>a CFO leaving is a warning sign, but in profitless biotechs there is less pressure to manipulate or cookie jar earnings or accruals.<
Nonetheless, the canary in the mine metaphor still applies because the CFO typically has less to gain—and more to lose—than other corporate executives by remaining with a biotech company whose prospects are sinking. (When two CFO’s leave within a short time, as was the case with DNDN, it’s an especially bad sign.)
By the way, the one who deserves credit for elucidating the the canary in the mine metaphor for CFO's is Dubi (a.k.a. midastouch017), not me. Regards, Dew