Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : Cents and Sensibility - Kimberly and Friends' Consortium -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: $Mogul who wrote (61665)	1/12/2000 7:55:00 PM
From: Mr. Big	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 108040

The Night Watch: Isis (ISIP) Volume Heavy on Drug Announcement By Eric Gillin Editorial Assistant 1/12/00 7:42 PM ET From the street.com Never heard of Isis? In Egyptian mythology Isis was the goddess of fertility, noted for her healing abilities and magical powers. Prior knowledge of this information makes Isis Pharmaceuticals (ISIP:Nasdaq - news) seem like a fitting name for a company that focuses on a new class of therapeutic drugs called antisense oligonucleotides. An hour before the bell, the company released information about a scientific breakthrough regarding a cancer drug known as ISIS 5132, which contain these antisense oligonucleotides. The news helped the company end the day session amidst a flurry of activity, with a gain of 2 11/16, or 36%, to 10 3/16. This momentum extended into the postclose period. Isis Pharmaceuticals sat atop Island's most-actives chart with a loss of 25/64 to 9 31/32 on a mammoth volume of 3.9 million shares. Instinet was a much different story. At 5:30 p.m. EST, it was off 3/16 to 10 on a paltry 290,000 shares. Never heard of antisense oligonucleotides? You are most definitely not alone. Antisense oligonucleotides are amino acid-based chemicals that have been specifically tailored to track down a certain kind of messenger RNA. The recipe for DNA, which dictates the genetic makeup of cells, is held by this messenger RNA. These new drugs essentially erase the recipe, preventing DNA from being reproduced. Or as the Cliffs Notes version would read: antisense oligonucleotides are drugs that block the ability to reproduce cells. Especially cancer cells. Understanding the company's tactics for fighting cancer proves helpful in deciphering a company press release touting positive test-drug experiments. Isis Pharmaceuticals identified a messenger RNA known as c-raf-1, which many believe to be the recipe for tumor growth. Lynne Parshall, executive vice president, said the company targeted c-raf-1 and managed to block its reproduction. "How do you show on a human that your drug is doing what it's supposed to do?" Parshall asked rhetorically. "We took blood and looked what happened before and after the fact. What we found was the drug reduced the level of c-raf-1 messenger RNA proteins after treatment." The University of Pennsylvania and scientists from Isis Pharmaceuticals jointly published the favorable report regarding the clinical trials for ISIS 5132, which had the snazzy title of "c-raf-1 Depletion and Tumor Responses in Patients Treated with the c-raf-1 Antisense Oligodeoxynucleotide ISIS 5132 (CGP69846A)." Snazzy title or not, the company's stock attacted the eyes of millions. Its volume was more than double the next most active. Food for thought: Island's total volume postclose, as of 6:50 p.m. EST anyway, was a little north of 8 million shares. Isis Pharmaceuticals accounts for almost half of the ECN's total volume. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------