Vericel Corp. (VCEL)

[JoeBlack]

Stem cell IPO faces long odds

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The odds would seem to be against an initial public offering for a biotech company with no profits and no products on the market, but stem-cell company Aldagen evidently feels lucky.

The company registered with U.S. regulators on May 9 to publicly offer up to $80.5 million worth of common stock, even as the credit crunch dampens investor demand for IPOs.

"These are the worst capital markets for biotech in the last five years," said Steve Brozak, an analyst at WBB Securities. "Their technology is good, but it's a tough equity market."

Aldagen has extra difficulties, too -- it is working on drugs that involve stem cells, which have proven to be a difficult part of the biotech market to navigate. Chief Operating Officer Ed Field declined to comment.

"There has never been a small stem-cell company that has issued an IPO and then been successful in bringing products to market," said Amy Stevens, an analyst at the Susquehanna Financial Group. "It's completely uncharted waters and that's the highest risk associated with the companies."

These waters have made many investors seasick as the majority of publicly listed stem cell shares have suffered heavy declines.