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 : Ciphergen Biosystems(CIPH): -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tuck who wrote (251)	7/20/2004 4:25:02 PM
From: tuck	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 510

>>FREMONT, Calif., July 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CIPH - News) announced today that three separate studies involving a SELDI ProteinChip® Amyloid Beta (A-beta) Multi-Peptide Immunoassay were presented during a biomarkers symposium on day 2 of the 9th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD) in Philadelphia which runs from July 17-22. The first study presented by Dr. Nicolas Sergeant from INSERM in France entitled "Amino-truncated A-beta 42 species as early diagnostic and etiological biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease" described using a SELDI immunoassay to evaluate the presence of N-terminally truncated Abeta42 peptides in patient cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The accompanying abstract states "Abeta42 peptides were clearly present in AD patients, strongly indicating that they are valuable biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis of AD." In the second study, "Neuroproteomic Profiling of Amyloid beta Peptides in human CSF with SELDI-TOF MS," Prof. Jens Wiltfang from the Center of Clinical Neuroproteomics, Erlangen, Germany, described using the SELDI assay to discover three novel A-Beta peptides in clinical CSF samples. Prof. Wiltfang stated that the ratio of the novel peptides as measured by SELDI separated patients and controls even more precisely than the gold standard ratio of Ab1-42/1-40 in the clinical samples tested. The third study presented by Dr. Douglas Galasko from University of California San Diego on "Measuring candidate proteins in the context of AD clinical trials" showed reproducible, quantitative changes in the concentration of clinical CSF A-beta peptide variants in response to treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug compounds. Martin Verhoef, President of Ciphergen's Biosystems Division, stated "These positive results were achieved some time ago with our ProteinChip System IIc. Using our new ProteinChip System, Series 4000, we have achieved improved sensitivity and quantitation of A-beta making the Series 4000 an excellent multi-marker, immunoassay platform for A-beta peptide variants described in this work." A-beta peptide is the main constituent of senile plaques found in the brains of AD patients and a key molecule in the disease pathogenesis. Reliable methods to detect and quantify soluble forms of this peptide in human biological fluids and model systems are of great importance for both clinical diagnosis and understanding disease mechanisms. The SELDI platform enables researchers to rapidly monitor multiple forms of A-beta from small volumes of sample using a single antibodybased assay, offering unique advantages over ELISA or gel based methods. There are a growing number of Alzheimer's researchers now using this assay in both clinical and basic research. Go to ciphergen.com to find a growing list of over 20 publications involving the SELDI A-Beta Immunoassay.<< snip So a moderate pop, as expected, and you indeed had to be nimble. A lot of resistance at $3.60. Now we settle in and wait for the next generation system to either sell or not. Launch should come any time, though, and if it is on time -- within the next two months -- the stock should do OK. Cheers, Tuck