(1) Hermo Pharma is currently working on CDNF, another protein in the trophic factors family
(2) Hermo Pharma is funded by VCs and has $700k in MJFF grants
(3) World reknown Professor Mart Saarma is on the Scientific Advisory Board of Hermo Pharma
(4) Mart Saarma was intimately involved with GDNF and is keenly aware of the entire trophic factors family of proteins
(5) Mart Saarma has worked with Professor Steven Gill from Bristol Univ who is now leading GDNF in phase II trials. Prof Gill has developed a new infusion device that allows for much better and more efficient delivery methods.
(6) Mart Saarma and Hermo Pharma sued AMBS, challenging their patents in court in Europe on the grounds that their MANF patents cause "an undue burden on anyone trying to test MANF because it covers anything with a 90% homology (ie similarity) to MANF:"; AMBS's patents were upheld in court
(7) It has been shown that MANF performs better than CDNF and GDNF in pre clinical trials.
(8) GDNF was owned by a company purchased for $250 Million during pre-clinical trials.
(9) Neurturin is another trophic factor in phase I that has received $150 Million in funding.
All of the above reasons are why I'm so bullish on this company and why I think there will be much higher prices in store. I believe that a partnership/licensing deal is the most likely outcome. I don't expect a buyout. I think someone will come in initially with a $15 Million funding as well as a licensing deal. The patents that AMBS owns and that were upheld in court are far too valuable. Anyone that wants to work on MANF has to come through AMBS. If anyone alters any of the other proteins (GDNF, CDNF, etc) such that the altered protein has a 90% homology (i.e., similarity) to MANF, they have to come to MANF and license it. That is unbelievably valuable. That is why I refuse to sell this stock and why I think anyone that is not in the stock and anyone looking to flip it will come to regret it.
Great post.
Bump
Nice post. This is EXACTLY why I'm invested in this from the $0.03 / $0.02 levels. It's unbelievable to me that the market cap is only $25 Million when comparable proteins in the same family of proteins had funding/buyouts multiples higher than this.
It is also amusing that people continue to bash it.
GDNF/Neurturin had valuations of 10 and 7 times higher than AMBS's market cap at the same clinical stage as MANF. Additionally, MANF has shown better results than GDNF/Neur at this stage of testing.
Ummmm hello!?!
What I am awaiting for is the peer review, or equivalent publication, that the receptors as well as the exact mechanism(s) for MANF have been elucidated and, further, that the authors now understand beyond previous studies WHY and HOW MANF works the way it does....
That would, indeed, by a truly momentous event, yes!
But even before that, I think Rubinsfeld and Comissiong should be giving up some hints --- at least as they see it, as professional researchers...