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Haven't we known this for years, Scooby?
Study links key protein to psoriasis
Research on mice could lead to effective treatment
Updated: 12:39 p.m. ET Dec. 13, 2004
WASHINGTON - Researchers said Sunday they may have discovered what causes psoriasis, a common and irritating skin ailment, and said their findings may open the way to an effective treatment.
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They found that it takes a combination of a protein called STAT3 and an active immune system to cause psoriasis, which experts estimate affects as much as 2 percent of the population.
Their finding suggests that psoriasis may start with an over-enthusiastic attempt by the body to heal wounds.
And the researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center made a skin cream that blocked the process that leads to psoriasis in mice.
“We may have found an entirely new treatment option for psoriasis,” said M.D. Anderson’s John DiGiovanni, who led the study.
“We have developed a mouse model that exhibits all the major features of human psoriatic lesions and shown we can reverse those steps.”
Research opens door to new treatment
Psoriasis is a chronic condition in which patches of skin become inflamed and become itchy, red and flaky. There is no good treatment, although symptoms can be alleviated.
The disease involves skin cells called keratinocytes that grow too fast and too abundantly.
“There has been an ongoing controversy about whether the primary defect in psoriasis is in the immune system or in the keratinocytes,” DiGiovanni said in a statement.
“We may have found the link -- the change in keratinocytes that cooperates with the immune system cells necessary for development of human psoriasis.”
Writing in the journal Nature Medicine, the researchers said they looked at STAT3, a protein involved in wound healing and the development of skin cancer.
Activated STAT3 is essential for wound healing. When the healing process is complete, normal STAT3 returns to its inactive form. But when it fails to turn off, the wound healing process continues and skin cells proliferate.
DiGiovanni’s team first looked for activated STAT3 in the skin of psoriasis patients and found high levels of activated STAT3 in psoriasis lesions in 19 of 21 of them.
They bred a mouse in which STAT3 is always turned on in the keratinocyte skin cells, and these mice always developed psoriasis.
The researchers then developed a solution containing a small piece of DNA called an oligonucleotide, which was designed to prevent STAT3 from activating genes.
It helped clear up the lesions in the mice.
“This study opens the door to a whole new kind of therapy for psoriasis,” said DiGiovanni.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6705773/
Woody, here's another link to those folks who have no experience in India. They obviously need some assistance from CYGX where we are loaded with people who have vast experience on the international scene, not some little company that only does a few (well 30 billions may seem like a few to some) billion dollars a year. Yup, woefully inadequate may be just the term.
Wouldn't it be just downright funny if this is only the tip of the iceberg where PP is concerned?
Hey Tex, have you been down to the courts since last week? I'm curious if anything new has been added.
Suky, Rick, Woodrow and the rest of the gang, when reviewing PP, did the name Ron Lane slip by everyone? There are a lot of descriptive terms that apply, but I don't think light-weight is one of them. Think there might be a connection between the Lanes on that list? And as far as the litigation goes, my experience has shown me that nobody at the table has even an inkling of which cards the other players are holding until after depositions and even then folks are pretty clueless if they haven't asked the right questions.
And for Arnold, it doesn't look like depos, etc are made part of the public file. They may only be available to parties of interest ... and that may well not include us shareholders.
Holycow, sorry to hear about your Dad ... similar to the way my father passed away ... went into the hospital with other problems and apparently contracted something closely akin to sepsis ... took the VA several months to figure out what killed him, and they weren't positive then ...
Thanks to all for the well wishes ...
Thanks for the vote of confidence ... LOLOL. I've been away for a while ... got surprised by another train and some kids appearing to be stepping out in front of it and when my blood pressure skyrocketed I had another little stroke and spent time in a hospital worrying that I might pull a Rick and contract some strange fatal antibiotic resistant big ... lol.
I'm catching up on the board and find a lot of interesting views being expressed. I am still totally sold on the technology, but like many others I am becoming more concerned about financing and the direction management is going, or maybe not going.
The anti-ICAM is a perfect example of ineptitude. It is the ultimate example of CYGX having an opportunity to progress the science and marketability of a product, but letting personalities get in the way. I believe that a lot of information concerning this and other fiascos is going to be coming out in depositions and court appearances in the very near future.
Superchick and I went to watch our Rockets struggle earlier this week and during the game I could not help but think about the futility of the game although there was a lot of effort being put forth. I wondered how long Van Gundy will be at the helm and when he will start replacing assistants. Jeff is a good guy and so are the members of his supporting staff. They are trying very hard, but sometimes, it is just necessary for a change.
Last year, one of the great coaches of all time was at the helm of the Astros and they were going backward although they had a surfeit of talent. Drayton made the hard choice of bringing my old friend Scrap Iron in to replace him. The result was one of the most exciting turn arounds in Houston sports history. Scraps immediately changed up his supporting staff.
hmmmmmmmmmmm ...........
Suky, please continue to post both the good and the bad ... news is news and new info is new info ... we have too many Dan Rather types on this thread who are caught up in their own self importance and who will slant everything in the direction they are leaning ... uh, and will use questionable 'documentation' to further their agendas .... rofl ... post it all and let the chips fall where they may ... good job.
Thanks for the effort Arnold, make sure you get a copy of the CYGX answer and counter. It was three pages and I think the PP petition was five so you probably already have it.
I'll try to get by the 11th Dist Crt when I have the time and read the CYGX vs Waldroff et al suit and read the answer and counter. Hope there aren't too many parallels in that one.
You are right, the field is hugh ... and not only in humans. The companion animal field, and even just the equine field is staggering. How much do you think the owner of a race horse is willing to spent to get his pony up and running again? Another example of a 'blown opportunity' to have advanced the science and provided a ton of substantiation for human studies. Such a shame it wasn't exploited.
Do you mean something like the Anti-ICAM topical that was one of the first products under developement before CYGX management decided to mount their horses one morning and rode off in seven directions simultaneously? Or do you mean the injectable one for horses that Texas A&M and other vet researchers are still waiting to be provided.
Any particular reason you want to send my blood pressure thru the ceiling?
Suky, I wish I could come up with answers to the questions you posed. There are a lot of areas I do not address on these threads - even if asked directly to do so. In some instances it is because I feel that it would be revealing priviledged information. More frequently it is because my answer would be pure conjecture. I can't understand many of the moves that have been made -- especially in the last couple of years. They just don't make good business sense to me.
When I still felt comfortable sitting down and talking with a couple of the folks in management I would bring some of those questions up. It was frequently difficult to keep a smile at the response. Guess I just don't think that it is worth the effort to try to discuss anything with them anymore.
Always enjoy following your posts. Thanks for all the info you have uncovered over the years.
ROFLMAO! Holycow, I'm blessed with a "Radio Face and Figure." Thanks for the very kind words. I'd love to do another talk show, but since the stroke I haven't been able to regain some of the skills and functions. At least I'm blessed to be able to do some play-by-play again.
I was around when the goal of CYGX was resurrected fetuscycles. I could have held an executive position a long time ago, but didn't (and still don't) think I have the expertise required. It has been fun watching the technology morph and grow. The addition of Dr. Chin was the best thing to happen to science. He and Harrilyn were the builders of what I consider as earth-shaking technology.
PP, thanks for your input. You have such a way with words ... LOLOL. I wonder if cygx would take the stance that AVGI had a viable products to test at Texas A&M?
Ellen, I DO have such experience with the anti-inflamatory and the herpes and I don't need to be told they worked on me. I still believe that we could have gotten the anti-inflamatory to market a long time ago, but I was told that it was being dropped in favor of the herpes cure, which now seems to have been dropped for the sepsis cure.
Several of the more learned parties of interest have told me that they way the anti-herpes was used does not equate to the conventional wisdom concerning a successful method of administration. They may be right, but you'd have a very hard time convincing me of that.
I'd like to know why the clinically conducted testing has not been published ... and I do not want some BS answer. If CYGX has progressed the technology to the point that they refer to it as a "viable product" then why haven't we had that news released.
"Mercy Dohrlin'" said the old Hogger as he read all the recent posts and then leaned back in his ancient leather chair and scratched his balding head ... good heated discussion tonight, Rick.
I read the rest of the posts before starting to answer a couple of them directly. You and I will try to hook up on the phone in a few days so we can discuss a couple of the points more candidly than is appropriate on a public thread like this. I am tiring of having to walk a chalk line and be so careful in what I post.
I'm doing three games this weekend starting at the Astrodome and so I'll be worn to a frazzle, but maybe we can tag up on Sunday.
Thanks for the kind words you wrote in a subsequent post. I do take exception with being accused of 'understanding the science.' LOLOL Actually, I just shake my head and mumble when talking with you Docs. LOL
The more I read my notes, the more I have to reach for the antacids. To digest a five course meal, one has to first obtain a five course meal and the filings constitute little more than the first appetizers. LOLOL
CYGX presents nothing other than broad statements with no quotes or hints at evidence. Both sides are going to have to present HARD EVIDENCE along the way.
The only quote attributed to anyone is the one allegedly made by LW. Neither filing contained copies of the agreement or any other documentation. PP had better be able to substantiate that quote. My attorneys have told me that if you put something in quotation marks, you'd better be able to prove up your quote in one manner or another, otherwise you will be hanged, drawn and quartered. If you can not substantiate a quote, you'd better not put in in quotation marks and had better make sure you present it as a paraphrase. **Edit. I'm pretty sure it was one of my attorneys, but it may have been my journalism professor - lol
The CYGX reference to the "viable product" has really opened another can of worms.
Rather than providing a lot of answers, the two filings only seem to provide a plethora of questions.
Will someone please tell us all about the "viable product?" It has to be herpes related or PP would not have have had access to it. Some of you please address my concerns. We're not talking about peanuts here ... this is a market worth hundreds of millions of dollars, isn't it?
Or, am I reading this wrong? If I'm misconstruing this, somebody please explain what else it could mean? Do we have a product or don't we? If so, what is it? Why isn't it being pursued?
"Despite having a viable product to obtain approval of, they failed to pursue any approval by regulatory auithorities in any significant manner."
Neither of those countries has sterling reputations concerning IP protection. Wonder why CYGX licensed them in the first place and wonder how PP was going to test and market it if they couldn't get it? Strange, isn't it?
Neither of those countries has sterling reputations concerning IP protection. Wonder why CYGX licensed them in the first place and wonder how PP was going to test and market it if they couldn't get it? Strange, isn't it?
Good Point, Paul. Wonder why CYGX licensed them if they knew they were so undercapitalized and woefully inexperienced. Didn't they do any DD?
Any guesses at why CYGX hasn't told the rest of the world (and especially us shareholders) about the "viable product" we own? Do you think they are just sitting on test results that are extremely important to our success?
Okay gang, I finally located the file on the PP vs CYGX et al suit at the 334th Dist Court and was able to sit down and read both the original petition and the answer and counter.
It would have taken another couple of hours to get certified copies, so I just read the file and cut a chogee.
The PP suit is based on their contention that they bought and paid for a license to market the anti-herpes stuff in India and China and that CYGX could not or would not provide the know-how, show-how, product and assistance they needed. PP is claiming that the defendants knew they couldn't/wouldn't be able to meet their part of the deal but signed off on it and took the money.
One clause contains information that is exceedingly troubling to me. IF it is true, we have a verrrry big problem. PP claims that they were promised the same results of testing that we were all promised some time back. The filing says: Further, when Plaintiff's management asked for the results of such clinical trials, Defendant Wunderlich responded with the statement, "We will be happy to give you the results of the clinical trials the day after your option expires."
I don't know about the rest of you, but the ramifications of such a statement seem self evident to me. I pray that is not the case.
Cygx on the other hand claims that PP was to seek regulatory approval in those countries. They claim that this was something PP was: "inadequately capitalized and woefully inexperienced to do."
What do you make of this statement in the CYGX answer and counter: "Despite having a viable product to obtain approval of, they failed to pursue any approval by regulatory auithorities in any significant manner."
Does this indicate that CYGX had and/or has the test results to substantiate that the herpes cure was a legitimate entity and ready for field testing? If so, why hasn't this been revealed and why wasn't it provided to PP? PP alleges that CYGX dropped the ball on the herpes cure to develop the sepsis cure. Again, I pray that is not the case. A few million in the hand seems a wee bit better than several hundred million in the bush.
CYGX also claims that they have been slandered and libeled by PP and are entitled to recovery. PP had better have a good "truth" defense.
Sorry that I didn't have the time to wait for certified copies, but I'm not sure how I could have posted them anyway.
Hey there John, good to hear from you again .. although your observations are a little cutting ... I totally believe in the CYGX tehcnology and the work performed back in the labs by some very capable folks who are not only fulfilling the expectations, but greatly exceeding the.
I am not bashing or even dissing CYGX. Remember that a CEO and CFO and members of a BOD are not the corporation. They have responsibilities and when the surpass them, they are given great praise. When they fall short of those responsibilities, they they are taken to task.
I read and reread this statement several time:
As I've stated many times here and on RB, it is BECAUSE OF MS AND LW, that CYGX is still a company in business. You have no idea the sacrifices that they and others endured to insure that we still are invested in a going concern. AND IT IS A GOING CONCERN WITH MINIMAL DILUTION!
John, to me 100 million shares is not minimal dilution. It is an example of not having a CFO who could avoid having to sell massive amounts of stock for pennies to his buddies because he could not attract the heavy weight investors who could have spent dollars instead of cents and because he waited to the last moment to address problems which had been known for many months. Take the HEMCO deal for example ... and please don't try to sugar coat that cluster flop ... I KNOW what happened and was assured that the party responsible for it would not be around past the upcoming shareholders meeting ... that was a couple of shareholder meetings ago, and he's still there.
Both LW and MS made contributions to getting CYGX to where it is right now ... but it is totally incorrect to say that they are the reason it is a going concern. The technology is the reason CYGX still exists. Tnat and the contributions of several people who seem to have been made promises and pledges that don't appear to have been kept.
As for a (as you state) conspiracy taking place here, be careful lest you start sounding like a paranoid member of the BOD. This is just people speaking their peace ... you know, kinda like Scooby with the pom-poms and rah-rah stuff. (Had to give Scooby a mention lest he feel left out.)
Well Rick, as always you both entertained and enlightened ... very interesting stuff about the Monket/Cat similarities. Good luck on another brilliant observation.
Football season is speeding to a close. I'll be at the Astrodome doing the playoffs this week and doing a few more up to the state championships mixed with the opening of basketball season. And then there will only be the Global Junior Championship in Jacksonville for the NFL in January. I prefer the basketball gyms because there is little chance of having a train whistle induce a flashback and me having a 'meltdown' on the air. Those are the epitome of humiliation -- worse that those little spots near the zipper on my pants ... ROFL@myself.
You know that I'm going to stick with my investment in CYGX. I KNOW that the science is sound and works. I just hope that it isn't the victim of poor planning and execution by management.
As for all the attorneys, I love the little ditty about how 99.65 percent of the attorneys give all the others a bad name. LOLOL
Hang in there and we'll chat soon.
LOL ... you are right, I was wandering about and wondering what was going on ... BTW, I did some checking on Shaunfink and he is what he says and has been given a very hard time that he didn't deserve. Let's lay off him.
The old Hogger seems to be having a "Senior Moment" inre the 2000 lawsuit. It was settled in favor of CYGX and has no bearing on the current cluster flops. sorrrrrrrryyyyyyyyy 'bout that.
Thanks for the contact info ... I've spoken with David.
I have spent the afternoon wondering between offices downtown at the various court buildings in beautiful downtown Houston and am still looking ... it seems that the files for at least three cygx related cases are not where they are supposed to be.
As someone posted earlier, the 334th district files are checked out. I physically followed their trail from the court office over on Prairie to the Public Service office on Main St, with a stop at Fannin thrown in just for fun. I was told by two of the folks who work there that they would try to track them down if I had some time to wait ... I declined to repark my carcass in one of those uncomfortable chairs again for what seemed like a potentially long time. I'll try again later if the info doesn't surface.
Now, after all that time, energy amd effort, I have nothing to show except for stumbling across a case I had never heard about back in 2000 and am certainly going to give it equal attention. We could not locate it either, so I do not know even enough about it to mention. Strange day with strange results.
Unfortunately it is one and the same.
I was referring to Lawrence Mealey, former CEO. He died rather unexpectedly. Bill Waldroff was granted the exclusive license for companion animals and crustacians in return for his keeping CYGX from going under several years ago.
Hogger, who are you referring to in paragraph 4 of this post? I've only followed this co. since 07/03. Also, who is Waldroff? TIA.
I stand corrected ... I had misread your previous post.
Enough of that blasphemy, Suky. Are you trying to say that the science on Art Bell is not the gospel? How dare you? If you keep talking that way you will soon be visited by aliens flying black helicopters. (rofl)
I'm sorry, but this strikes me as BS. The sort of thing you'd hear on Art Bell.
Good God Gertrude, what is with all this fraud stuff being analysed by us neophytes. Nobody has even intimated that there is any fraud whatsoever associated with the science. I have to be down at the courthouse this week and am going to try to get my hands on the documents concerning both lawsuits.
The term 'fraud' is a little too serious to be bandied about in a flippant manner. Let's not have any impeachment by innuendo. There are some pretty heavy weight credentials on both sides of this issue. This isn't a pissing match between kindergarteners.
Peace, IMHO, you may have well defined one of the weaknesses of CYGX current management.
This management's way of doing business is kind of spiteful, imo and they are the type who will cut their noses off to spite their faces to prove a point.
My question is, "Was this the case with the PP/CYGX arrangement and are there any underlying similarities between that conflict and the conflict between CYGX and Waldroff?" From my personal dealings with some of the personalities involved, I have developed serious misgivings about how my investment is being administered.
Mere suspicion is insufficient to impeach management. IF (and I stress IF) hard facts are developed that arrogance, ego, vindictiveness, incompetence and/or spite played any role in either of these pending actions, then shareholders and/or parties of interest and/or any of those of us who have been injured will have to consider actions of our own. Let us hope that is not a scenario that will come to fruition.
Good Morning Peace2All. I'm not sure what you are saying ... sorry, but sometimes I'm a little slow in discearnment ... lol.
Let me make a run at clarifying what I meant.
IF CYGX made the deal it appears to me that they made with PP and promised the support and cooperation that PP would have needed and then later CYGX discovered that a bigger, better company might be willing to make a better deal than the one PP had negotiated, they should have stood by their word and assisted PP in every way they could ... even if it meant extending the duration of their original agreement IF the delays had been caused in any manner by CYGX.
If you are saying what I think you are saying, I agree that CYGX would now have great difficulty in negotiating with any other company. We have to hope that CYGX did everything they could to assist their licensee in this instance, and that they can document their willing participation and cooperation.
Also, could you clarify what you meant in this clause:
. May be PP's hope is this route, but I believe PP is missing one point here and that is NO OTHER HONORABLE ENTITY WOULD GO INTO A DEAL KNOWING THAT CYGX HAS ALREADY MADE SUCH A DEAL WITH ANOTHER CO. WOULD ANY ONE OF YOU IF YOU WERE A CEO OF A CO? I WON'T,
Rick, you're still and always will be my favorite "Monkey's Uncle." ROFLMAO. Keep up your great work.
Over the years you and I have had direct dealings with the staff at CYGX. I still chuckle at our conversation right after the 'screaming incident' you referenced.
We both had close brushes with the grim reaper and for some strange reason we both are still around. I like to think that is some kind of good omen.
We've seen some excellent talent come and go. Our greatest loss was when the grim reaper made a strike and deprived us of someone with actual successful hands-on experience in international corporate management. His skill and expertise are sorely missed.
A couple of folks just realized that they had performed in exemplary manners during earlier stages of the development of this corporation, but that the success they shared had elevated the corporation to a point that they were in over their heads ... or maybe more accurately, they had performed the interim tasks and they thought others could move forward in a more expeditious manner. Building and maintaining a corporation is a lot like a relay race. The baton must be passed on to another person periodically so that fresh hands and feet carry it forward.
I do not think the PP lawsuit is frivilous, nor is it the result of a hasty decision by folks who are without skill, knowledge, resources or ability. From the little I have been able to find out, it may bear similarities to the counter suit by Waldroff and AVGI. IF (note this is a big IF) that is a correct assumption, there is a BIG problem. IF (note this is the same BIG IF) there is evidence that CYGX withheld or even delayed providing the support that had been promised, we have a VERY BIG PROBLEM and someone should be held accountable.
Several posters have implied that CYGX may have made a deal and then decided that they could make a better deal with someone else and changed their minds. I pray that is not the case because if it is, then credibility and integrity are going to become over riding aspects of this entire cluster flop.
Great to see you posting and as always, the best to you and yours ... uh, and take good care of my primate cousins.
Hogger
Thanks ...
Can you provide a link for that?
Simple, they lose when the guy across the table has a Colt .44 pointing at you (or when you are the ones with the Queens) .... lolol
Good questions Suky, and the answers are the very reasons I am still totally sold on the technology. The only relapses in nasal swelling and congestion have coincided with the extraordinaryly high pollen and pollution counts we get in Houston and are absolutely nothing compared to the 'old days.' None have been sufficient to warrant use of any form of nasal sprays. I can find nothing else to attribute the improvement to. In the last year there have been a couple of minor herpes breakouts on my ankles an a couple of 'itching sessions' around my waist. There has not been a full scale attack with blisters ... only a little discoloration and itching.
I remain convinced that we could have had a product on the market that would have ruined the sales of the plethora of nasal sprays. With our limited financial resources, it may have indeed been difficult to have addressed and advanced the science for everything we need to be going after, but if finances are the only hinderance, maybe we should have taken different avenues to provide those funds. hmmmmmmmmmmm
Maybe I could promo the anti-inflamatory during half time ... LOLOL
Pretty slick presentation, Suky. Of course, it should be. WJMK usually charges around $15,000.00 to produce those little vanity skits that try to masquerade as 'news' programs. I do not think there is any association between them and that great 'golden oldies' station in Chicago. Safer and Chronkite have had some interesting dealings with them. It could have been produced locally for less than $5,000.00, probably in the $2,500.00 range.
It will be great to see something on the air that is actually a "news" program instead of an internet infomercial ... LOLOL
Am I wrong or do we seem to get little other than paid publicity? In and of itself, it is not always bad and certainly not fraudulent, but some real meat and potatoes would be a welcome relief.