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Biotech / Medical : Biotech Valuation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Biomaven who wrote (33253)	12/28/2009 3:10:26 PM
From: A.J. Mullen	1 Recommendation Respond to of 52153

OT Body-scanners. Thanks for bringing OSIS to our attention. Privacy concerns might lead to machines in pairs, screened separately or each gender. The seriously self-concious will still have a problem, but I think most would accept the intrusion as acceptable. Ashley

To: Biomaven who wrote (33253)	12/28/2009 3:47:07 PM
From: Ian@SI	1 Recommendation Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 52153

OT1: Happy holidays and best wishes for a great new year to all. OT2: re: ...only reasonable way to prevent a repeat airline bomb attack ... I believe there's effective electronic sniffer technology that can detect trace amounts of any "known" dangerous chemical. This is already being used in some parts of the world, and I believe, by El Al. If you hadn't qualified your statement with the word "reasonable", then flying naked would make it much more difficult to hide a bomb, cause fanatical muslims to not take those flights, and may even help airlines with their falling revenues. ;-) Unfortunately, the terrorists are winning this part of the struggle. Flying is increasingly becoming a major turn-off and, I suspect, causing many to substitute a "stay-cation" for a vacation. FWIW, Ian

To: Biomaven who wrote (33253)	12/29/2009 12:18:45 AM
From: RMP	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 52153

ASEI is another player in this field

To: Biomaven who wrote (33253)	12/29/2009 2:36:55 PM
From: Arthur Radley	Respond to of 52153

On Tuesday December 29, 2009, 1:22 pm EST By A.Ananthalakshmi and Amulya Nagaraj BANGALORE (Reuters) - Investors' optimism surrounding the shares of airport security systems makers could be premature as interest in the companies' products after the Christmas Day plane scare is not expected to translate into immediate orders. Shares of explosive-detection equipment makers OSI Systems (NasdaqGM:OSIS - News), American Science and Engineering (NasdaqGS:ASEI - News) and ICx Technologies Inc (NasdaqGM:ICXT - News) rallied for a second day on Tuesday as investors bet on swift government action to improve airport security. Analysts believe the failed December 25 attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner will accelerate the process of testing new equipment, but any laws requiring its use will depend on Congressional action. "If this was a successful terrorist attack, the orders would be coming down in January," Brian Ruttenbur of Morgan, Keegan Securities said. "Because it wasn't a successful attack, the government will hold hearings about what broke down." The companies' shares tend to go up for a couple of days whenever there is a similar incident and then settle back down, he said. Shares of OSI Systems and ICx Technologies rose in double digits on Monday, the first day of trading after the Detroit incident, while AS&E and baggage screener Analogic Corp (NasdaqGS:ALOG - News) rose in high single digits. But the stock action is a knee-jerk reaction, Arnie Ursaner with CJS Securities said, adding that wider testing of the equipment and appropriation of the money to install it in airports could take a year or more. Ursaner said "backscatter" technology in particular could benefit from the Detroit incident. AS&E and OSI Systems are leaders in this technology, which can detect explosive materials hidden under a person's clothing -- exactly the kind of situation that occurred over the weekend. "Even if there is an event, it does not change how contracts are awarded," AS&E Vice President Joseph Reiss told Reuters. "It could be months." The incident highlights the vulnerability at airports and shows that metal detectors are ineffective against explosives, he said. Fewer than 20 U.S. airports currently use the backscatter technology, and implementation has been delayed by privacy and health concerns. Another company that is expected to benefit is ICx Technology, which offers products that can detect chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats. ICx Executive Chairman Hans Kobler told Reuters the company was talking to relevant agencies about new orders, which it expects to receive within months, not years. OSI Systems, which makes products for cargo, vehicle and personnel inspection, touched a 16-month high on Tuesday. Analogic, a maker of advanced explosive-detection equipment for screening checked baggage and checkpoint carry-ons, was trading slightly down.

To: Biomaven who wrote (33253)	12/30/2009 1:17:44 PM
From: Biomaven	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 52153

(OT) By Shara Tibken Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Shares of makers of airport security screeners rose for a third straight day Wednesday on hopes they'll receive orders for security products following a failed bombing attempt and as the Dutch government outlined plans to use full-body screeners within three weeks. Shares of the various companies have climbed since the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit. A Nigerian man on the flight tried to blow up the plane an hour before landing Friday, but he was foiled by other passengers. The components of the man's device made it past airport security metal detectors, spurring speculation that companies that make devices that can see through clothes and hidden items could experience an increase in orders. In the latest development, all passengers boarding flights to the U.S. from Amsterdam will be screened using full-body scanners within three weeks, the Dutch government said Wednesday. The government said 15 of the scanners will be installed to help detect explosives that can't be found by metal detectors. According to The Wall Street Journal, Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, where the alleged bomber boarded, has 17 whole-body scanners produced by L-3 Communications Corp. (LLL). The machines have been used only on a voluntary, pilot basis because the European Union hasn't established rules for their use that would address privacy concerns. A representative from L-3 wasn't immediately available to comment Wednesday. In recent trading, L-3 rose 1.5% to $88.50 after earlier hitting a 52-week high of $89.23. OSI Systems Inc. (OSIS) jumped 12% to $29.10 after setting a two-and-a-half year high of $28.49. It shares have soared nearly 40% this month. American Science & Engineering Inc. (ASEI) grew 65 cents to $79.72. Another stock getting a boost from hopes for more orders is ICx Technologies Inc. (ICXT), up 25% to $7.90 Wednesday, adding to the 7.5% gain from Tuesday and the 18% jump from Monday. The company's sensors - which have been used in Iraq, Afghanistan and airports - can detect explosives and other chemicals. "It's potentially effective for the type of explosive that was used in the [Northwest] airliner," Needham & Co. analyst James Ricchiuti said, adding the company's hand-held instrument is used in about 40 U.S. airports to check carry-on luggage for dangerous materials. Melissa Woods, ICx director of public relations, said some of its products are currently used by the Transportation Security Administration, while others are being evaluated. She expects the process to go through normal channels despite Friday's failed bombing attempt. "We don't expect an influx in orders, but expect more attention to be paid to security operations as a whole," Woods said. "I think that's a common, though, in the industry right now. It's a natural reaction to an event such as what occurred." Peter Kant, executive vice president of global government affairs at OSI unit Rapiscan Systems, said Wednesday that Schiphol plans to use the scanners it already has, none of which are produced by Rapiscan. The company has been developing whole-body imaging systems - including the Rapiscan Secure 1000 Single Pose - for a decade. Kant said the company has its full-body scanners at the Heathrow and Manchester airports in the U.K., as well as in U.S. airports, and that another announcement will be coming soon. The TSA had bought about 150 body-scanning machines from Rapiscan using stimulus funding earlier this year, with deployment originally planned for January. And Kant said Monday he believes more machines will likely be ordered following Friday's failed attack. Meanwhile, Joe Reiss, AS&E vice president of marketing said Tuesday that the European parliament had put consideration of personnel scanners on hold a little over a year ago, but he believes that will be reevaluated due to the attempted bombing. "Unfortunately, that's the world we live in, and these events generate a lot of activity," Reiss said, adding AS&E doesn't currently have any of its whole-body scanners, known as SmartCheck, in airports. -By Shara Tibken, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2189; shara.tibken@dowjones.com