I own PSTI but rarely post anymore
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The FDA will make a decision one of these days and I agree that this is a great long term stock, However, I have concerns for the short term price action should the FDA state that it is not substantially equivalent. LTC is after all a revolutionary device. If I had bought at .05 and was sitting on long-term capital gains like some here, then my view would be different (I'd hate that lawnmower too - lol). I do own some but I plan to keep most of my power dry to average up or average down depending on the FDA outcome. I do appreciate all the great DD that is shared on this board. Thanks
Well Dew, looks like you actually found a possible contender.
Which now brings the questions:
1) What is the cost of their system?
2) How soon and at what scale can they be in production?
3) How do treatment times compare?
plus any other pros or cons between the two systems.
As a Chinese - undervalued - profitable - growth play have you ever looked at GTEC.OB? The market has not understood the reverse merger back in the fall, but if I understand it correctly, we are looking at major upside after they report and the new companies numbers are reflected.
http://www.fracturedmedia.com/gtec.ppt
I think it is a nice entry price @.20 Any thoughts?
Bass Pro Shops are selling SuperVision...
See link below:
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Subclass_10151_-1_10001_400001006_400000000_400001000_detailed_0
Up a dollar a day - that's all we ask... lol
$20 - did you mean today? - lol
As you wish - lol
But doubt if I can keep it there till close.
Has everyone seen this powerpoint made in Nov just after the merger.
http://www.fracturedmedia.com/gtec.ppt
Any comments on updates or changes to the presentation?
Here is a nice concise FAQ on the Cyberknife:
CyberKnife® Frequently Asked Questions
How many procedures have been performed using the CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System?
The CyberKnife System has been used to treat we estimate over 35,000 patients worldwide. Currently more than 50 percent of all CyberKnife procedures in the United States are extracranial.
What intracranial tumors can be treated using the CyberKnife System that cannot be treated using conventional radiosurgery?
The CyberKnife System’s intelligent robotics enables the system to treat tumors that are difficult to reach with more conventional, frame-based systems. The CyberKnife System is the only robotic radiosurgery system that utilizes the skeletal structure of the body as a reference, eliminating the need for the invasive frame used with traditional radiosurgery systems. Additionally, the manipulator enables unlimited beam positions, which provides access to many tumors that are unreachable by other radiosurgery systems. Examples of intracranial tumors treated with the CyberKnife System not reachable by conventional radiosurgery systems include skull base tumors, meningiomas and metastases located in the low posterior fossa, foramen magnum, and upper cervical spine areas.
What areas outside the cranium can be treated using the CyberKnife System?
The CyberKnife System has been cleared by the FDA to treat tumors anywhere in the body where radiation treatment is indicated. Extracranial tumors that have been treated by the CyberKnife System include tumors of the spine, lung, prostate, liver, and pancreas.
Why should clinicians feel confident in the CyberKnife System’s image guidance technology as an alternative to localization systems incorporating a conventional stereotactic head frame?
The CyberKnife System uses a combination of image guidance and computer controlled robotics to continuously track, detect and correct for tumor and patient movement throughout the treatment. Because of the extreme precision and accuracy of the CyberKnife System, no head or body frame is required to immobilize the patient for tumor tracking.
During treatment, the CyberKnife correlates live radiographic images with pre-operative CT or MRI scans to determine patient and tumor position repeatedly throughout the course of treatment. With the Synchrony® Respiratory Tracking System, patients can breathe normally throughout their treatment without breath-holding or gating techniques, enabling clinicians to continuously track, detect and correct for tumor and patient movement throughout the treatment.
With the CyberKnife System’s revolutionary Xsight™ Spine Tracking System it is now possible to treat tumors in or near spinal structures without implanting radiographic markers or fiducials.
Do you recommend a non-isocentric treatment planning option over an isocentric one?
We believe that for the more common, irregularly-shaped lesions, a non-isocentric plan can generate greater conformality than an isocentric plan. Disclaimer: However, this recommendation should not be construed as medical advice. Clinical judgment should be exercised with all treatment plans.
How does Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) differ from robotic radiosurgery and the CyberKnife System?
IMRT, Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy, is a form of radiation therapy incorporating multi-leaf collimators on standard gantry-based linac delivery systems to better “shape” the radiation beams to the lesion volume . IMRT also utilizes inverse treatment planning software to optimize dose distribution. This is generally accepted as an improvement over conventional radiation therapy (XRT) systems, however it is still limited by many of the same constraints as conventional radiation therapy.
IMRT differs from CyberKnife radiosurgery in several fundamental ways:
* Accuracy — IMRT systems register target location only at the beginning of a treatment and cannot localize and compensate for a moving target during the actual treatment. The CyberKnife System combines image guidance and computer controlled robotics to continuously track, detect and correct for tumor and patient movement throughout the treatment, providing greater accuracy when compared to an IMRT system.
* Fractionation — Due to the large error margin and need to minimize damage to the surrounding healthy tissue, IMRT cannot deliver high doses of radiation (8-25 Gy per fraction). As a result, a higher number of treatment fractions (20-30 sessions) are delivered at a lower radiation dose (typically 2 Gy per fraction). Because the CyberKnife System is able to target and treat lesions more precisely, radiation doses can be increased and the number of fractions reduced to five or less.
* Flexibility — Compared to gantry-based IMRT, IGRT (Image Guided Radiation Therapy) and conventional radiosurgery systems, the CyberKnife System allows for greater flexibility. It offers non-isocentric delivery for improved conformality and offers both homogeneous and heterogeneous dose distribution options during treatment planning and delivery. The manipulator can be positioned in almost any orientation, providing maximum treatment delivery options compared to the constrained geometry of the gantry-based systems. The flexibility of the CyberKnife System helps the clinician to easily execute complex treatment plans, including those for non-symmetrical, complex-shaped lesions in difficult-to-reach locations. Less maneuverable systems make it difficult to achieve the same level of conformality and accuracy.
What is the average treatment time for the CyberKnife system?
The treatment time per session ranges from 30 to 90 minutes (including patient setup, beam-on and beam-off time) depending on the dose delivered and the complexity of the tumor shape. Physicians may elect to treat a patient with a single or a hypofractionated dose. Hypofractionated doses are typically performed over two to five fractions (or sessions).
Are new reimbursement codes required to cover CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery treatments?
Current stereotactic robotic radiosurgery coding for both inpatient and outpatient care is applicable to the CyberKnife procedure. For more information about reimbursement codes for the CyberKnife System see the reimbursement page.
What are the economic benefits of the CyberKnife system for the treatment facility?
Because the CyberKnife System enables the treatment of intracranial and extracranial tumors that cannot be addressed with traditional radiation therapy and radiosurgery systems, it has proven to attract a new patient population to a physician’s practice and complements existing radiation therapy, IMRT or IGRT programs (see graph below). CyberKnife is an essential instrument for every hospital.
See http://www.accuray.com for more information.
This entry was posted on Saturday, October 6th, 2007 at 5:58 PM and filed under CyberKnife Surgery.
http://www.cancer1news.com/cyberknife.html?gclid=CM2h85eI55ACFSKYQAod-RAAQg
Hey Trader, Can you give me a link to a TruDef encoded video (not the still shots on TMMI's website) along with a decoder? A 2-5 minute clip will be fine. If they can do realtime fractal encoding/decoding on live HD video with audio, then I will be backing up the truck but I need to see it for myself (I emailed the company with this request but no reply so far).
:)
ARAY did OK compared to the rest of the market today. With the short ratio, low float and the company buying back shares, I'm guessing we get a nice run-up before earnings release (over $20?). Then it could go either way depending on the market spin doctor reactions to earnings release. What to you think?
I would say ARAY is the leader in it's field and is not catching up with any direct competitor as ISRG is completely different technology. I think both will do well but ARAY is still due for it's initial growth spurt which is the price of the stock catching up to the potential. Radiation, Chemo and surgery are all commonly used together as treatments right now so the use of one does not automatically exclude the other IMHO.
ARAY was mentioned as someday being a potential competitor to ISRG. What would our stock price be with a similar valuation? I think every hospital should have at least one of each... lol
Robotic Surgery System Propels Intuitive
Thursday December 13, 6:38 am ET
Robotic Surgery System Propels Intuitive Surgical Stock; Competition Yet to Catch Up
CHICAGO (AP) -- Although shares of Intuitive Surgical Inc. have skyrocketed this year, blowing beyond the normal bounds for a medical-technology company, more growth may come as momentum builds behind the company's robotic surgical system.
It could be a bumpy ride for shorter-term investors, however, given the way Intuitive shares tend to lurch when the company announces results. Also, as a one-product company, Intuitive is vulnerable to any troubles in selling its expensive system or in getting doctors to use it.
The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company makes a doctor-controlled motion capture system called da Vinci for minimally invasive procedures, including common surgeries such as urological and gynecological cancer surgeries. Revenue has been increasing from sales of the system and growth in usage, and the company has no major robotic surgery competition thus far.
These factors have supported the swelling share price. Shares, which closed at $335.24 Wednesday, are up from $95.90 at the end of last year.
"There's room for upside if you're a long-term investor and you believe that robotic surgery is here to stay and we're just scratching the surface," said Tao Levy, an analyst with Deutsche Bank who has a "buy" rating on Intuitive.
Intuitive is valued at about 73 times expected 2008 earnings, according to FactSet Research, which is off the charts in a sector where 20 times looks respectable. It's hard to assess how Intuitive's valuation matches up with competitors' because its technology is unique, said Mark Richter, an analyst with Jefferies & Co. He calls the company "the Google of medtech."
"The stock literally doesn't trade rationally," Richter said. "There is no valuation sensitivity at all. Because it's a monopoly in the robotic surgical realm, it has no peers at this point."
Richter pointed to Accuray Inc., which makes a robotic radiosurgery system used for solid tumor removal, as a potential bigger competitor down the road. Today, Intuitive considers its competition to be existing treatments such as open surgery, minimally invasive surgery, drug therapies and radiation treatment.
"Our success depends in part on convincing hospitals, surgeons and patients that the demonstrated benefits associated with da Vinci surgery are superior to other techniques," Intuitive said in its most recent annual report.
The company also noted that it faces competition from several companies that are developing products for the minimally invasive surgery market, but said it believes da Vinci may prove complementary to these new techniques.
Because Intuitive has already placed more than 700 machines in hospitals, it could prove tough for robotic surgery competitors to break into the market, Levy said.
Intuitive, whose stock started trading at $18 in 2000, has generated huge gains for longtime holders. But it has also provided some jolts along the way, with peaks and valleys often tied to how investors and holders with short positions view its progress in getting da Vinci into hospitals. This year, Intuitive's share price made strong gains after each quarterly report, including a 32 percent surge to a $198.59 close on July 20, the day after it reported second-quarter results. In 2006, in contrast, shares dropped after three of the four quarterly reports.
The volatility may continue. Intuitive noted in its annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission that the da Vinci system -- which sells for $1 million to $1.7 million -- has a lengthy sales and purchase order cycle because it's a major capital item and generally requires the approval of senior management at purchasing institutions. "These factors may contribute to substantial fluctuations in our quarterly operating results," the company said.
Matt Loucks, a portfolio manager with Sit Investment Associates, is accustomed to Intuitive's volatility and expects it to continue. His firm bought into the company when it traded below $100 two years ago and added more shares in January.
"This stock could retrace 20 percent or 30 percent in a heartbeat and nobody could kind of point to any catalyst," Loucks said.
The key to growth over the long haul, he said, is system usage and growth in new procedures, rather than placements of new machines.
In addition to revenue tied to system sales, Intuitive collects revenue tied to the sale of accessories, system service and training. The company has seen such recurring revenue rise, indicating success in getting doctors to use the machine.
"We expect recurring revenue to become a larger percentage of total revenue in the future," the company said in its recent quarterly report with the SEC. Intuitive posted $411.4 million in total revenue through the first nine months of the year, a 58 percent surge from the year-earlier period.
Company executives weren't available for an interview for this article, but a spokesman provided some additional details. The company has 719 da Vinci systems in hospitals worldwide, 545 of them in the U.S., with overall average usage at about three times per week per machine.
The da Vinci system captures a surgeon's movements and translates them to instruments placed inside the patient through small incisions. The system provides good vision for surgeons, negates tremors and gives surgeons the ability to scale down moves into more minute increments. Surgeons control the system while seated and peering into a console near the patient, looking somewhat like a football referee reviewing an instant replay, while an assistant attends to the robotic arms and instruments hovering above the patient.
The recipe for the system's success thus far is simple, despite a sometimes slow initial learning curve. "You've got very good outcomes and you have fast recovery times," said Cowen & Co. analyst Eli Kammerman, who has an "outperform" rating on Intuitive.
Anyone heard how the companies share buyback program is progressing? I would think that it would provide some price support and help our EPS next quarter. Any talk of ramping up prodution would also be nice.
Exactly, if you are not using Accuray's Cyberknife then you are "behind the times" and who wants less than the best cancer treatment.
Your are not serious... are you? If they do not become a fully reporting company, nobody can trust that any money they make will ever show on the bottom line. If a movie makes 10 million but cost 12 million to produce then you will never find this out unless they are fully reporting. This is why it is hard to get serious investors involved in a non-reporting company.
For example:
http://www.boxofficepsychics.com/?page_id=121
This lawsuit is so fun because it makes the most secret of secret- film salaries public domain – let’s go through the interesting ones:
Matthew McConaughey
Salary $8 million
Entourage travel $179,262
Makeup artist $150,223
Stunt Double $124,740
Assistant $114,000
Colorist $72,800
Trainer $67,977
Personal Chef $48,893
Stand-In $33,869
Security $29,296
Gym room at his hotel $3,488
Total $8,833,923
If I knew the answer to your question, I could make a fortune. At some point the Revs will impress wallstreet but who knows when that will be? I don't think you can go wrong at this level because it will probably run higher before the next earnings - IMHO.
CTUM has news today on CE approval.
Here is a brief overview:
http://www.visionaryinnovationsinc.com/intuitivesurgical.html
The CE Process for Medical Devices:
See Link below for a flow chart...
http://www.emergogroup.com/Services/Europe/CE_Marking_Process_Medical_Devices.asp
If the CE mark means they can market and sell and use the LTC devices in Europe then I stand corrected and eat my words as it is a very, very, very big deal. I always thought of the CE mark as being like the UL in the USA (meaning that you can plug it in without blowing a fuse). I confess that I made an off-hand remark without a lot of research. Please pass the kool-aid lol
CE is nothing like FDA approval. Stop with the pumping on the CE mark or you will scare off the real investors. The news is good as it is a required step for sales in the european union.
http://www.crownaudio.com/amp_htm/certifmarks/certifmarks.htm
I too am hopeful for FDA approval but lets keep it real.
How does this companies nano drug delivery compare to
NNVC? Not in the same market right now but human trials next year.
If the human trials go well would that help NNVC get to market quicker?
AlphaRx's Vansolin(TM) On Track To Enter Human Trials in '08
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/alpharxs-vansolintm-track-enter-human/story.aspx?guid=%7BFB18C2DE%2D127B%2D47F6%2DAFD8%2D879C2780FB6F%7D&newsid=911121549&&dist=bigchartssymb=ALRX&sid=1089302
ARAY CTUM LSGP All look like solid long-term buys at todays prices even if the market continues to dive.
Thanks Tina, ARAY is still very undervalued. Looks like a great opportunity for the long term.
Any updates from your VectorV program on ARAY? How do you like the program so far? Will it rate BB stocks (like CTUM)? Thanks
Lot of good that does the stock today. News flash - Eturd is now broke (tomorrow we will correct it to broker)
If your glass was overflowing you would still say it was not half full. Being featured in a panel discussion is better than being an exhibitor IMHO. Plus, I would guess that it saves Spooz money! You say noting but negative things about SPZI and claim to be knowledgeable on program trading, yet you live in the area and refuse to take the time to go and see a demo for yourself?
MC - no problem on the correction - I missed it the first time too. So many posts and so little time.
The info on the Omniquant webites appears to be almost 2 years old but this info is very recent... (search for Spooz on these pages)
http://www.futuresindustry.org/expo-2007-program.asp?t=2007+Futures+%26+Options+Expo&i=7819&r=One
http://www.futuresindustry.org/expo-2007-program.asp?v=p&
This is an older article but I did not see it in your ibox.
http://medgadget.com/archives/2006/03/tissue_welding.html
volume is 61200 wow no one is selling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL
Anyone happen to notice that this omniquant.net is a Wiki? Go the the bottom of any page and edit it yourself.
From what I see you are really reading more into it than what was posted. The last admitted OS was almost at the AS. I think the price is holding up much better than those who flipped thought it would. Maybe those who think they can control the price (up and down) to their benefit are mistaken? lol
The MM codes in orders is like charting - If enough people believe that a positive or negative signal was given, then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Janice I have one question for you.
When was the last time you personally invested into a sub-penny pinksheet stock? (down to the year, if possible)
Gold, uranium rises vindicate 'Original Bug'
Commentary: And Dines predicts commodities' prices will climb even higher
By Peter Brimelow, MarketWatch
Last Update: 12:01 AM ET Nov 5, 2007
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The Original Uranium Bug and the Original Gold Bug (they're the same James Dines) is breathing easier.
Dines, the octogenarian editor of The Dines Letter, was our Investment Letter Editor of the Year in 2006. See Jan. 1 column
More than 20 ago, he brilliantly reinvented himself as an active stock trader, after arguably staying a little too long with his first great insight: that the inflationary 1960s would doom the dollar and boost gold. (Hence Original Gold Bug).
Dines' reinvention worked. The Dines Letter is up 28.2% over the past 12 months vs. 15.1% for the dividend-reinvested Dow Jones Wilshire 5000, according to the Hulbert Financial Digest. And over the past 10 years, Dines is up an even more impressive 19.8% annualized vs. 7.4% for the total-return DJ Wilshire.
With spot gold back above $800 for the first time since 1980, Dines like many gold bugs could be pardoned for thinking that the conditions of his youth have returned. See Oct. 18 column
Indeed, Dines writes in his last letter, published in late October: "We would be very surprised if the gold price did not blast right through the old highs, and we reaffirm our old targets for gold of $3,000 to $5,000 an ounce (Plus silver over $100 an ounce) ... gold is not merely a colorful trinket but a monetary asset, and when mass fear strikes at the heart of paper money, the stampede to gold will be awesome."
What has really distinguished Dines in recent years, however, has been his advocacy of uranium. He argues that, ultimately, the only energy choice is between coal (resulting in global warming) and uranium.
When I last checked in with Dines, uranium had stumbled after a multi-year run. See Aug. 20 column
Dines was distressed but determined.
He now feels vindicated by the subsequent rebound, noting that many uranium stocks are back to the levels they achieved earlier this year.
He concludes: "Uranium action this year thus appears to be an example of an unusual "Major" consolidation, while the uranium market tries to figure out which path to take. We must remain stoically calm, and not allow our emotions to whip us back and forth ... Although stock market trends could change and force us to completely reassess the situation, events are proceeding as though an important bottom is behind us.""
Other Dines views: "Stock markets are getting a bit oversold here, and we are looking for a rally in the S&P 500 Index ($SPX
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$SPX) anytime, somewhere between the 1,420-1,495 areas, probably in November, paving the way for the traditional year-end rally."
But Dines still rates himself "long-term neutral" on stocks.
On bonds, Dines writes: "We are generally bearish, because bonds are overpriced. We would still avoid corporate or "junk" bonds, but instead stay with very short-term U.S Treasury paper or cash. We expect higher interest rates ahead ... This is not an enriching arena yet."
These stocks are rated "buys" in Dines' top-performing "Long-Term Growth" portfolio:
* Pan American Silver Corp. (PAAS
pan american silver corp com
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* Denison Mines Corp. (DNN
denison mines corp com
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* Laramide Resources Ltd. LMRX.F (LMRX.F
laramide res ltd com
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* Fronteer Development Group Inc. (FRG
fronteer dev group inc com
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* Mega Uranium Ltd. (MGAF.F
mega uranium ltd com
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* Paladin Resources (PALAF
paladin res nl shs
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* Uranium One Inc. (SXRZ.F
uranium one inc com
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* Arafura Resources I (ARAFF
arafura resources nl shs
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Thanks for sharing from your local perspective. I bought the dip under a dollar and I sold for a profit when you said that the industry shuts down usually in Nov. so I'm not in Big Cat right now but still watching it to see if they can make a go of it. What month does the area usually start back working again?
Thanks.
I edited it some. They did talk about risk being a factor in the 141 press release. My thoughts again - with the black trading as part of Spooz they might have a harder time getting investors on board afraid that if the black box did not work they could lose a lot of money.
IMHO My pure speculation is that the whole hedge fund, black box trading crash in the stock market may have changed their plans causing delays as they wisely seperated the SWARM trading to 141 for reduced liability to their software company and it's shareholders. Funny how some are screaming that we are not getting the value we should from SWARM while others claim that their program does not even work. Swarm has no value if the base software does not work yet someone is paying to use it (you think maybe they saw it work first?).
Maybe you could call them and ask them what they meant? If this is the correct website: http://www.thekauderergroup.com then they are also display a NYC Chamber of Commerce, Market Technician and D&B logos so could you check to see if they really are in good standing with them while your at it? Thanks