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.

Biotech / Medical : Biotech for less than a buck. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: nigel bates who wrote (629)	9/25/2000 2:59:47 PM
From: BulbaMan	Respond to of 743

Given today's press release (see below), you'd think SMDX would have a market-cap greater than $7 million. I mean Vogelstein should know what he's doing. Here's the release: Monday September 25, 1:14 pm Eastern Time SpectruMedix Corp. Installs SCE9610 Genetic Analysis System at Johns Hopkins Oncology Center Lab STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- SpectruMedix Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: SMDX - news) has installed its SCE9610 Multicapillary Genetic Analysis System on a lease-to-buy basis at the renowned Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Oncology Center research laboratory, led by doctors Bert Vogelstein, M.D., and Kenneth Kinzler, M.D. Dr. Vogelstein is a Professor of Oncology at Johns Hopkins University's School of Medicine, and the lab's principal investigator. Dr. Kinzler, co- principal investigator, is an associate professor of Oncology at the school. SpectruMedix's SCE9610 will facilitate the lab's mutation screening -- analyzing and studying mutations in thousands of genes using DNA samples collected from tens of thousands of people. Locating these mutations along a strand of DNA assists in discovering coding sequences for rare genetic diseases. The Kinzler-Vogelstein lab is working on the detection of gene mutations and how they manifest into various diseases. The idea is to find those mutations that indicate a person's susceptibility to the disease before the patient exhibits symptoms. Detecting these mutations is an expensive and lengthy process. Mutations aren't limited to one set spot on a gene -- they can be scattered, making it difficult to detect these abnormalities with the current technology. Kinzler, Vogelstein et al. argue convincingly in an article written for the current issue of Science, that the future of genetic testing and analysis hinges on successful mutation screening. (``Genetic Testing -- Present and Future,'' with Dr. Hai Tan, Science 289, 2000.) ``This is a momentous event in the history of SpectruMedix. This is a renowned cancer research laboratory that has chosen our instrument to facilitate its crucial research. We are confident the SCE9610 will prove vital in the future of genetic research,'' said Dr. Joseph Adlerstein, CEO of SpectruMedix. SpectruMedix has developed a mutation screening and detection method that is cost-effective, quicker and more sensitive than existing technology. The SCE9610 scans segments of a strand of DNA. If no existence of a mutation is detected in a segment, it's discarded. Only the segments with detected mutations are analyzed -- creating a more cost-effective, efficient process for Kinzler and Vogelstein's lab, and making the SCE9610 system a perfect fit for their research. ``In the course of its research related to cancer, the lab analyzes hundreds of thousands of samples of DNA and our instrument provides the capacity and rapidity the lab requires,'' said John Fosnacht, sales director for SpectruMedix. ``Our complete automation feature allows one person to control several instruments at a time; SpectruMedix is greatly improving the lab's efficiency and data volume as compared with other available systems.'' SpectruMedix develops and manufactures high-speed and high-throughput DNA sequencing and genetic analysis instrumentation for the acquisition, analysis and management of complex genetic information and high-throughput screening, massive parallel capillary electrophoresis systems for drug discovery. The DNA sequencing and high-throughput screening instrumentation were developed in part from research efforts conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory, which is operated by Iowa State University's Institute for Physical Research and Technology. SpectruMedix is also involved in the development of instrumentation and methodology to rapidly assess lung function in all pulmonary diseases, in order to improve evaluation, diagnosis and treatment in such patients. Except for historical information contained herein, the statements made in this release constitute forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties. Certain factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including the ability of SpectruMedix to commercialize and market its instrumentation, the availability of funding to realize SpectruMedix's plans and other risks detailed from time to time in SpectruMedix's reports on file at the Securities and Exchange Commission, including SpectruMedix's Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2000. SpectruMedix disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.