The stock RBIO soared on friday for no reason. Then after hours news came out saying that they have a Cheaper, quicker, & more accurate way to test for Mad Cow disease. They can test on live animals and humans t osee if they have the disease way before any symptoms!! They also think they can stop or slow the proces down if found in an human. Now thats a big step in the right direction!!
It's called Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease in humans below is from http://cjdfoundation.org/CJDInfo.html Copyright 1999 Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. What Are The Symptoms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease? There are several common symptoms evident in CJD patients as the disease runs its course. The average duration of CJD from the onset of symptoms to the inevitable death is four to six months. Most patients die within one year; however, longer duration periods of two or more years have been noted, usually in the familial form and with an earlier age of onset. The initial stage of the disease can be subtle with ambiguous symptoms of insomnia, depression, confusion, personality and behavioral changes, strange physical sensations, and problems with memory, coordination and sight. As the disease advances, the patient experiences a rapidly, progressive dementia and in most cases, involuntary and irregular jerking movements known as myoclonus. Problems with language, sight, muscular weakness, and coordination worsen. The patient may appear startled and become rigid. In the final stage of the disease, the patient loses all mental and physical functions. The patient may lapse into a coma and usually dies from an infection like pneumonia precipitated by the bedridden, unconscious state. How Is Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Diagnosed? A diagnosis of CJD should be considered when an adult patient develops a rapid dementia and myoclonus. Unfortunately, confirming a diagnosis of CJD has historically been difficult as traditional laboratory tests have been ineffective in detecting CJD. The disease does not induce a fever or other systemic manifestations. Presently, there is no single test for diagnosing CJD. If CJD is suspected, the first step is usually to exclude the possibility that other treatable illnesses are causing the troubling symptoms. The most helpful test traditionally has been the electroencephalogram ("EEG"), which measures brain wave activity. The EEG often shows a characteristic abnormal pattern, typically observed in later stages of the disease, but the EEG does not confirm a CJD diagnosis. Additionally, a computed tomography ("CT") brain scan is usually normal, but , as the disease progresses, may show some atrophy, a nondiagnostic finding seen in many other neurological conditions. Recently, more tests have been identified as valuable tools for diagnosing CJD. Scientists have developed a test to detect the 14-3-3 protein in the cerebrospinal fluid. The 14-3-3 test has proved to be a useful aid in diagnosing CJD, but does not, by itself, provide a definitive diagnosis of CJD. A false positive rate of five to ten per cent has been attributed to the test. Likewise, magnetic resonance imaging (âMRIâ) brain scans may be providing another form of assistance in diagnosing CJD when they reveal hyperintense signals in the basal ganglia on T2-weighted images. Blood tests for the genetic mutations associated with familial prion diseases provide further means for diagnosing CJD. A definitive diagnosis of CJD has traditionally required a brain biopsy or autopsy which can detect the characteristic changes in the brain tissue caused by the disease. Because these procedures are costly and pose risks to those handling the brain tissue, they are not always performed. Other factors discouraging the performance of brain biopsies include: the invasiveness of the procedure; the risk of a false-negative result if the biopsied area was unaffected by the disease; and, the lack of benefit to the patient from a correct CJD diagnosis since the disease is invariably fatal. Accordingly, brain biopsies are usually advisable only when required to exclude a treatable condition. Nevertheless, the examination of suspect brain tissue is essential to the proper monitoring and research of CJD and other TSEâs. Following specific guidelines developed by TSE experts for sterilization and infection control can minimize risks associated with brain biopsies and autopsies. The National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center can provide guidance and assistance for performing autopsies and brain biopsies, as well as tests for the 14-3-3 protein, mutation in the prion protein gene, and complete diagnostic studies. The difficulties involved in diagnosing CJD may have prevented the identification of the disease in some cases. Since the disease progresses rapidly, the patient may die before a diagnosis can be made. Furthermore, some physicians may not even consider the possibility of a CJD diagnosis because the disease is deemed to be rare and the clinical symptoms of CJD can often be attributed to other ailments. Consequently, CJD may be mistaken for a variety of psychological illnesses and other neurological disorders like Alzheimer's Disease, Pick's Disease, Huntington's Disease, cerebral hematomas and vascular irregularities. The extent to which such misdiagnosis may have occurred is presently unknown. Copyright 1999 Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.
Hype over the weekend (apparently word hit Business Wire late Friday) is that they "believe" they "will be able to develop" a test and that they "believe" they've found ways to potentially block prions. Nothing about them already having a functional test or treatment - just comments about their belief that they will eventually be able to come up with one and they're doing feasibility tests. They've got big proposed plans (BSE, Hepatitis B, West Nile, TB, HIV, Plague, etc.) - if they do it, it'd be fantastic for everyone and they'll be worth $100/share - no clear evidence as of yet that they can do any of it though. There President and a director also apparently resigned a couple of months ago - no mention why. Maybe it's all legit, but a speculative press release like that with no actual product on the near horizon makes the skeptic in me think something smells a little fishy. They're majority (over 70%) owned by insiders - looks like a ripe opportunity for the old OTC market maker price manipulation game along with some insider dumping (they could dump millions of shares and still control the company). If the hype continues, wouldn't be surprised to see it at least triple from Friday's price, giving insiders the chance to dump at least a few million shares each into the rally and give them a nice little cash out (the insider stock was basically free or cost a few cents/share)). _______________________________ Here's the press release that set it off on Friday: Source: Business Wire Rapid Bio Tests Corporation (RBIO), reports that it has been conducting feasibility studies related to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or Mad Cow Disease (BSE). The company has taken this initiative in response to the confirmation of a slaughtered dairy cow, testing positive for the disease, on December 23, 2003 in Mabton, Washington. Rapid Bio Tests Corporation has determined that the level of testing presently conducted, in North America, to establish the presence of BSE is inadequate and that the present system of limited testing of slaughtered animals presents a risk of infected meat reaching the food chain because of it. At present, of the 37 million cattle slaughtered annually in the United States a small percentage representing approximately 0.05 percent or 20,000, animals are actually tested. In contrast, European nations last year tested 19 million cattle with 4200 cases of Mad Cow Disease detected. In Japan, every cow headed for the dinner table is tested for the disease, which represented approximately 1.2 million cattle last year. Present day testing in North America is slow, with the recent case in Mabton, Washington taking 13 days to complete. The company's initiative is focused in two areas, that being it's ability to develop a rapid diagnostic test for the purpose of establishing the presence of Mad Cow Disease in "live" animals and in humans and secondly the company's ability to develop an effective procedure to treat the disease or slow it down. Rapid Bio Tests Corporation studies indicate that it has the capabilities to develop a rapid diagnostic test using its existing technology platforms, proprietary knowledge and present scientific research personnel. The company further believes that it will be able to develop a procedure to test for the presence of BSE in "live animals as well as humans," with results in less than 30 minutes without the need for a laboratory setting or experienced technicians. The company further believes that it has identified ways of blocking infective prion transport to the brain, thereby preventing the development of the disease in both animals and humans. Presently the company is continuing to conduct feasibility studies on both of these initiatives with the primary consideration being the company's ability to finance the research and development of the test and the treatment. Consideration will be given to financing the projects internally or to jointly proceeding with an industry partner if necessary. The company is presently conducting additional scientific study to determine product viability and from there it will determine if the necessary funding can be put in place to proceed.
The stock moved huge on friday before the news came out so it has to be pritty important. If this small company does do this they will be $100 share!!