, UML also has recently-expanded materials characterization capabilities, a highly interdisciplinary research infrastructure, and an integrated School of Health and Environment.
Both Centers actively encourage industry participation through sponsored research and membership opportunities.
For more information or Nanomanufacturing research, go to www.uml.edu/nano or contact:
Anne Marie Baker, D.Eng.
Industrial Liaison
Nanomanufacturing Center of Excellence and the NSF NSEC Center for High Rate Manufacturing
Olney Hall G24
UML
One University Avenue
Lowell, MA 01854
Annemarie_Baker@uml.edu
Tel: (978) 934-2929
Mobile: (617) 388-2384
FLML and MFIC at new 52 week highs. NNZ up over 3 points today.
Why CVV has such great potential:
Headline: Artificial muscles made from carbon nanotubes are 100 times stronger than human muscles:
http://www.technologyreview.com/NanoTech/17872/page2/
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