Hot Stock : ACTC

[ironchef]

Well here is an interesting stock to anyone whos interested.

ADVANCED CELL TECH (OTC BB:ACTC.OB) Last Trade:1.83Trade Time:4:55PM ETChange: 1.43 (357.50%)

So, today around 1pm ACTC released a PR stating they have found a way to use embryos for stem cell research without destroying the embryo itself. That was the reason the government wouldnt fund any stem cell research, but since now that hurdle has been cleared, this could pave the way for a revolution in medicine, or atleast imo. Anyway, within about an hour after the news was released, it was picked up by all the major news networks, and was/is featured on the front pages of yahoo, msnbc, nytimes.com, etc etc. It was even mentioned in several news tv reports tonight, thus the buzz around this is probably the biggest I've seen for any stock so far.

This all sums up to what could be a great investment, to be able to get in on the ground floor of something this huge doesnt come along everyday. But, of course this is all my opinion and you should do your own DD, but this keep on your radars. GLTA

[ironchef]

Advanced Cell Technology Announces Technique to Generate Human Embryonic Stem Cells that Maintains Developmental Potential of Embryo; Approach Published in Nature

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (OTCBB:ACTC) today reported that company scientists have successfully generated human embryonic stem cells (hES cells) using an approach that does not harm embryos. The technique is reported in an article appearing online (ahead of print) in the journal Nature. The article describes a method for deriving stem cells from human blastomeres with a single-cell biopsy technique called Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD). This technique is used in in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics to assess the genetic health of preimplantation embryos. The cell lines produced using this technique appear to be identical to hES cell lines derived from later-stage embryos using techniques that destroy the embryo's developmental potential. ACT had previously reported the successful use of a similar technique in mice in Nature in October 2005.

"Until now, embryonic stem cell research has been synonymous with the destruction of human embryos," stated Robert Lanza, M.D., Vice President of Research & Scientific Development at ACT, and the study's senior author. "We have demonstrated, for the first time, that human embryonic stem cells can be generated without interfering with the embryo's potential for life. Overnight culture of a single cell obtained through biopsy allows both PGD and the development of stem-cell lines without affecting the subsequent chances of having a child. To date, over 1,500 healthy children have been born following the use of PGD."

Current technology derives hES cells from the inner cell mass of later-stage embryos known as blastocysts, destroying their potential for further development. ACT's approach generates human embryonic stem cells from a single cell obtained from an 8-cell-stage embryo.

To create hES cell lines, the researchers used single cells obtained from unused embryos produced by IVF for clinical purposes. Nineteen stem-cell outgrowths and two stable hES cell lines were obtained. These cell lines were genetically normal and retained their potential to form all of the cells in the human body, including nerve, liver, blood, vascular, and retinal cells, that could potentially be used to treat a range of human diseases.

"One of the major ethical objections of those who oppose the generation of human embryonic stems cells is that all techniques, until now, have resulted in the destruction of the embryo," stated Ronald Green, Ph.D., Director of Dartmouth College's Ethics Institute and Chairman of ACT's Ethics Advisory Board. "This technique overcomes this hurdle and has the potential to play a critical role in the advancement of regenerative medicine. It also appears to be a way out of the current political impasse in this country and elsewhere."

"Our policy will be to work together with the scientific community to make new lines widely available for research," stated William M. Caldwell IV, CEO of ACT. "Our ability to create human embryonic cell lines and therapies without harming the embryo should assuage the ethical concerns of many Americans. We look forward to potentially working with partners to produce significant medical benefit through the use of this technique."

"While the continual advancement of science may, from time to time, appear to influence the political debate over human embryonic stem cell research, there are a host of good reasons to continue to allow and fund responsible and well-regulated embryo research, which may speed therapies to the bedside and improve reproductive medicine," said Michael D. West, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer of ACT.

Other ACT scientists who contributed to this paper include Drs. Irina Klimanskaya and Young Chung (co-equal first authors), Sandy Becker, and Dr. Shi-Jiang Lu.

About Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. is a biotechnology company applying embryonic stem cell technology in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. The company operates facilities in Alameda, California, and Worcester, Massachusetts. For more information about the company, please visit http://www.advancedcell.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release regarding future financial and operating results, future growth in research and development programs, potential applications of our technology, opportunities for the company and any other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates," and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: limited operating history, need for future capital, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, protection of our intellectual property, and economic conditions generally. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in the company's periodic reports, including the report on Form 10-QSB for the quarter ended June 30,, 2006.

Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the company's management at the time they are made, and the company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances should change.

Media:
Financial Dynamics
Robert Stanislaro, 212-850-5657
or
Investors:
The Investor Relations Group
James Carbonara, 212-825-3210


Source: Business Wire (August 23, 2006 - 1:01 PM EDT)

News by QuoteMedia
www.quotemedia.com

[ironchef]

Opened today at 2.30, what a nice fat gap. Will most likely get a dip, then a nice bounce back up.

[ShooterMcGavin]

shit what'd u buy in at and how much?

edit: just went in for 700 at $1.83.....hope this thing pans out

[ironchef]

Expected a bounce, but that didn't happen. Thats ok though, it filled all the gaps today, which is a good thing. Up day tomorrow imo, with the investor conference call at 12 est, this should go up on anticipation of a good conference call.

[Danny]

i might scalp this tomorrow if i have time.. GLTA

[ShooterMcGavin]

Yeah hope your right chef, I'll have to try and keep an eye on this tomorrow.

[ironchef]

I hope i'm right too lol.

[Danny]

yall still holding this pos?

"it'll bounce" - the words of a poor man (wait, crap, i say that alot... arghhhh)

[ironchef]

This is probably the one stock i've been in so far, that I don't consider it as holding the bag.

[ShooterMcGavin]

what's ur position now chef? i've lost 53% on this thing and am considering that the only upside to this whole thing is the tax deduction i'll get from taking a capital loss on this transaction...

[ironchef]

Don't sell, you'll regret it later. Im down around 50% as well, just put this in the long term pile and hold. I promise you'll thank me later.

[ShooterMcGavin]

yeah but lookin at the 2 latest headline articles from late last week, this company has been in the dumps more or less since its inception? lemme know if u want me to post the articles i'm talkin about.

[ironchef]

Post them up, i'm not to worried though. Whats in the past is in the past, we've gotta look toward the future now. Did you get a chance to listen to the conference call they had last friday?

[ShooterMcGavin]

no i was on vacation fill me in on the good details?

here's the 1st article:

Basking in glow of stem-cell discovery: BUT POLITICAL, ECONOMIC ISSUES COULD LIMIT COMPANY'S PROFITS

By Knight-Ridder Open
Last Update: 8/26/2006 12:20:24 PM

Aug 26, 2006 (San Jose Mercury News - McClatchy-Tribune Business News via COMTEX) -- William M. Caldwell, chief executive officer of Advanced Cell Technology, was sounding chipper Friday, two days after the Alameda-based company announced a groundbreaking method for making human embryonic stem cells without destroying an embryo.

The company's discovery made news around the world Wednesday. And on Friday, Advanced Cell Technology disclosed that it expects to get $13.5 million in funding from investors. Moreover, the company plans next year to seek federal approval to begin studies in people of its proposed stem-cell treatment for macular degeneration, an eye disease.

"I'm very optimistic," Caldwell said in a phone interview, arguing that stem cell-based treatments will become big money-makers one day. "It is absolutely the key medical platform for the 21st century."

The 12-year-old company's road to this point has been marked by false starts, abrupt detours and gushers of red ink. Given the political and economic uncertainty surrounding stem-cell research these days, its path to profitability could prove arduous.

The business started in 1994 and has attracted some leading stem-cell experts. Its chairman, president and chief scientific officer is Michael West, who also founded Geron, a Menlo Park stem-cell firm.

Initially, Advanced Cell Technology's focus was on cloning animals. Among other things, it hoped to use cloned cows to make neural- and insulin-producing cells for treating neurological diseases and diabetes. Like many fledgling biotechnology outfits, it ran into money problems. It wound up selling its animal-cloning business to raise cash for its human embryonic stem-cell research, which it concluded had a brighter future.

In 2001, the company announced it had created the world's first cloned embryo. It also hoped to be the first to develop a self-replicating colony of cloned human embryonic stem cells. But when South Korean scientist Hwang Woo Suk declared in 2004 that he was the first to achieve that feat, Advanced Cell Technology decided to abandon work in that area.

Now that it's been revealed that Hwang faked his research, Caldwell said, Advanced Cell Technology has decided to resume its effort to develop such a colony.

The firm has consistently lost money since its inception and last year reported a net loss of $9.4 million. Revenue from licensing fees and royalties totaled $395,007.

Consequently, it has resorted to unusual tactics to save cash.

When it went public last year, for example, it didn't use the usual method of an initial public offering. Instead, it chose the cheaper route of taking over an existing public company, acquiring Two Moons Kachinas, which sold kachina dolls used in American Indian ceremonies. Advanced Cell Technology then changed Kachina's stock symbol; its shares are traded on the over-the-counter bulletin board as ACTC.OB.

Despite a huge jump in its stock price after Wednesday's announcement, the company's stock has fallen from a high of $2.95 a share on Oct. 17 last year to 96 cents at the close of trading Friday. Its future remains murky.

Caldwell, whose company had 37 employees as of March and no products on the market yet, can't say when his company expects to make a profit. But he sees reason for hope.

Besides the treatment Advanced Cell Technology is working on for macular degeneration, it is trying to use stem cells to make skin for burn victims and tissue for people with heart problems. It intends to seek approval to study those concepts in people over the next few years.

The company earlier this year also shifted its headquarters from Massachusetts to Alameda partly in the hope of obtaining some of the $3 billion in grants that California voters agreed in 2004 to set aside for stem-cell research.

Some critics contend that despite Advanced Cell Technology's announcement Wednesday, human embryonic stem-cell research will continue to face enormous ethical and political opposition. Others say it will take 10 years at best to develop commercial treatments from such studies.

Caldwell said none of that bothers him.

"We are not at all worried," he said. "We don't listen to most critics because most critics don't know what they're talking about."

[ShooterMcGavin]

2nd article:

EDITORIAL: Little enthusiasm for new stem-cell technique

By Knight-Ridder Open
Last Update: 8/28/2006 8:04:33 AM

Aug 28, 2006 (The Kansas City Star - McClatchy-Tribune Business News via COMTEX) -- A reported "breakthrough" development in stem-cell research has received an appropriately lackluster reception from many scientists.

Advanced Cell Technology, a Massachusetts-based biotech lab, said it could develop stem-cell lines from a single cell that would be removed from an embryo at a very early stage of development.

The company's officers promoted their technique as a compromise in the controversy over using human embryos for medical research. The embryo would retain the potential for development, they said, while new stem-cell lines could be used in the search for cures.

But for most scientists, and most Americans, no compromise is necessary.

Embryonic stem-cell research involves either using embryos left over from fertility procedures, which would otherwise be discarded; or using an electronic or chemical catalyst to coax a human egg to develop in a lab dish.

Either procedure involves miniscule clusters of cells. Attempts to describe them as research on human beings are deceptive.

The technique proposed by Advanced Cell Technology is technically difficult, and its ability to generate stem-cell lines is unproven, according to William Neaves, president of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City.

It isn't an acceptable substitute for somatic cell nuclear transfer, the procedure some Missouri politicians wrongheadedly are trying to ban.

That procedure has the potential to create healing cells that are a genetic match with the patient. Also, scientists think that cells acquired through somatic cell nuclear transfer are vital for teaching researchers how to repair damaged nerves, limbs and organs.

Last week's announcement by Advanced Cell Technology does speak to the eagerness among scientists to advance stem-cell research.

A proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 7 ballot in Missouri would guarantee the state's universities and research institutions the right to conduct all scientific research not banned by federal law. As a bold attempt to safeguard ethical, potentially lifesaving science, it deserves enthusiastic support.

[ironchef]

I didn't get a chance to listen to it, but my dad did. Anyway, from what he said, they mostly talked about the technology behind the science and what it means. Overall though, the c.e.o came off as intelligent and confident, which is somewhat reassuring. He proceeded to end the call saying something along the lines of "investors who stick with us in the long run despite any ups and down, will be highly rewarded in the future".

[ShooterMcGavin]

well honestly what ceo would've said any different? and speaking of highly rewarded, those that had this stock when it shot up to 2.95 and then ditched it are the only ones so far that's been highly rewarded. what's the saying? a bird in hand is worth two in the bush? haha, gonna stick w/it for now i guess (really don't wanna take this big ass loss) but lemme know the moment you decide to bail on it

[ironchef]

I aint bailing until a minimum of a 100% return, so around $3.32 lol. Don't worry about it, it'll be back. From the looks of it now $.80's is the base/support for it. Should stick around this level and climb from now on, atleast imo. Future pr's they release will help boost it, just like wednesdays did. This company has a future, and a revolutionary technology, it isnt for a daytrade, but more long term. So, you cant watch it everyday and see that it went down 3 cents or up 2 and base your selling decisions of that. Personally, I'm going to stick through it and wait it out. Only reason I would sell is if I needed money for an emergency or something.

[ShooterMcGavin]

yeah i know what u mean, i'm not a day trader unless it's something i'm pretty sure on. and i agree that this is something that if the technology is legit, then it will be worth something. guess we'll see...

[ironchef]

Next weeks time and newsweek will have articles on ACTC.

[ShooterMcGavin]

orly? that should be a good thing

[ironchef]

"Lanza's group is also close to filing for FDA permission to begin clinical trials on three cell-based therapies: one for macular degeneration, one for repairing heart muscle and another for regenerating damaged skin." per time article, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...0538-4,00.html. Once they pr that, boom baby, and then especially if the trials are good and successful, well then welcome to retirement.

[ShooterMcGavin]

lol i don't know about retirement, i didn't buy THAT many shares

[ShooterMcGavin]

this is NOT looking good man...

No stem-cell triumph: Embryos were destroyed

By McClatchy News Open
Last Update: 8/31/2006 3:47:59 AM
Data provided by

Aug 31, 2006 (The Philadelphia Inquirer - McClatchy-Tribune Business News via COMTEX) -- The California biotech company that grabbed headlines last week for sparing human embryos while creating precious stem cells in fact destroyed all 16 embryos used in the experiments.

Advanced Cell Technology vice president Robert Lanza, senior author of the research, was widely quoted as saying he hoped the new embryo-sparing approach to making stem cells would overcome ethical objections and expand federal funding for the research.

Supplemental data submitted with the paper revealed that Lanza's team did not fully use the approach -- it just extrapolated from less ambitious experiments.

But the lay media weren't the only ones who misunderstood. Nature, the prestigious international journal that published the paper, initially issued a news release that declared Lanza's team had made embryonic stem-cell colonies "while leaving the embryo intact." The journal has since issued two "clarifications" and published online the supplemental data showing the embryos were destroyed.

"We feel it necessary to explain that... the embryos that were used for these experiments did not remain intact," Ruth Francis, Nature's senior press officer, e-mailed the media.

Asked why Nature editors did not make that clear in the paper, Francis e-mailed The Inquirer: "We are looking into the possibility of further clarification of this paper."

In an interview with The Inquirer last week, Lanza explicitly said some of the embryos survived and were returned to frozen storage.

Yesterday, he said he was referring to embryos used in experiments that were complementary to, but separate from, the Nature paper.

Some commentators said such dissembling only added to fears -- raised by last year's South Korean stem-cell research fraud that marred the reputation of the journal Science -- that the field is hyped and suspect.

A call for funding

"It's deeply disturbing," said David Magnus, director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics. "But I think it speaks to why we need state and federal funding of this research. Otherwise, we're dependent on small, underfunded companies like Advanced Cell Technology to do the work. They have a history of making somewhat spurious announcements when they're in need of cash."

Normally, embryonic stem cells are extracted when they briefly appear in a five-day-old embryo, which has about 100 cells. This kills the embryo.

Lanza's team intervened earlier, dismantling eight- to 10-cell embryos, then signaling the individual cells to transform into stem cells. This transformation was a breakthrough, but it was highly inefficient: Of 91 individual cells, only two ultimately made new stem-cell colonies.

Here is where the paper turned speculative: The 16 dismantled embryos might have survived if only one or two of their eight cells had been removed.

The 'breakthrough here'

Indeed, infertility clinics occasionally perform "embryo biopsy" on an eight-cell embryo to screen for genetic diseases before letting the embryo grow to about 100 cells, the size normally implanted in a womb.

The Nature paper showed a picture of a 100-cell embryo that Lanza's lab had biopsied at the eight-cell stage -- implying that it was part of the stem-cell experiments rather than separate, related research.

Lanza's team wrote that the paper shows that single cells "can be used to establish human embryonic stem-cell lines using an approach that does not interfere with the developmental capacity of the parent embryo."

Yesterday, Lanza said he saw no reason to explain that they had not actually used that approach on the embryos from which stem cells were generated.

"The scientific breakthrough here is that a single cell has the capacity to make embryonic stem cells," he said. "It was not the purpose of this study to repeat what we already know" -- that an early embryo can be biopsied without killing it.

In 2001, Advanced Cell Technology was lionized, and then criticized, when its published assertion of having cloned the first human embryos turned out to be exaggerated. Of 19 embryos, only one reached the six-cell stage, then died.

The company was on the brink of insolvency in 2004 after South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk published evidence -- since shown to be a sham -- that his lab had achieved the human embryo-cloning milestone.

Last week, Advanced Cell's shriveled stock value more than quadrupled after the Nature paper was published online, and the company's chief executive officer was quoted saying that he hoped the ability to make stem cells without destroying embryos would attract new investors.

Lanza said yesterday that he did not know how the latest news would affect the company. The firm's shares fell more than 9 percent yesterday to 78 cents a share. "To be truthful, I'm so deeply involved in the scientific side," Lanza said, "you'd have to talk to the business end."

[ironchef]

That article is meh imo. Lets just wait till next week and see what happens with the newsweek and time articles. Still haven't sold any shares.

[ShooterMcGavin]

yeah but i mean unless this article is complete bullshit, i don't see how the new articles coming out would positively affect this stock. if anything i could see time and newsweek delaying their articles in light of this "news" to validate their information?

[BlkCD5]

checked the stock today and its currenty down but, we'll see

[ironchef]

Here's a good summary from another board on why that article is silly...

What ACTC was trying to show by the study was that stem cell lines from embryos with 8 cells could be created. They accomplished this. The survival of the embryo by this procedure is already established and in fact many children are alive today who have had a cell taken out at the 8 cell stage for genetic testing. The idea of not allowing the embryos to survive was not the issue. They decided to be efficient with the embryos and remove many cells and obviously they would not survive after this procedure. Otherwise they would have had to experiment on many more embryos. Why waste extra embryos if you don't have to. They were not going to take 91 embryos, keep them alive and say - here you go make babies out of them now. Not for this kind of study. I understood this from day one!!

[ShooterMcGavin]

if what you posted is true, then i just hope some big namer (such as newsweek, times) can make it known to the investors, and in plain english no less

[ironchef]

Its coming back, i told you. Tis only the beginning, there will be ups and downs, but in the long run, you'll be mightly pleased.

[ShooterMcGavin]

good i need it come back 40x hard cuz i'm suffering right now :P

[Danny]

good i need it come back 40x hard cuz i'm suffering right now :P

how many shs do u own, and at what PPS. (i havent been watching this)

[ShooterMcGavin]

1200-1300 i think, whats PPS?

[Danny]

Price Per Share, your avgerage PPS will do just fine