Memo - Investment Recommendation for Centagenetix Essay Example for Free

Memo Investment Recommendation for Centagenetix Essay After looking over the material regarding Centagenetix, I have a recommendation as to whether or not MPM should invest in Centagenetix. I realize that we have spent a great deal of time and resources on this project already, and that Harvard Medical School is anticipating that this deal will go forward. I also realize that backing out of the deal now could reflect badly upon MPM and upon you, but my recommendation is that MPM invest in Centagenetix at this point. The main reason is that if Centagenetix is actually able to create a product to increase human longevity, there are some major questions and concerns about first getting this product to market, as well as what conditions this product might carry for measurable efficacy and if the market will be willing to accept them. I will discuss other considerations shortly but I think that is itself a potential deal-breaker. Let us first consider the New England Centenarian Study (NECS). While it is a worthwhile and interesting study, with good correlations between family members and a sample pool large enough to provide preliminary findings, it still has some weaknesses. The two major ones being how geographically centric it is and the size of it. Scientists who study aging have long argued that environment and lifestyle play the largest role in longevity, but Centagenetix is setting out to see if that is incorrect: if there is in fact a heritable gene (or genes) for longevity. It would seem t hat in order to provide a strong argument that the study reaches beyond environment, there should be more samples from areas beyond the eight towns around Boston that the NECS used. It could also be a problem that the majority of the centenarians used had no history of smoking or obesity and were generally small in stature. Granted that using these samples, they found a linkage on chromosome 4, but this does not seem to match the homologous zones for longevity in the previously studied model organisms. There are possible correlations on other chromosomes that track with those model organisms, but the patent that they filed is for the 10 million base pair region on chromosome 4. I am also concerned that the first attempt to scale the study to a larger population resulted in a noteworthy decrease of the linkage’s strength. Scaling it up further restored the statistical strength of the linkage, but the overall strength and valuation of the IP remains in question. We also need to consider the possibility that this 10M bp region will contain genes that other groups are already studying and that the patent is not strong enough to survive a challenge. It is possible that these longevity genes will be related to insulin receptors or free radical management: two areas that several groups or companies are already studying. How strong will the IP remain when there is competition for these hypothetical genes? If that is the case, the company’s major resource will be its SNP datab ase of centenarians, which will cost at least another $10 million to get to a functional state, plus more money to expand and maintain it. I have not seen any market analysis as to how much companies will pay for access to such a database. While Millennium has a somewhat similar model, they are much more pro-active in what they offer their clients, and that is what arguably drives their profits. The database will be valuable, but just how valuable is an important question. We need to know what the likelihood is that building such a SNP database will turn a profit, who specifically would be interested in paying for its use, and how much they would pay. In addition, would Centagenetix receive any royalties or payments for products based off findings from that SNP database? These are important considerations, especially if the possibility exists that the SNP database will have to support the company for any protracted amount of time. There remains a conflict-of-interest issue with Tom Perls and Harvard. If he can be enticed away from Harvard, the study that the company is based on will potentially no longer be available. Perls will be a key founding member of Centagenetix, and is expected be motivated and incentivized to work hard. Without a stake in the company, it remains unclear if that will happen. We also need to consider that if Perls does leave Harvard, will BIDMC still allow Centagenetix the use of the NECS, or should we re-consider the proposal from Whitehead to buy them out? The value of the IP revolves strongly around the NECS and Dr. Perls’ work. There needs to be a much clearer sense as to if or how these issues will be resolved, or else MPM might own a major stake in a company that will require a much larger investment to restore the IP we have assumed they already have. Finally, I want to return to my main point: Aside from a SNP database, what is at the end of the Centagenetix pipeline? Let us assume that they do find a gene or several genes that directly relate to longevity and are not in conflict with another group or company, that they can find the function of these genes, and eventually develop a product built on that discovery. Presumably, the function of this product would be to increase longevity in humans. How would they run clinical trials for this, and how long would they take? If the measure of success is how long someone lives, might not the trials take far longer than is feasible for us to provide funding? Assume that they get past pre-clinical trials; will the FDA even allow such a product to be tested? I th ink that we need to know more about how the FDA would approach such a product, as it seems like the regulatory hurdles for this will not be what most pharmaceutical companies are accustomed to. They are not trying to treat or effect a disease state, but rather to increase longevity. Granted that Ponce de Leà ³n spent much of his life searching Florida for the Fountain of Youth, and that a product like this will appeal to the general public, there is likely to be some serious regulatory and clinical trial hurdles to get it there. We also need to consider how the medical community and public will react to such a product. It seems likely that, given how many of the subjects from the NECS lived relatively healthy lives, the product will have some stipulations about health for maximum efficacy. If the public is required to not smoke, or be obese before this product will work for them then that will significantly affect adoption. In addition, how would the medical community respond to so mething with claims of increasing longevity? I think it would be highly skeptical and cynical. There will be difficulty in both convincing doctors to prescribe it, as well as getting payers to compensate for it. This will presumably be a product that patients will take for the rest of their lives, meaning there will likely be a struggle for both adoption and compliance. The only real gauge of such a product will be how long someone lives, and it will be challenging to demonstrate proof that any increase in longevity is a direct result of Centagenetix’s product. Significant market research needs to be done that considers the varying scenarios for adoption and lifestyle changes, to see if the market size is as big as one would expect it to be. In closing, I acknowledge that other products may come out of Centagenetix that are related to actual disease states or physiological processes. It is possible that they will develop an impressive and profitable drug that is related to the longevity of the patients of the NECS and be yond. Heck, they may even discover the cure for cancer. Even so, there are far too many unknowns and uncertainties in this proposal. The strength of the IP is in question. The availability of the NECS and even Dr. Perl is uncertain. What an end product looks like and what sort of market exists for it. How much more money it will take if they need to build a SNP database to remain in business, or if they have to do another NECS-like study of their own. The risks and uncertainties are sizeable, and the question about actual market size is significant. I do not think that MPM should invest in Centagenetix at this point.

Soft Money: It?s Elimination from Governmental Campaigns :: essays research papers fc

Soft Money: It’s Elimination from Governmental Campaigns   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The current use of soft money in the US Governmental elections is phenomenal. The majority of candidates funding comes from soft money donations. Congress has attempted to close these funding loop holes; however they have had little success. Soft money violates standards set by congress by utilizing the loop hole found in the Federal Election Commission’s laws of Federal Campaigns. This practice of campaign funding should be eliminated from all governmental elections.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1907 it was considered illegal for any corporation to spend money in connection with a federal election. In 1947 it was illegal for labor unions to spend any money in connection with any federal election. And since 1974, it has been illegal for an individual to contribute more than $1,000 to a federal candidate, or more than $20,000 per year to a political party (Campaign Finance). Congress defined this as a way to prevent the influence of a candidate or federal election. The so-called â€Å"soft money† which is used to fund candidates’ elections is defined as money which violates the Federal Election Commission’s laws on federal elections. In laments terms a simple loophole was created by the FEC in 1978 through a ruling which allowed corporations to donate large amounts of money to candidates for â€Å"Party Building† purposes (Campaign Finance). In reality, the $50,000 to one million dollar donations gives the candidate the power to put on the most extravagant campaign money will buy. This loophole remained almost completely dormant in federal elections until the Dukakis campaign in 1988, then fully emerging in the later Bush campaign, which utilized millions of dollars of soft money(Soft Money). This aggressive soft money campaigning involved the solicitation of corporate and union treasury funds, as well as unlimited contributions from individuals, all of which were classified for â€Å"Party Building† purposes. The way the money flows is basically from the corporation or union to the political party which the donator favors. The spending of soft money is usually controlled by the political parties; however it is done in great coordination with the candidate. Aside from unions and corporations special interest groups have been large supporters of soft money. These groups band together for a candidates such as groups for, textiles, tobacco, and liquor. The textile giant Fruit of the Loom, successfull y lobbied a campaign which stopped an extension of NAFTA benefits to Caribbean and Central American nations.

My Home Exercise Program

Keaisha Vernon August 22, 2012 English 095: Writing Skills My Home Exercise Program â€Å"My Home Exercise Program† is an essay written by Michele Wood, about a health conscious young lady who prefers working out at home than at the gym. She truly believes that this is the one and only way to keep oneself fit, nutritious, and healthy. â€Å"Exercise is the best way to combat the battle of the bulge† (Michele Wood). People spend a lot of money on expensive exercise clubs. She also believes it is nothing but just a waste of money. Her personal opinion behind this topic is, start working out at home to get a healthy and fit body with a happy life.For working out at home we have to keep three things in our mind, which are most essential. They are workout clothing (including t-shirts, baggy pants, and shoes), background music, and last but not least duration and frequency of work out. If we maintain these three things consistently, it will be very easy to build up a strong a nd healthy fitness. The first significant part of authors program is clothing. Loose fitting and comfortable dress are precise for work out. (Michele Wood) T-shirt and Baggy pants are considered as comfortable fittings.Shoes are also an important part of clothing because they have to hold us up all day long. Many people choose different brands for shoes. While we are working out, water is very important for our body. It really helps crucially to maintain hydration during workouts. The next part of the authors program is background music, video, and DVD. She owns several terrific video collections that she uses regularly. I want that body; Cardio Blast, Burn plus Abs are some of her favorite videos. She truly believes that background music should be motivational and enjoyable.The last part of her program is duration and frequency of work out. Many experts recommended that people should exercise thirty minutes at least three days a week. Once we get used to thirty minutes aerobic exer cise routine, than we can increase our duration and frequency of working out. We can visualize the result within four weeks or as many as twelve weeks depending on our individual metabolism. At last we can say that to keep a good, fit, nutritious and healthy body we have to maintain our regular exercise, and for that working out at home is the best option.

Children Must Become Competent in Reading Before They Have...

Introduction Writing has existed as far back as the 7th millennium BC and the 4th millennium BC, it first started with mnemonic symbols which later became a system of ideograms. In the early days people wrote on different things,such as silk,rocks,wood,papyrus etc. It wasnt Until the 15th century were parchment or vellum (calfskin) were used as pages for the first books. A book can be said to be a set of written or printed made of ink and paper usually fastened together or coupled electronically (e-books) for the purpose of storing or recording information. Collins and Cheek (1999) explained that reading involves a complex thought process in order to understand a writing or printed message. According to Rubin (2002), reading is a total integrative process that starts with the reader and includes the affective, perceptual, and cognitive domains. Okebukola (2004) affirms that,by reading books, humans have the tools to transmit knowledge from one generation to another; it allows one to listen to the wisdom of those who have lived in the past and so on. This even expressed by religious prophets. The Apostle Paul in the bible admonished Timothy â€Å"study to show yourself approved unto God (11 timothy 2:15). Islam values acquisition of knowledge (literacy, reading, etc.) As very important The holy Qur’an reveals that the first communication ( between Allah and Prophet Muhammad was intellectual. Douglas (2000) asserts that children must become competent in reading before theyShow MoreRelatedWhy I Am A Volunteer Program1527 Words   |  7 Pages Introduction Dovercourt School is a bilingual school which provides English and Chinese program. The school philosophy is to believe that the students need to be engaged to be deeply successful in their learning. 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