Nanotechnology:
The Teeny Tiny Frontier is Opening Wide
by Kiersten Marek
There is a great deal going on in the world that cannot be seen with the naked eye. These things are happening on the nano scale. Nano is a Greek prefix which means "thousand millionth," but actually, nanotechnology is the manipulation of materials and devices that are as small as a billionth of a meter. Current nanotechnologies include "gene knockout technology" and "advanced solubilisation." Nanotechnology may have a hand in everything from fuel cells to toilets cleaners in the US, with major breakthroughs expected in media including hard-disk drives and televisions. Everything from your toaster to your tap water is probably going to be affected by nanotechnology.
Investing in Nanotechnology: A Cautionary Word
Josh Wolfe, editor of The Nanotech Report, published by Forbes, had this to say on the risk factor of investing in nanotechnology: that there is a great deal of "firm-specific volatility," and that investors are "at a higher risk than ever of being in on the bad stocks." This added volatility is partially because much of nanotechnology hinges on intellectual property rights, and the barriers for patenting are getting higher. Smaller players or players who are not as financially endowed or as skilled at the complex legal and scientific process of protecting their intellectual property, will likely get squeezed out of the market with little to no warning for the investor.
Wolfe also warned about pseudo-nanotech companies: companies who use the nano prefix in their corporate name when their product does not really use nanotechnology. He predicted that there will be a surge of nano-naming, with the nano prefix showing up in all sorts of new places in the coming years.
Nano-Social Work?
I tend to doubt it. But there is no doubt that nanotechnology will have a profound effect on the practice of social work in the coming years. From Skyepharma's improved drug delivery methods to Nanogen and Lexicon's gene research that could bring on treatments for cancer, diabetes, obesity, and deafness, nanotechnology will transform our world. The three companies I provide thumbnail profiles on will have the most implications for social workers in medical settings, but other nanotechnology will affect social workers in education, government, family service agencies, and private practice. Social workers, like all professionals, are well advised to stay abreast of nanotechnology and how it is affecting, and will continue to affect, their work.
Allow me to take you on a short tour of some pioneers in the land of nanotechnology.
Lexicon Genetics (LEXG)
This is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery of breakthrough treatments for disease. Among the illnesses that Lexicon drugs are targeting for treatment are obesity and diabetes, two diseases which are rampant in the US and also, I believe, more prevalent among lower income families. This is big news for social workers who advocate for and serve lower income families. Lexicon is also advancing drug discovery for atherosclerosis (heart disease), cancer, inflammation, and cognitive disorders.
Lexicon has two facilities, one in The Woodlands, Texas, and one in Princeton, New Jersey. They have 579 employees and their stock has been trading in the $4 to $7 range in the past six months. For more information, visit the company's website at www.lexicon-genetics.com.
Nanogen (NGEN)
I'll start with a disclosure, which is that we owned 100 shares of Nanogen. Our shares of Nanogen sold on a "stop" order on March 9, 2004, when the price fell below $8.00.
Nanogen appears to be one of the leaders in broadening ownership of intellectual property that applies to nanotechnology. They are a small firm with some big ideas for the broad applications of nanotechnology.
The NanoChip® Molecular Biology Workstation is Nanogen's first commercial product. The company website describes it as "an automated, multi-purpose instrument primarily used for DNA-based analyses."
In other company news, Nanogen recently signed a license agreement with Institut Pasteur that grants Nanogen exclusive rights in Europe to certain patents and patent applications relating to the GJB2 gene for the diagnosis of hereditary deafness. The company plans to develop a molecular diagnostic product that can be customized by European labs to screen newborns for hereditary deafness. "Early identification of deafness in infants is critical to providing clinical care and ensuring social development," said Howard C. Birndorf, Nanogen's chairman of the board and chief executive officer. Hearing loss is still one of the most common disabilities in newborns, so any breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment could have profound effects.
Nanogen's stock had been trading in the $4-6 dollar range, rising in early December on news of another patent acquisition. On 12-26-03, shares of NGEN took another jump to close at $7.50. On 12-29-03, shares took another jump to the $9 range. Nanogen continued to trade up for much of January 2004, but has since been retrenching in the $8-$9 range. For more information on Nanogen, visit their company website at www.nanogen.com.
SkyePharma (SKYE)
Skyepharma is a London-based company that specializes in developing methods for drug delivery in the human body. This company recently welcomed news that a controlled-release version of Paxil that they receive royalties from GlaxoSmithKline on, was shown to be more effective than immediate-release selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. There are now 9 approved products that incorporate Skyepharma's technologies in areas of oral, injectable, inhaled and topical drug delivery.
Shares of SKYE have gone up from $8 to $13 dollars in the past six months, dipping back to 10 briefly in October 2003 before briefly heading over $14 in late November. To learn more about Skyepharma, visit their website at www.skyepharma.com.
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