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How do you know they are in talks right now?
replied to wrong post, sorry
aELmTPa--and the naked shorting. Surely that must have some effect on the PPS?
Having a margin account does not necessarily mean buying on margin. It just gives certain privileges, such as if you sell something, the $ is immediately available to buy something else.
SCHWAB--There are different rates depending on various factors of one's account. However, i think the max is $9.00
I think you can find out here: 877-807-9240
Schwab gives immediate access if you deposit bank check or wire the $.
MANSHOON 1, So, given that KBLB has had fully homozygous worms for over a year, the question is: why is there no deal yet?
Possible answers:
suitors perceive potential problems
terms aren't good enough
other ????
MANSHOON 1, exactly what point are you making here when you say:
Basically you are going to go back to realizing that kblb has been fully capable of commercialization for over a year and homozygous worms existed WELL over a year ago.
The real reason for the current ridiculously low pps is the naked shorting by MMs???
Does anyone have any reasonable estimate of when ELTP will be profitable again?
Does anyone have any reasonable estimate of what share price is likely to be at this time next year? In two years? In three years?
Does anyone expect a buy-out by big pharma or someone else after profitability?
Ok thanks, but the number of common shares is the other crucial factor. How many there were then vs how many there are now...
Couch: what was the PPS then?
north40000 said "My understanding is that ACTC's current procedure for producing its brand of "stem cells" does not involve destruction of embryos":
THAT IS CORRECT. However, the anti-science mentality of Romney+Ryan--and of those who would vote for them--may not be willing or able to notice such a subtle distinction.
STEMCALL, Regarding retinitis pigmentosa, ACT said, in reference to the treatment now being tested for Stargardt's disease:
If successful, the treatment could be extended to address other degenerative eye diseases as well, including retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration. The healthy RPE cells could also be used in patients at earlier stages of these diseases, to prevent the degeneration before it starts.
For the moment, however, Lanza says the current study will be focused on establishing the safety of the RPE therapy, with any visual improvement a welcome bonus. "We're starting out with a safety study in those with advanced disease,” says Lanza. "But hopefully if we get in earlier in the progression of the disease we might see greater impact on visual improvement. What this approval shows is that the readiness of the FDA to work with researchers to move exciting new stem cell based therapies out of the lab and into the clinic.”
How many shares of "ELTP" were "outstanding" when "ELTP" traded at "$24.50" ?
And how many shares are outstanding now?
WHY are we at this low low low PPS, given all the good things ELTP has going for it??? Is it just MM manipulation?
'Romans828', i have to say that you are the most gentlemanly poster i've yet encountered on any board. Including during an altercation with me where i basically had misunderstood where you were coming from. (For which i apologize many months later).
MIKE, regarding "The threats to KBLB's worth in the next year will be dominated not by the success of others but by their own failures."
Are you expecting KBLB to have significant failures in the next year???
Why should it matter to us whether KBLB's worth declines due to successes of others or due to their own failures???
I asked: "Bottom line: do you believe KBLB is on course/is in good hands/is gonna make $$$ within the next year? "
You said "Yes!"
btw, when i gave a subject heading of "REBUT THIS" to my earlier re-post of ZF from IV board, i did not mean it belligerently, as you assumed. On the contrary, i was hoping someone could definitively show that ZF was wrong!
'e-star' --could you please explain more what you mean by saying "Eltp would only be a Temporary Fix if the share price was even .15-.20 or A Buck."
a "Temporary Fix" for what? and why temporary? a buck sounds fantabulous to me.
How about "go UP with this one" ?!
'aELmTPa', That's not at all what ryan was saying. He said he expects ELTP to go up 600% just like that other stock did.
First Mike:
A. i didn't know permission was needed to re-post something from a public forum. Why should it be?
B. It's not that i chose to post selectively for my "cause". I don't have any cause outside of concern about what's going on with KBLB. I posted what most concerned me that i hoped to get answers about. (also, if your post is too long, the things you most want to focus on tend to get lost).
C. I realize this post is one of many from ZF. But it's a very recent one and one that caught my attention.
D. i still think some important issues ZF raised have not been rebutted or addressed:
like, ND has much more $ interest in Transposagen than in KBLB. Are they really going to try and make the silkworms do what we want them to do if that means it will hurt ND's main interest?
In another post, ZF pointed out that KBLB no longer has monopoly on genetic insertions into silkworms.
Bottom line: do you believe KBLB is on course/is in good hands/is gonna make $$$ within the next year?
Please be more specific. Have you spoken to them? If so, what did they say that leads you to say things are not looking good.
Then please rebut ZF's post.
REBUT THIS IF YOU CAN! (ZF post elsewhere).
KBLB's silk still contains only a small proportion of SSP despite that KBLB has had, for over a year and a half now, the ability to just remove ALL of the worm silk protein genes so that the silk would necessarily be 100% spider silk protein with no worm silk at all. There has to be a reason for that (and I will go into great depth in that issue shortly). Given the very large amount of time elapsed (over a year and a half now) and the large number of ZF genetic transformations done (4 or 5 rounds, some containing multiple transformations (the last had "5,000 insertions" (whatever that means and the company has repeatedly declined to clarify) including at least 5 different genetic modifications and there has long since been time to evaluate results from that round (more than half a year now! 3 or 4 full silkworm generations! There is no plausible reason IMHO why it would have taken any longer to analyze and PR results (IF, of course, they were positive).
But Dr. Fraser is still (last time I checked) Homo sapiens, same as Dr Lewis and all the rest of us.
And he and Notre Dame have a vastly larger financial interest in the piggyBac transposon than in KBLB's silks. ND has licensed out the piggyBac transposon to Transposagen who is making it a fundamental part of its meganuclease technology (TALENs) for genetic modification, in direct competition with the zinc finger technology that KBLB is now using. ***Note that this is NOT a threat to KBLB DIRECTLY: KBLB's prior exclusive agreement with ND on the piggyBac prevents anyone from using the piggyBac directly or Transposagen's technology to insert any silk genes (spider or otherwise) into silkworms. THe problem for KBLB is the competition with zinc fingers: KBLB's early silks (gen1, up to Monster SIlk) were created using the piggyBac and then KBLB switched to zinc fingers. A success on a silk created in zinc fingers would be perceived as a "failure" for the piggyBac, especially if it was done based on a line of worms earlier modified with the piggyBac (i.e.: "the piggyBac didn't do it, KBLB switched to zinc fingers and THEN they did it") Dr. Fraser has to be aware of that. Inevitably for him and ND both, a success for KBLB at this point would be very damaging to the piggyBac where Dr Fraser/ND's interests are far larger than their interest in KBLB's silks (and ONLY Gen1: none of the work on Gen2 was done using the piggyBac - any interests ND has in those would be based only on their labwork contribution and not on any of their IP, AFAIK).
Scientists can, and do, frequently work for different companies and projects. Totally true and totally irrelevant. Because they generally do NOT work on projects that compete directly with each other.
Note also that the concern here is NOT merely a "conflict of interest" but also about relevancy/adequacy of background now that KBLB has switched to zinc fingers. Dr. Fraser is, of course THE world authority on the piggyBac being that he developed the technology. But his background on zinc fingers is not in remotely the same class. In fact, I would argue that there are strong indications that it has been inadequate given that they apparently failed to realize that the use of zinc fingers would not only make the "ramping up of regulation" that is necessary with random methods like the piggyBac unnecessary, but actually make it HARMFUL. They apparently failed to realize that and remove them, thereby wasting at least one round of GMs. (Hence Kim's remark that "the zinc fingers were so powerful that we had to 'adjust' them" That "adjustment" would not have been necessary, IMHO, had ND realized that the up regulation done for the piggyBac needed to be removed before using zinc fingers.
Currently two out of the three science advisers for KBLB have conflicts of interest (only Dr. Jarvis, AFAIK, has none.) THis is not good.
However, it does show Rabin's and Lanza's confidence in the company, or else they wouldn't agree to be paid in stocks. So,their interests are aligned with ours.
Any idea how long we have to stay the course in order to be fine?
What is Greatest in New Orleans Oct 24--27???
Maybe you understand more than i do. I sure hope you are right! thanks.
What??? It is my understanding that KBLB negotiated a deal with SIAL for the exclusive rights to use the ZF technology in silkworms. I don't think it had anything to do with ND. I certainly don't think kblb got those rights from ND.
I put my $ in long ago. And i have believed in the company and Kim. However, the two detailed critiques by zf that i posted here have shaken my confidence significantly.
Let's see rebuttals to the many specific things zf said wrt Piggyybac, ND's licensing of that technology to others, their focus on that, not on silkworms, and on and on.
I suggest careful reading of zf's posts. KBLB has moved on to zincfingers. ND has not. Piggybac is their cash cow now.
VERY IMPORTANT post by zincfinger on I.V. (closely related to what i posted from zf yesterday)
Re: The urgent need for full time, directly employed researchers and a deal on MS
Dr Fraser: None of the seven patents on his page at ND mention silkworms. Five of them are on the piggyBac. Two out of 19 publications listed mention silkworms. 13 involve the piggyBac. It is crystal clear that the piggyBac is his main focus and the silkworm is just one of many animals he's worked on it with.. You have apparently fallen for the common trap of assuming that if a researcher is working on a project for a company, it's his/her main concern and/or expertise.
The piggyBac has been licensed out by ND to Transposagen (all except, of course, to the exclusive rights in silkworms that KBLB has) who both uses in in their own technology and sublicenses it to others. The potential revenues from this market are far larger than from KBLB (especially since KBLB has shifted to zinc fingers). If a news report came out that a great success had been achieved using zinc fingers on a product previously modified with the piggyBac how do you think that's going to look for ND? The market is going to view it as zinc fingers “rescuing” a product that was not successful with the piggyBac.
ND and Dr. Fraser have a lot more invested in the piggyBac than they do in KBLB, especially on Gen2 which doesn't even involve their technology at all.
Dr Lewis is working on a project that is in direct competition with KBLB (increasing the concentration of spider silk protein in their goat's milk and mechanically spinning it ).
Dr Jarvis's work is on using the bacillovirus for gene regulation (and was almost certainly the basis of the regulatory package that had to be “adjusted” in the genetic packages because the zinc fingers were “too powerful” (which is spin for “we goofed: we should have left out the regulatory package but didn't”) If they don't need any regulatory package at all (because the gene is inserted into the exact location so it's under full normal regulation) then much of Dr. Jarvis's work (not necessarily all of it) may no longer be needed.
KBLB very urgently needs the full time services of a researcher with in depth experience with silk and silkworms. There are many such as silkworms are a very important commercial animal (their genome has been sequenced to a very high degree of accuracy for many years already). This would by no stretch of the imagination be “bringing in an inexperienced outsider” it would be bringing in a far more experienced person in the most critical areas of all! Dr Fraser's main experience is in an area no longer applicable!! Dr. Lewis has a powerful conflict of interest. Dr. Jarvis's work (or some of it) may no longer be needed. It would be very foolish to NOT take on an appropriately qualified researcher!
Please explain exactly how switching from the piggyBac to zinc fingers is NOT “switching horses in mid stream”! Look down! You're already ON a different horse! What is very urgently needed is to make the appropriate adjustments.
A new researcher who would have known that their work was going to all be based on zinc fingers would have done the (minimal!) learning required to realize that installing regulators designed for random methods of GM with zinc fingers into the replaced gene's location would be a very bad idea. That would have saved KBLB a good 5 months of time on Gen2!
ND doesn;t have the level of silkworm/silk expertise that KBLB needs. It has a very powerful confict of interest, as does Dr. Lewis. SIAL does not have silkworm expertise (they tested the ZFs for KBLB in yeast as a proxy because SIAL does not “DO” silkworms!).
Consults cannot replace a full time dedicated researcher to who the project is his/her sole concern and, most especially, who has NO conflicts of interest.
Note that the ND and other scientists have had full opportunity to consult with SIAL for a year and a half now and yet they only recently discovered that the genetic packages “required adjustment”. Clearly the current arrangement is not adequate.
There may be something of a Mexican standoff here: Kim appears reluctant to spend more money (to move into larger facilities for further worm population expansion and possibly eventual reeling and spinning, to get a researcher, etc). I suspect a reason for possible dealers to hesitate on MS is that “lack of commitment”. Business people like to see the ability and willingness to keep things moving and put some “skin in the game” and they may not want to ink a deal until they see some production facilities (at least to the point of reeling and spinning) being set up and the population expanded to production size (at least as eggs: which isn't that much of a commitment since they can be cold stored in such little space. Kim could ALREADY have been up to full production population (as eggs) if he'd moved into large enough facilities. The only explanation for not having done that is reluctance to commit funds until a deal is inked.
Ask yourself this question: if Kim really has had more potential buyers than he needs or wants, what reason is there for NOT going ahead and moving into large enough facilities to expand the population to full production size and getting the population adequate for the first run to the egg stage (where they can be put in cold storage if there is a delay)? The most he should be risking is a few months rent on those facilities if there should be a delay which is trivial compared to a couple of months production revenues. If you're going to run a successful business you have to at times put money up front and make a commitment to get things moving. Excess caution about not doing things until you're certain that they will be needed can kill a business just as excessive concern about getting the best possible price can. You have to be willing to put your money on the table and you have to be willing to accept a reasonable price and get it moving.
Those in contact with Ben: how about asking him about these conflicts of interest within the company? (Randy Lewis: his goats vs silkworms? ND: their piggyBac vs our zincfingers). Are these conflicts holding us back and what else is holding us back?
What should Kim be doing that he is not doing?
What is stopping Big Pharma from marketing similar products?
I think it is Elite's patented 2-bead formulation. The other companies can't cuz we've got the patent.
So far as i recall, Carry's posts usually amount to "when is this going to take off"? (not quoting precisely).
I have a ton of $ invested in KBLB and would love to see it go to the skies. However, zincfinger is clearly very knowledgeable and what he's said about these conflicts of interest is downright scary, imo.
I'm not one bit happy about it. If someone here can show that this is irrelevant, please do.
Zincfinger posted this extremely disturbing, imo, commentary on the I.V. Board 10/18:
Re: check this out ..
What you apparently overlooked is that is clearly Dr. Lewis's work that is in direct competition with KBLB!:
" Their research includes artificial ways to "spin" the proteins into silk in the lab by introducing the engineered genes into other organisms such as bacteria, plants and even larger animals such as goats."
Nary a word about silkworms, but then Dr. Lewis isn't working with silkworms right now: he is working to increase the concentration of SSP in their goat's milk (hoping for 10% instead of the current 1%).
And this is one of KBLB's three scientific advisors working in direct competition!
Kim may have made a major error in failing to lock up Dr. Lewis's goats even though he didn't need them. It would have prevented this conflict of interest.
Dr Fraser, one of the other science advisors is also working in direct competition with zinc fingers (the basic technology now being used to develop KBLB's silks): visit the Transposagen website and see that the piggyBac is being used with their meganuclease technology to compete with zinc fingers. This is NOT a good thing, to say the least! How would Dr Fraser (and ND) feel about a PR from KBLB saying that they had succeeded with zinc fingers in creating a product after abandoning the piggyBac? Despite them making some money from it (IF it's gen 1) it's hard to picture them being too enthusiastic. Maybe we shouldn't expect a CC hosted by ND in such an event.
Dr. Jarvis appears to be the only scientific advisor remaining with no conflict of interest. IMHO it's past time for KBLB to stop being a one man company and take a full time research scientist onto the payroll. They need a full time scientist to whom KBLB is not only his/her main interest, but also his/her ONLY interest. Kim needs to stop with the excessive cost controls and start to lay some money on the table (and his relucatance to do so may be the real hold-up on a deal: businessmen want to see some skin in the game. (Failure to get a larger facility to get the population up to full production size is also a sign of reluctance to make a financial committment. There comes a point when it's time to lay your money on the table and if you don't, it's taken as a sign that your hand is not good.
(Note that I warned over a year ago that the switch from the piggyBac might have negative impact on the ND/KBLB relationship and the Transposagen/ND deal for the piggyBac appears to confirm that.)
This whole post copied from the IV Board:
I recently received an email from Mr. Hansel, answering my query about progress in contracts. To quote him
"I think that the process can be best described as being very intricate detail oriented negotiations, especially considering the ownership issues of the new technologies that will be birthed from the agreement(s), so this is not unlike the Sigma-Aldrich agreement and it is a time intensive process."
I think Mr. Thompson is being very detail oriented in any deal he putting together. After all I'm sure he will profit more than anybody from a high stock price. As I said before, changes in Material Science of this magnitude just don't come around very often, and even the smallest change in industry takes place a excruciatingly slow pace.