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PDT Prelude Tst.

80.00
0.00 (0.00%)
Last Updated: 00:00:00
Delayed by 15 minutes
Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
Prelude Tst. LSE:PDT London Ordinary Share GB0006992480 ORD 5P
  Price Change % Change Share Price Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price Shares Traded Last Trade
  0.00 0.00% 80.00 - 0.00 00:00:00
Industry Sector Turnover Profit EPS - Basic PE Ratio Market Cap
0 0 N/A 0

Prelude Trust Share Discussion Threads

Showing 8251 to 8274 of 8575 messages
Chat Pages: Latest  331  330  329  328  327  326  325  324  323  322  321  320  Older
DateSubjectAuthorDiscuss
25/10/2007
11:56
Riv
"My hope for Sciona is that they catch on in the USA and elsewhere where any such regimen that is "perceived" (accurately or not) to be good for you can make a bundle. "
I agree totally.

re:OxfImmuno, I am no expert, but the impression I get from those that are and are arms length from the Co. is that it's useful tech but does not revolutionise TB medicine.

spin doctor
25/10/2007
11:03
Spin doctor - any views on the prospects of Oxford Immu.?
orange1
25/10/2007
10:52
Thx to Orange1 and Spin Doctor for the Sciona analysis. My hope for Sciona is that they catch on in the USA and elsewhere where any such regimen that is "perceived" (accurately or not) to be good for you can make a bundle. With the obesity panic getting worse by the day apparently it shouldn't be hard to conjure up a need for testing etc, be it for insurance purposes etc, and with improvements in technology Sciona could be at the heart of this. In particular, DSM are counting on nutrigenomics and invested a hell of a lot in Sciona (£4m from memory?) - they must have had their reasons given their involvement in the industry.

Oxford Immunotec are recruiting - there's a useful bit of blurb:



"Oxford Immunotec Ltd. is an international science business with a mission to develop and sell innovative diagnostic products which address major unmet scientific and medical needs. We are pioneering completely new ways to diagnose and monitor diseases, with our initial product T-SPOT.TB, being a leading diagnostic test for tuberculosis, still one of the world's major killers. T-SPOT.TB is now being sold through Europe, the Middle East & Asia, and Africa with the North American market scheduled for 2008.

As part of our continued growth we recently moved into brand new laboratories on Milton Park, Abingdon, and are currently looking to recruit for Clinical Project Manager."

rivaldo
24/10/2007
18:32
I've just noticed a dramatic 20% drop in Broadcom (Nasdaq:BRCM)





For those with long memories, they bought out Alphamosaic (one of PDT's great white hopes) 3 years ago:

greenleaf
23/10/2007
13:48
Doc
Take your point about there being no placebo arm, but wouldn't the following statement:

"The addition of nutrigenetically tailored diets resulted in better long-term BMI reduction and improvements in blood fasting glucose. Interestingly, the performance of the two groups over the first few months was very
similar in terms of weight lost. However, after one year, the non-tested control groups showed a slight average weight gain while the nutrigenetic tested group continued to lose weight, although at a lower rate than during the
first 90 days. This suggests that compliance to the weight management programs was better in the nutrigenetics tested group, achieving long term lifestyle changes and resulting in sustained weight loss and improved blood
fasting glucose levels."

rather counter the Hawthorne effect? After all you would have expected the nutrigenetic group to do better right from the start rather than after a few months. Or is it simply that they were prepared to stick at the diet for longer and more rigorously in the longer term?

orange1
23/10/2007
11:49
Orange1, they were a self-selected and presumably more motivated group.
Just dug out the original study - open access at
It includes the remarkable statement:
"As there is no placebo arm in this study, it is not possible to evaluate any physiological improvements due to the specific nutritional advice targeted to the patient's genotype."
I'm not surprised that wasn't in the RNS....

It's a weak but positive study. Surely they are sponsoring better studies than this ie dbl blinded randomised; even small ones.

spin doctor
23/10/2007
07:03
The patients participating in the study were blinded to the
clinicians. Why were they not also blinded to themselves ie not told if they belonged to the nutrigenetic group or not?

orange1
22/10/2007
23:05
Interesting riv, and it may well make money for them, but I don't think I'll be reccing it to my patients based on that study!
Strip away all the marketing spin and you're left with the unsurprising fact that people told they're eating the highest tech diet on Earth will probably stick to it rather better than average.
That is different to saying that the diet itself made the difference.

Essentially another manifestation of the HAwthorne effect.

Anyway, re: the broader picture, agreed that value looks better than ever. Sad that management can give no indication of intrinsic value.

spin doctor
22/10/2007
16:33
An RNS from Sciona!



"BOULDER, Colorado, October 22 /PRNewswire/ --

Sciona, Inc., a leader in the science of nutrigenetics, today announced
the results of a pivotal study published by Nutrition Journal, which
demonstrates substantial advances in long term weight management and blood
glucose levels as a result of personalizing patients' diets based on their
genetic information (nutrigenetics). In the first study to demonstrate the
efficacy of applying nutrigenetics to long term weight management,
researchers found significant improvement in long term (more than 300 days)
weight management for individuals whose nutrient requirements were tailored
to individual variations in the genes known to affect nutrient metabolism and
transport. Each subject's genetic profile was developed by the use of
Sciona's Mycellf Kit.

The comprehensive 3 year study examined 93 individuals with a history of
weight loss failures. In an effort to answer whether the application of
genetic information could improve sustained weight management, one test group
was genetically screened for (24) separate variants in (19) individual genes
specifically know to be related to metabolism. A second control group did not
receive the genetic screening. The groups were matched on characteristics
such as age, gender, frequency of clinical visits and Body Mass Index (BMI),
during their initial clinical visit. After monitoring patients between the
fixed ranges of 100 - 300 days, the BMI and the fasting blood glucose levels
were compared and contrasted within the test population.

Results conclusively showed that after 300 days, individuals in the
genetic testing group were more likely to have maintained weight reduction
and reduced glucose levels than those of the control group, which had not
been genetically screened. In the final analysis, 73% of those in the
nutrigenetic group maintained weight reduction compared to only 32% of those
in the control group. Among patients with a fasting blood glucose of greater
than 100 mg/dl, 57% of the nutrigenetic group, compared to only 25% of the
control group had levels reduced to less that 100 mg/dl after more than
90 days of weight management therapy. These results reflected a return to
normal blood glucose levels from pre-diabetic levels in the nutrigenetic
group, based on a genetically tailored diet and exercise program.

Sciona's Chief Science Officer, Dr. Rosalynn Gill stated, "We are
delighted with the results of this study given the global health problems
associated with clinical obesity and diabetes." Dr. Gill went on to note that
according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the total cost
of obesity, including those illnesses associated with obesity such as type II
diabetes, coronary heart disease, and hypertension in the year 2000 was
approximately US$117 billion dollars. Sciona's CEO, Peter Vitulli, stated,
"Sciona's Mycellf genetic testing kit allows an individual to learn how to
personalize their nutrition and lifestyle to match their genes, which gives
them a revolutionary gene-based road map to better health and a longer life."
Study coordinator, Dr. Ioannis Arkadianos, stated, "The results of this
clinical study featuring the application of nutrigenetics clearly
demonstrates that using genetic information is critical in helping people
optimize their health. As a clinician, it is gratifying to be able to apply
the information regarding an individual's inherited genetic code to help us
to understand how each person's body works. We finally have the tools that
enable health care professionals such as myself to determine which nutrition
and exercise protocols will get results and what nutrigenetic interventions
will promote longevity. Just like fingerprints, no two individuals are the
same and so we are now able to personalize your health based on your DNA."

Summary: Tailoring a weight loss program to individuals' unique genetic
profiles, even in a group with a history of prior weight loss failures,
resulted in significant improvements in better compliance, greater
motivation, and improved effectiveness when measured by weight reduction,
BMI, and glucose levels, in a long term study, over 300 days.

About The Study

Patients with a history of unsuccessful attempts at weight loss attending
a weight management clinic in Athens, Greece were offered a nutrigenetic test
screening 24 variations in 19 genes involved in metabolism. The case
histories of 50 "nutrigenetic" patients were compared to those of 43 patients
in the non-tested group attending the same clinic. All patients followed a
traditional weight management program involving a low glycemic index
Mediterranean diet, recommended exercise routines and regular follow-up
visits in the clinic. The dietary program of the patients in the nutrigenetic
group was modified from the standard diet based on the genetic results of
each patient. The patients participating in the study were blinded to the
clinicians. After 300 days, the patients following the nutrigenetically
tailored diet and exercise programs demonstrated better long-term BMI
reduction and improvements in blood fasting glucose. Key contributors to the
study included the Twin Research Unit, King's College London, UK and the
Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, National Technical University of Athens,
Greece."

rivaldo
19/10/2007
11:39
Fair enough TT2, my entry point is also a lot lower, so I can see your point - but selling at 98p just seems like throwing money away to me. In addition, there's a surprising amount of corporate activity going on at present, and with a number of portfolio companies now in solid revenue-producing/commercial mode the upside here imho is far greater than the downside.

I've recently learnt that companies can do buybacks in the closed period, as long as it's through a third party, so it is actually possible for PDT to do so now. Anyway...

Encouraging stuff from Xmos:



"Asian markets boost XMOS software-defined ICs
by David Manners
Friday 19 October 2007

Adoption of XMOS Semiconductor's line of software defined silicon ICs by the consumer electronics industry in Asia is proceeding strongly, according to XMOS CEO, James Foster.

"The consumer electronics industry is sold on re-programmable silicon, but it hasn't had an economically viable solution presented to it before, that's blatantly obvious," Foster told EW.

"It's going really well," added Foster. "Typical engagements have been with very high volume consumer electronics companies used to Asics and standard products."

Four groups of customers are going for the XMOS chip. One group is where there is resistance to the growing cost of Asic. "The engineering effort to do even a tiny Asic requires 20 to 30 engineers while they only need one or two engineers for our products," said Foster.

Secondly, are customers resisting having their products defined by their suppliers. "We have customers who are finding their products are defined by their suppliers' standard products, so when they bring out their product with new features, they find that their competitors are bringing out their products with the same new features," said Foster.

Thirdly, said Foster: "It's where standards aren't defined, and customers want to get product out, and get the product upgraded later on when the standard is defined. Sometimes they want to downgrade the product, after the standard is set, because they don't want to comply; they want to be proprietary."

The fourth class of customer are frustrated creatives. "It's customers who say: 'Now we can put in all the great ideas we've had, but couldn't afford to put in our product, because of the cost of Asic and FPGA.' This could be the biggest segment, because we're enabling consumer electronics to be creative again."

See also: Electronics Weekly's Focus on ASICs and ASSPs, a roundup of content related to hardwired ASICs and single-function, off-the-shelf ASSPs."

rivaldo
17/10/2007
09:24
pps - there is value here and great technology - just not convinced the management can release it for the benefit of the shareholders. Management no doubt doing fine for themselves.
timtom2
17/10/2007
09:20
ps - I'm not the only one to think like this.
timtom2
17/10/2007
09:19
Depends when the buyer entered. I sold about 2 weeks back on the principle that I was sitting on a large % increase and thought I could get back in in good time if I wanted to. Luck more than judgement. PDT is unlikely to narrow the gap to NAV by any great amount in one day. SO long as you keep an eye on the news and volumes it shoul dbe possible to catch some of the increase.

Currently I see exits and IPO's as problematic and the Trust management looks like pants - why tie the money up when you can get 6%+ with no risk in cash?

Hope to get back in when something changes. This has spent far too many years lining the pockets of the management - change is happening too slowly.

timtom2
17/10/2007
08:40
Cerrito, nice try! I completely agree about share buybacks being the way to go....however, I'd guess that at present PDT are in a closed period with the full interims due (soon from previous comments on this thread).

Once the closed period is out the way I'd like to se PDT buying in meaningful amounts of shares. The only trouble is that if just one of their portfolio is in some sort of fundraising or corporate action PDT won't be able to act. Of course we'll never know if they are or aren't in that position until afterwards.

Whatever the case, to offload these 5k's at only 98p or so just seems plain daft!

rivaldo
17/10/2007
08:28
Text of email sent to Michael Brooke
quote
We met at the AGM a couple of months back.
During the Q and A the question of share buy backs came up. My memory is that you said that this had been discussed by the Board and that it had been concluded that the best way to address the issue of the share price was to encourage people to buy. I note your views on last year's operation.
Given the fact that the share price has continued to decline since then while from all accounts the investee companies are doing well, I wonder how you and your colleagues see things today.This is especially in light of the very recent decline but also the very thin trading volumes- apart from a flurry of activity on Sept 27. You should be able to get plenty of bangs for your buck,
I would be interested in hearing your views.
unquote

cerrito
17/10/2007
08:11
Yes,

Its that 5K each time doing it.

Maybe they have gone short and trying to drive the price down.Sooner or later
will get caught out.

hvs
17/10/2007
08:00
Looks like somebody is really p!s$$ed off, and trying to get the share price down by selling 5K at a time.
tiltonboy
16/10/2007
19:39
Don't like sp's with "0" at the end when on the way down. If lucky it will bounce off it but could just as easily head towards 95p - especially with so little buying interest.

At times value and market cap can diverge by quite a margin (to a ridiculous level) - this may be one such time/case.

timtom2
16/10/2007
17:41
You take your chances. No FREE LUNCH.

Just started my renewed buying today and will keep at it.

NAV has not declined, they have 8 or more companies that are coming through to revenue and then we will get a good estimate of value.

hvs
16/10/2007
16:08
But what if nav continues to decline?
weatherman
16/10/2007
14:12
yep,

Best time to buy, cause we all know the value is there.

hvs
16/10/2007
13:21
Modest selling. Absolutely no buying. And down it goes.
Discount to NAV now fully restored!
Positive news, even hints of it, needed of course.

spin doctor
13/10/2007
10:58
Thank you Orange 1


It looks like topping up time here.

hvs
12/10/2007
20:18
New boy with an impressive pedigree at Xmos:

LONDON - XMOS Semiconductor Ltd. (Bristol, England), the creator of a software programmable multiprocessor architecture, has said it has appointed Richard Terrill as executive vice president of marketing. Terrill is set to handle marketing and product planning activities, the company said.

Noel Hurley, previously vice president of marketing, becomes vice president of customer marketing.

Terrill joins XMOS from Velogix Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.), where he was vice president of marketing. He was previously with Xilinx, where he was responsible for worldwide strategic marketing, and has held senior management positions at Lightspeed, Cadence and Altera. He was a founder of RAPID, the IP business advocacy organization, and was a corporate representative to the VSI Alliance. Terrill has a B.S. degree in Physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Terrill has more than 20 years semiconductor experience with involvement in programmable logic, custom silicon and electronic design automation (EDA) products.

"The board and management are thrilled to have Richard join our management team," said James Foster, president and CEO of XMOS, in a statement. "We are pioneering a new class of programmable silicon, and his experience spanning programmable logic, ASIC, EDA and consumer end-markets will be a key factor in successfully establishing XMOS as a trusted supplier in our target markets.

orange1
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