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Microcaps (and penny stocks in general) can be both exciting and very frustrating. While volatility seems to be the norm, every decade we also see something astonishing come out of a few of these small companies. Astonishing may mean a stock like Bre-X that starts out near 0.40 and ends up near $300 before someone is thrown out of a helicopter. Or it may mean honest discoveries like Diamet that went from penny status to a diamond mine worth Billions, Diamond Fields massive nickel discovery at Voisey Bay, Arequipa's gold discovery and buyout by Barrick in Peru. There are several more like this and likewise for the oil & gas industry.
The interesting part of all this, is that these are resource stocks. Success stories in the tech space we watched in 1999 and 2000 thanks to irrational exhuberance and an overheated market - although some amazing stories came out of that era like Research in Motion and their Blackberry which drove the price from under $3 to well over $100 now.
While all this is the stuff dreams are made of from a financial point of view, they did nothing to contribute to the betterment of mankind. Unless of course you count the Blackberry which for some is as critical as an oxygen tank attached to an emphysema patient ! And by betterment I mean contributing to our quality of life, not buying a new Lexus because your stock just went from a dollar to twenty.
So that brings us to the Biotech sector. From a microcap perspective, its often very difficult for these little companies to raise capital and as such, you rarely hear about major discoveries coming out of this field of science. Thanks to heavy regulation, they can take years to mature and if something significant does comes along, the majors typically buy them out before a massive double digit run in share price can occur. I've been buying penny stocks for over twenty years now and while I'm sure I've forgotten something by now, I cannot remember a huge biotech story coming out of Canada (from a small or microcap perspective).
That brings us to PharmaGap (GAP.V $0.35)
www.pharmagap.com
First and foremost. My introduction above is not meant to indicate this is the next retirement income plan. It simply demonstrates the potential of microcap stocks and proves that while its very difficult hitting a home run on these stocks, its also possible.
I typically don't bother with biotechs because very few ever amount to anything before they run out of cash, and I don't have the patience to sit on a penny stock for three years waiting for a miracle to occur. In addition to this, you need a very strong stomach for volatility. Pharmagap is a perfect example as it gained 450% in 1 day after running from $0.20 to $1.10 on April 17th as millions of dollars worth of buying piled into this stock. Yet you see the price now.
The morning of the 17th we sent GAP to our paid subscribers once a very important news release was issued. While everyone watched this incredible rise in price, we've now watched that same stock get destroyed from its high. The problem can be summed up in one word... traders. A tremendous amount of buying came into this company on news I will highlight below but with little happening in this market for the technical traders, it didn't take long for the gains and volume to pop onto the TSX.V radar. If momentum is positive, the trend remains intact. If the tide turns, so does the share price. As the price fell, the traders moved out and those who bought for a longer term hold likely second guessed their decision and cut a quick loss. People typically read into a trading pattern following news and use this to try and determine whether their assesment was right or wrong.
What all this "may" have done, is create a new opportunity for others. Had this stock not fallen back so hard I would have waited a long time before introducing it to free subscribers or on Stockhouse - the risks were just way too high. Even right now, the risks may be very high. This stock rarely ever traded prior to this news and the last few financings were done at $0.06 by the CEO. Unfortunately this company was so low on anyone's radar that the price and volume were ridiculously low.
World Class Management & Researchers
It was also this very same reason I (at first) totally ignored the news release I saw on April 17th. I honestly thought that in typical penny stock fashion it was nothing more than hype to help some slimey promoter get his stock off. It wasn't until I quickly did more research and found out this company was a spinoff from the National Research Council of Canada (Canada’s premier biological research organization) and the scientists behind this company were (surprisingly) amongst the best in their field. In addition to the scientific side, they have tremendous talent on the other side of the equation. As an example, their Chief Operating Officer was Vice President, Investment Banking with Credit Suisse First Boston in New York and TD Securities in New York and Toronto. This quickly ruled out the slimey promoter theory and immediately provided credibility.
Why the Excitement ?
In early trials on mice (announced April 17th), they treated a control group that resulted in tumours disappearing in 4 of the 5 with the 5th having enough damage to the tumour it could be easily broken down. In all other control groups (including chemo), there was no impact and the tumours would have resulted in death. What was amazing, this result was on a cancer type that accounts for 30% of all breast cancer with NO known treatment. Basically it moves so fact (typically to the lungs) that the patience dies in a short period of time.
In addition to this, they had excellent results on colon cancer treatment as well. Its this impact on the breast cancer tumours that is amazing however. If this continues and can be proven safe for humans, it "may" become a major breakthrough in cancer treatment.
The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute New York
www.mskcc.org
In an independent validation of GAP's potential, the company announced on April 24th they were partnering with The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute of New York - one of the world's premier cancer centers. This is over and above the research being done on breast cancer mentioned above. The Institute will be working with the company to develop a selective inhibitor of PKC theta for use in treatment of sarcomas, cancers of supportive and connective tissue (that is bone, cartilage, fat, muscle and blood vessels).
Said Sloan-Kettering's Dr. Schwartz: "I look forward to continuing my collaboration with PharmaGap for this exciting new compound, as it holds the promise of new treatment alternatives in the future for sarcoma patients. Selectively targeting PKC theta may provide therapeutic benefits not provided by current treatments."
Protein Kinase C (PKC)
Over the ages, experimental biology has used two research approaches, in vitro (within the glass) and in vivo (within the living). Typically drug candidate selection and experimentation occur at the simpler “test tube” level. The final proving ground is at the living level of Mice and Men and clinical trials.
Enter the Brave New World of computer biologists and their approach – in silico (within the silicon chip) where computer simulations model natural and laboratory processes.
PharmaGap is on the leading edge of in silico drug development. Their primary candidate, PhG-alpha-1, is one of a new breed of targeted cancer drugs that largely confine their activities to the tumor cells. Consider the huge benefit of hitting the target with a bullet compared to standard “shotgun” chemotherapies, where the hope is that they kill the cancer before they kill the patient.
PharmaGap’s current research centers on a family of naturally occurring enzymes known as Protein Kinase C (PKC). These enzymes have diverse and important effects on our cells. They must be highly regulated or controlled to maintain certain aspects of that delicate balance known as health. Numerous cancers involve over expression of PKC – too much of a good thing.
One member of the PKC family is especially noteworthy in the cancer realm – PKC alpha, which is the selected target for the PhG-alpha-1 drug.
Besides targeting, another very positive angle for PhG-alpha-1 relates to an unfortunate characteristic of many cases of cancer – Multi Drug Resistance or MDR. Special proteins embedded in the cell membrane, called MDR pumps, actually “spit out” any chemotherapy drug that enters the cancer cell – great for survival of the cancer cell, but certainly not the patient. There is a strong correlation between high levels of PKC and MDR activity. Perhaps PhG-alpha-1 could be a stone that kills two birds at once. The strategy of combining PhG-alpha-1 with other chemotherapeutic agents may open up a wider range of possibilities.
The area of PKC research is receiving much attention these days, and for good reason. Other members of the PKC family are implicated in such disorders as diabetes, cardiac disease, and Alzheimer’s. PhamaGap recently announced they are pursuing drugs to combat PKC theta (cancer again) and PKC epsilon (Alzheimer’s).
In the world of biotech drug development, success has been, and continues to be, a very elusive dream – not unlike the discovery of a multimillion ounce gold resource. And PharmaGap is not the only company in the PKC arena. But with some of Canada’s best and brightest working on the leading edge, PharmaGap merits serious attention.
From its inception in 1999, PharmaGap has undertaken the scientific research and development work required to understand the many ways in which the 11 unique isoforms making up the family of proteins named Protein Kinase C (PKC) act within the human body in relation to human diseases. PharmaGap has developed proprietary computer-based methodologies that provide the ability to design selective inhibitors for PKC isoforms. The importance of the PKC family is well known in the medical and pharmaceutical industry and has been and continues to be the subject of significant preclinical and clinical research.
PKCs are associated with a range of human disease conditions, including not only cancer, but also metabolic diseases such as diabetes (PKC beta, epsilon), cardiac disease (PKC delta), Alzheimer's (PKC epsilon) and neurological disease (PKC gamma). In addition to its compounds targeting PKC alpha and theta, PharmaGap has designed, and is currently optimizing prior to synthesis and testing, an inhibitor for PKC epsilon.
April 17th News Excerpt
You can grab the full news release at www.stockhouse.com or any service you typically use, but here is the most important excerpt: The other control groups they used were: saline only, PhG (their drug) along with Chemo, and Chemo Only. The control group with their drug only PhG is referenced below - this is what killed the tumours
Breast cancer metastatic model
In this model, human breast cancer of the type Estrogen Receptor negative, which as a group represents the 30 per cent of breast cancers which are not currently treatable by available drug therapies, were implanted into the bloodstream and provided with a seven-day period to allow tumours to form. The type of cancer cells implanted is known to be highly invasive to the lungs, within a three- to five-day period following implantation. Following this establishment period of seven days, the treatment regime began in the eight groups of five mice.
In the group of five mice receiving PhG-alpha-1 at the dose of one milligram per kilogram of body weight, four of five (80 per cent) when euthanized at the end of the trial period were observed to be tumour-free on postmortem examination, with no effect on other organs. The remaining mouse had developed a single small, friable (easily broken down) tumour. In the two control groups (saline and chemotherapy alone), nine of 10 (90 per cent) developed tumours, with only one surviving to the end of the trial and with ancillary organ damage to some degree. For all other treatment groups, 22 of 25 (88 per cent) developed tumours, and none survived to the end of the trial, again exhibiting ancillary organ damage.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
Microcaps (and penny stocks in general) can be both exciting and very frustrating. While volatility seems to be the norm, every decade we also see something astonishing come out of a few of these small companies. Astonishing may mean a stock like Bre-X that starts out near 0.40 and ends up near $300 before someone is thrown out of a helicopter. Or it may mean honest discoveries like Diamet that went from penny status to a diamond mine worth Billions, Diamond Fields massive nickel discovery at Voisey Bay, Arequipa's gold discovery and buyout by Barrick in Peru. There are several more like this and likewise for the oil & gas industry.
The interesting part of all this, is that these are resource stocks. Success stories in the tech space we watched in 1999 and 2000 thanks to irrational exhuberance and an overheated market - although some amazing stories came out of that era like Research in Motion and their Blackberry which drove the price from under $3 to well over $100 now.
While all this is the stuff dreams are made of from a financial point of view, they did nothing to contribute to the betterment of mankind. Unless of course you count the Blackberry which for some is as critical as an oxygen tank attached to an emphysema patient ! And by betterment I mean contributing to our quality of life, not buying a new Lexus because your stock just went from a dollar to twenty.
So that brings us to the Biotech sector. From a microcap perspective, its often very difficult for these little companies to raise capital and as such, you rarely hear about major discoveries coming out of this field of science. Thanks to heavy regulation, they can take years to mature and if something significant does comes along, the majors typically buy them out before a massive double digit run in share price can occur. I've been buying penny stocks for over twenty years now and while I'm sure I've forgotten something by now, I cannot remember a huge biotech story coming out of Canada (from a small or microcap perspective).
That brings us to PharmaGap (GAP.V $0.35)
www.pharmagap.com
First and foremost. My introduction above is not meant to indicate this is the next retirement income plan. It simply demonstrates the potential of microcap stocks and proves that while its very difficult hitting a home run on these stocks, its also possible.
I typically don't bother with biotechs because very few ever amount to anything before they run out of cash, and I don't have the patience to sit on a penny stock for three years waiting for a miracle to occur. In addition to this, you need a very strong stomach for volatility. Pharmagap is a perfect example as it gained 450% in 1 day after running from $0.20 to $1.10 on April 17th as millions of dollars worth of buying piled into this stock. Yet you see the price now.
The morning of the 17th we sent GAP to our paid subscribers once a very important news release was issued. While everyone watched this incredible rise in price, we've now watched that same stock get destroyed from its high. The problem can be summed up in one word... traders. A tremendous amount of buying came into this company on news I will highlight below but with little happening in this market for the technical traders, it didn't take long for the gains and volume to pop onto the TSX.V radar. If momentum is positive, the trend remains intact. If the tide turns, so does the share price. As the price fell, the traders moved out and those who bought for a longer term hold likely second guessed their decision and cut a quick loss. People typically read into a trading pattern following news and use this to try and determine whether their assesment was right or wrong.
What all this "may" have done, is create a new opportunity for others. Had this stock not fallen back so hard I would have waited a long time before introducing it to free subscribers or on Stockhouse - the risks were just way too high. Even right now, the risks may be very high. This stock rarely ever traded prior to this news and the last few financings were done at $0.06 by the CEO. Unfortunately this company was so low on anyone's radar that the price and volume were ridiculously low.
World Class Management & Researchers
It was also this very same reason I (at first) totally ignored the news release I saw on April 17th. I honestly thought that in typical penny stock fashion it was nothing more than hype to help some slimey promoter get his stock off. It wasn't until I quickly did more research and found out this company was a spinoff from the National Research Council of Canada (Canada’s premier biological research organization) and the scientists behind this company were (surprisingly) amongst the best in their field. In addition to the scientific side, they have tremendous talent on the other side of the equation. As an example, their Chief Operating Officer was Vice President, Investment Banking with Credit Suisse First Boston in New York and TD Securities in New York and Toronto. This quickly ruled out the slimey promoter theory and immediately provided credibility.
Why the Excitement ?
In early trials on mice (announced April 17th), they treated a control group that resulted in tumours disappearing in 4 of the 5 with the 5th having enough damage to the tumour it could be easily broken down. In all other control groups (including chemo), there was no impact and the tumours would have resulted in death. What was amazing, this result was on a cancer type that accounts for 30% of all breast cancer with NO known treatment. Basically it moves so fact (typically to the lungs) that the patience dies in a short period of time.
In addition to this, they had excellent results on colon cancer treatment as well. Its this impact on the breast cancer tumours that is amazing however. If this continues and can be proven safe for humans, it "may" become a major breakthrough in cancer treatment.
The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute New York
www.mskcc.org
In an independent validation of GAP's potential, the company announced on April 24th they were partnering with The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute of New York - one of the world's premier cancer centers. This is over and above the research being done on breast cancer mentioned above. The Institute will be working with the company to develop a selective inhibitor of PKC theta for use in treatment of sarcomas, cancers of supportive and connective tissue (that is bone, cartilage, fat, muscle and blood vessels).
Said Sloan-Kettering's Dr. Schwartz: "I look forward to continuing my collaboration with PharmaGap for this exciting new compound, as it holds the promise of new treatment alternatives in the future for sarcoma patients. Selectively targeting PKC theta may provide therapeutic benefits not provided by current treatments."
Protein Kinase C (PKC)
Over the ages, experimental biology has used two research approaches, in vitro (within the glass) and in vivo (within the living). Typically drug candidate selection and experimentation occur at the simpler “test tube” level. The final proving ground is at the living level of Mice and Men and clinical trials.
Enter the Brave New World of computer biologists and their approach – in silico (within the silicon chip) where computer simulations model natural and laboratory processes.
PharmaGap is on the leading edge of in silico drug development. Their primary candidate, PhG-alpha-1, is one of a new breed of targeted cancer drugs that largely confine their activities to the tumor cells. Consider the huge benefit of hitting the target with a bullet compared to standard “shotgun” chemotherapies, where the hope is that they kill the cancer before they kill the patient.
PharmaGap’s current research centers on a family of naturally occurring enzymes known as Protein Kinase C (PKC). These enzymes have diverse and important effects on our cells. They must be highly regulated or controlled to maintain certain aspects of that delicate balance known as health. Numerous cancers involve over expression of PKC – too much of a good thing.
One member of the PKC family is especially noteworthy in the cancer realm – PKC alpha, which is the selected target for the PhG-alpha-1 drug.
Besides targeting, another very positive angle for PhG-alpha-1 relates to an unfortunate characteristic of many cases of cancer – Multi Drug Resistance or MDR. Special proteins embedded in the cell membrane, called MDR pumps, actually “spit out” any chemotherapy drug that enters the cancer cell – great for survival of the cancer cell, but certainly not the patient. There is a strong correlation between high levels of PKC and MDR activity. Perhaps PhG-alpha-1 could be a stone that kills two birds at once. The strategy of combining PhG-alpha-1 with other chemotherapeutic agents may open up a wider range of possibilities.
The area of PKC research is receiving much attention these days, and for good reason. Other members of the PKC family are implicated in such disorders as diabetes, cardiac disease, and Alzheimer’s. PhamaGap recently announced they are pursuing drugs to combat PKC theta (cancer again) and PKC epsilon (Alzheimer’s).
In the world of biotech drug development, success has been, and continues to be, a very elusive dream – not unlike the discovery of a multimillion ounce gold resource. And PharmaGap is not the only company in the PKC arena. But with some of Canada’s best and brightest working on the leading edge, PharmaGap merits serious attention.
From its inception in 1999, PharmaGap has undertaken the scientific research and development work required to understand the many ways in which the 11 unique isoforms making up the family of proteins named Protein Kinase C (PKC) act within the human body in relation to human diseases. PharmaGap has developed proprietary computer-based methodologies that provide the ability to design selective inhibitors for PKC isoforms. The importance of the PKC family is well known in the medical and pharmaceutical industry and has been and continues to be the subject of significant preclinical and clinical research.
PKCs are associated with a range of human disease conditions, including not only cancer, but also metabolic diseases such as diabetes (PKC beta, epsilon), cardiac disease (PKC delta), Alzheimer's (PKC epsilon) and neurological disease (PKC gamma). In addition to its compounds targeting PKC alpha and theta, PharmaGap has designed, and is currently optimizing prior to synthesis and testing, an inhibitor for PKC epsilon.
April 17th News Excerpt
You can grab the full news release at www.stockhouse.com or any service you typically use, but here is the most important excerpt: The other control groups they used were: saline only, PhG (their drug) along with Chemo, and Chemo Only. The control group with their drug only PhG is referenced below - this is what killed the tumours
Breast cancer metastatic model
In this model, human breast cancer of the type Estrogen Receptor negative, which as a group represents the 30 per cent of breast cancers which are not currently treatable by available drug therapies, were implanted into the bloodstream and provided with a seven-day period to allow tumours to form. The type of cancer cells implanted is known to be highly invasive to the lungs, within a three- to five-day period following implantation. Following this establishment period of seven days, the treatment regime began in the eight groups of five mice.
In the group of five mice receiving PhG-alpha-1 at the dose of one milligram per kilogram of body weight, four of five (80 per cent) when euthanized at the end of the trial period were observed to be tumour-free on postmortem examination, with no effect on other organs. The remaining mouse had developed a single small, friable (easily broken down) tumour. In the two control groups (saline and chemotherapy alone), nine of 10 (90 per cent) developed tumours, with only one surviving to the end of the trial and with ancillary organ damage to some degree. For all other treatment groups, 22 of 25 (88 per cent) developed tumours, and none survived to the end of the trial, again exhibiting ancillary organ damage.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net