iSentio a Biotech Company Turns to Next Step to Expand Their U.S. Business

A Great Example of International Partnership

iSentio, an emerging Norwegian biotech company, was looking to expand to the United States and discovered Next Step from past successes. Next Step provided guidance in marketing assessment and research as well as US market expansion for this Norwegian life sciences company.

Innovation Norway, the Norwegian economic development organization and in partnership with Next Step, volunteered to provide two interns who were participating in an entrepreneur education program through Innovation Norway. Next Step provided the interns leadership resources and guidance while they conducted the research to learn and develop.

Innovation Norway is the Norwegian government’s official trade representative abroad. Their aim is to assist Norwegian businesses grow and find new markets. Through Innovation Norway, Norwegian enterprises have access to a broad business support system as well as financial means. Innovation Norway provides competence, advisory services, promotional services and network services. The marketing of Norway as a tourist destination is also considered one of the organization’s important tasks. By combining local industry knowledge and international networks with the business ideas and the motivation of entrepreneurs, the foundation for new successful businesses is created.

Innovation Norway contributes to:

• Enhancing innovation in Norwegian enterprises and industry
• Building competitive Norwegian enterprises at both domestic and international markets
• Promoting Norwegian enterprises
• Promoting Norway as an attractive tourist destination
• Securing development in rural areas
• Transforming ideas into successful business cases
• Promote interaction between enterprises, knowledge communities and R&D institutions

About iSentio AS (www.isentio.com)
iSentio was founded in 2005 and is based on research done on advanced DNA analysis methods by the three founders, Øyvind Kommedal, Øystein Sæbø and Bjarte Karlsen. The resulting product, RipSeq(R), is an online software tool for rapid bacterial identification, with focus on analyzing mixed clinical samples. In the first quarter of 2011, iSentio AS opened its office in Sunnyvale, California which is a significant step in the company’s strategy to grow globally. As a fast growing life science software company, this presence in the innovative environment of Silicon Valley, with access to key resources and customers, is crucial for the company to meet its objectives to make RipSeq(R) the leading DNA analysis tool for pathogen identification

The Advantage of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)

ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds) which can be traded like stock at any time during market hours, have low expense ratios, have less risk than individual stocks, do not have some of the tax disadvantages of a regular mutual fund, do not pool investor capital, and are constructed so they are far less susceptible than “standard” mutual funds to the fraudulent behavior of some investors.  Though they trade like stock, they are similar to sector funds and index funds in the construction of their portfolios.

If you are interested in sector and index investing or if you are a little afraid of the volatility of individual stocks, you might consider exchange-traded funds (ETFs).  In a regular “open” mutual fund, investors buy shares directly from the fund.  When they want to sell shares, they sell them back to the fund.  Assets are held in a pooled account.  An ETF is actually a mutual fund that trades (and is bought and sold any time during market hours) just like a stock.  Investors buy shares from and sell shares to other investors just as if they were buying and selling stock.  Your assets do not share a “pooled account” with other investors in the fund.  There is no load or fee levied by an ETF when shares are bought or sold.  The only costs for buying or selling are the same fees that are charged for stock transactions.  

An ETF is actually a mutual fund that is traded on a stock exchange.  ETFs are usually collections of stocks or bonds.  For example, our own tracking list includes ETFs that combine groups of stocks in various US sectors (technology, real estate, utilities, Biotech, energy, healthcare, etc.), investment types and styles (Small-Cap Growth, Mid-Cap Value, Small-Cap value, Large-Cap growth, Consumer Non-Cyclical, US Treasuries, and so on), other countries or economies (Australia, Belgium, Germany, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Spain, Japan, etc), various multi-country regions of the world (Emerging Markets, The Pacific, Europe, Latin America), and Indexes (Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, Russell 2000, S&P 400, Dow Jones Utilities, etc), and others.  A stock ETFs does not have the same kind of risk as an individual stock because it is a collection of stocks.  For example, assume a utility ETF has 30 utilities in it.  If any one of those utilities drops 40%, it will have little effect on your portfolio, even if your portfolio is fully invested in that one ETF.  If all the other utilities in a 30-stock ETF remained constant, a 40% drop in one of those stocks would cause a drop of only about 1.33% in your entire portfolio.  Thus, ETFs would generate fewer trade confirmations from the broker because the drop of an individual stock in an ETF probably would not be sufficient to trigger a stop-loss order.  The stocks in the ETF would have to go down enough as a group to set off the stop-loss.  ETFs can be monitored and charted throughout the day just like other stocks.

Index ETFs closely match the behavior of their respective indexes.  The behavior of sector ETFs is similar to that of no-load sector funds.  The latter ETFs tend to be less volatile than individual stocks (a natural consequence of the fact that each ETF has more than one stock in it) and therefore do not have quite the profit/loss potential of individual stocks.  However, the sector ETFs are more aggressive and volatile than fully diversified funds and have greater potential for profit or loss than those funds do because of their narrower focus.  Though they do not have quite the same potential as individual stocks, they also have less risk and their potential for profit is nevertheless very attractive.  For example, our stockdisciplines.com traders report that they have seen the Dow Jones Real Estate ETF gain over 30% in a year and the Dow Jones Technology ETF rise from about 38 to over 52 (or over 35%) between June and January.

When you invest in a regular mutual fund after it has had a gain, the price of the fund shares reflects those gains.  Thus, when you buy, you are paying for those gains.  The fund will distribute that gain to you (return your own money), causing the shares to drop in value from what you paid for them.  You then have to pay taxes on that gain even though you did not participate in it (you are actually paying taxes on the return of your own investment capital because you did not own the shares until after the gain was made).  ETFs are not like this.  With ETFs you’re far less likely to get any capital gains distributions on which you have to pay taxes because most ETFs do not have active managers.  In that regard, they tend to resemble indexes and index funds.  Their portfolios become relatively static after the managers buy stocks representing particular indexes or sectors.  For example, Barclay’s Global Investors, which has many ETFs they call iShares, reported “zero year-end capital gains for [its] entire fund family” in one year we checked.  However, the fact that the components that make up most ETFs rarely change does not keep an individual from changing the ETF components of his portfolio as different sectors gain and lose strength, just as he would make changes in a portfolio of ordinary stocks.  Of course, taxes would have to be paid if an ETF were sold at a profit, just as with any stock.  Like ordinary index funds, ETFs boast ultra-low expenses and little opportunity for the big players to cheat or take unfair advantage of little players.  Individuals can buy or sell an ETF anytime the market is open, so if a person decides to bail out at 3:13 p.m., he can be out before 3:14 p.m.  The procedure for doing this is identical to the procedure for selling any stock.

Though many mutual funds and ETFs are managed similarly during “rational” markets, ETFs have a potential advantage when investors are suddenly overcome by fear.  ETFs do not have to liquidate portfolio positions as shareholders redeem shares.  Therefore, ETFs are better situated to ride out a wave of selling without incurring damage to the structure of their portfolios (it’s also not necessary for ETF managers to keep large amounts of cash available to meet the potential redemptions of frightened shareholders).  Furthermore, because they are traded on an exchange like ordinary stock, they cannot be affected by the dishonest behavior of other investors in the same pooled account as is possible in most ordinary mutual funds nor by special treatment given to a few at the expense of the many.  ETFs also are not subject to the illegal form of market timing that once darkened the reputations of so many mutual funds.  Like traditional open-end mutual funds, ETFs distribute their earnings to shareholders in two ways. First, income dividends from interest or stock dividends are passed through to shareholders, net of expenses.  Second, realized capital gains distributions (net of realized capital losses) are passed through to shareholders–usually once a year in November or December.  

ETFs are completely free from scandal.  The very structure of ETFs makes it extremely unlikely that investors would ever be affected by any fraudulent behavior on the part of fund managers.  They are flexible investments, charge no load, and have a very low expense ratio in comparison with similar no-load mutual funds of the “standard” variety.

Copyright 2009, by Stock Disciplines, LLC. a.k.a. StockDisciplines.com

Pharmaceutical Courses

This is a world that is fast developing and progressing. This progress needs to be matched and kept in pace by developments in the world of pharmaceuticals too. There are many educational institutions that offer specialized pharmaceutical courses for tracking, testing and propagating the advancements that are occurring at a breakneck speed in the dynamic work of pharmaceuticals.

The widely diverse field that encompasses pharmaceutical courses takes into concepts and training on aspects that deal with development of drugs and utility of various kinds of drugs and various issues related to the same. One of the important constituents of the program deals with the regulatory matters that deal with the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmaceuticals are highly regulated and controlled and it is necessary to be aware of the specifics in this domain. Again, these courses also cover various aspects of quality assurance and control that go with medicine production and administration.

At the basic level, pharmaceutical courses on offer deal with ingredients and composition of various drug formulations that go into curing diseases and providing relief and succor to patients around the globe. Associated with this is the course on analysis and academics related to harmful effects of drugs in terms of side or after effects which need to be reported and countered at the earliest. In addition to this, the pharmaceutical courses also dwell at length upon the manufacturing aspects of drugs and biotech products that are in great demand around the world. Many important parts of the course with manufacturing and sterilization processes that are essential to the effective, safe and mass production of the wide host of clinical drugs that are on offer and getting introduced after clinical trials.

A related course that pharmaceutical courses offer also includes ethical issues in drugs administration and usage which encompass issues dealing with impropriety and fraud in the field. Pharmaceutical courses offer a wide variety of topics and learning ideas to make anyone interested in learning a lot and too in a much focused manner; Thus proving to be a very interesting field to work in.

WANT TO WORK OVERSEAS? WHY NOT CONSIDER HONG KONG?

Hong Kong is one of the top international business, trade and financial hub drive of China.  Building on its traditional free market economic policy, Hong Kong has developed into a modern, vibrant and cosmopolitan services economy, underpinning the role of the city as a global business platform.

 

The Hong Kong government will continue to pursue closer integration with the Chinese mainland in terms of the flow of people and resources, notably through the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement. Hong Kong’s lead over mainland China’s financial centres, including the largest of them, Shanghai, will be maintained in the forecast period owing to its superior infrastructure, strong regulatory environment and skilled workforce. Logistical ties with Guangdong province on the mainland will be strengthened.

 

With all the golden opportunities in the future, why not set foot and relocate to Hong Kong?  Hong Kong has a high demand for professionals and experts on many industries and positions.  Employing approximately 3.5 million people in such a small city and with about 3 million employed within the service industry.

 

Major business sectors in Hong Kong are:

 

Business and Professional Services

Consumer, Retail and Sourcing

Financial Services

Information Technology

Media and Multimedia

Technology (esp. electronics & biotech)

Telecommunications

Tourism and Entertainment

Transportation

Special Projects (esp. industrial & food products)  

 

The Hong Kong income tax standard rate of tax is 16% (2008). Allowances for single parents, married couples and for the number of dependent children reduce the taxable amount from the total of salary.

 

Try your luck and start applying for jobs from Hong Kong!  Once you’re a successful candidate, employment visa is easy to apply.  Here are the information in order to process an employment visa:

 

 

¨  Copy of Passport

¨  Photograph (not larger than 55mm x 45mm and not smaller than 50mm x 40mm)

¨  Personal information

¨  Address

¨  Contact number, fax

¨  Marital status

¨  Current employer

¨  Any family member who will be accompanying

¨  Working experience and education background

¨  Sponsor information

¨  Position offered to Applicant

¨  Job Title

¨  Monthly salary

¨  Intra-company transfer

¨  Benefits

¨  Job Duties

 

Popular recruitment website in Hong Kong are:

http://www.jobsdb.com

http://www.careertimes.com

http://www.classifiedpost.com.hk

 

Good luck on your future career path!

Canada Chemicals:contract manufacturing service of specific molecules

The chemicals manufactured by Canada Chemicals (Delta Bio Research Chemicals) are the mother of all chemicals because they are designed for use in scientific research investigation. Yes, the company is itself research-based specializing in synthesizing organic molecules for pharmaceuticals and drugs, and is known for fine research chemical products and new molecules. But the reputation and stature of Canada Chemicals are far too big to be molecular!

From isotopic labeled compounds through advanced research intermediates to natural products and complex biomolecules, you name it and Canada Chemicals has it. Little wonder that academic and scientific research institutions and biotech companies alike feed on the products.

For instance, the natural products of <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(’/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=“http://www.deltabioresearchchemicals.com”>Canada Chemicals</a> include 11-Keto-beta Boswellic acid whose molecular formula is C30H46O4 and whose molecular weight is 470.684, and hydroxy isoleucine whose molecular formula is C6H13NO3 and molecular weight is 147.172.

The Advanced Intermediates of  Canada Chemicals that have caught the fancy of researchers include 1S, 3S, 4S-4-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1-(phenyl-methyl) penlyl-carbamic acid 1, 1-dimethylemethyl ester whose molecular formula is C23H32N2O3 and molecular weight is 384.512, and 1H-Benzimidazole-7-carboxylicacid,1-(2 cyano 1, 1-biphenyl-4-yl-methyl-2-ethoxy-Methyl ester with a molecular formula of C25H21N303, and  molecular weight of 411.453.

<a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(’/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://www.deltabioresearchchemicals.com“>Canada Chemicals’</a> Reagents and Ligands, which evoke awe worldwide, include a, a-Diplenyl-D-prolinol whose molecular formula is C17H19NO, and whose molecular weight is 253.339; and a, a-Diphenyl-L-prolinol whose molecular formula and molecular weight are the same as those of Diphenyl-D.

Canada Chemicals’ chemical catalog is truly overwhelming, with 1,3-Bis (diphenylphosphine) propane whose molecular formula is C27H26P2, and whose molecular weight is 412.443; 1, 3-Bis (diphenylphosphine) propane nickel (II) chloride with a molecular formula of C27H26CI2 NiP2, and whose molecular weight is 542.042; 2-Ethoxypyridin-4-amine whose molecular formula is C7H10N2O and molecular weight is 138.167; Amino-6-hydroxypyradine with a molecular formula of 5H6N2O, and molecular weight of 110.114.

Then there are Methyl-3-nitropyridine whose molecular formula is C6H6N2O2, and Bromophenyl acetic acid whose molecular formula is C8H7BrO2; Cyan phenyl acetic acid whose molecular formula is C9H7NO2 and molecular weight is 161.157; and 3-Methyl-4-nitropyridine, boon for researchers.

<a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(’/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=” http://www.deltabioresearchchemicals.com“>Canada Chemicals</a> has attracted international attention because it offers to manufacture specific molecules, especially those designed to eliminate the impurities in drug molecules. It is understandable, therefore, that modern analytical laboratories should also be lapping up its products which range from key building blocks to chiral molecules.

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