Agora Financial’s Rude Awakening

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Dubai, UAE

·      Breakthrough technology announcement DUE TODAY – details below,
·      What on earth is an iPS cell…and how can it help me live longer?
·      Sorting the perennial cynics from the inquisitive skeptics, and plenty more…

Joel Bowman, reporting from Dubai in the Persian Gulf…

“You’re always so cynical,” a friend jibed at your editor over dinner recently. “So doom and gloomy, that newsletter of yours.”

“Perhaps you mean skeptical,” we offered, enjoying the compliment we thought our friend had intended for us.

“Fine, then you’re a skeptic. So does that mean things always have to be so apocalyptic? The economy in tatters… the world of finance in ruins… real estate here in Dubai shot to hell…that kind of thing?”

“Not at all,” we replied, cheerily. “Certainly it doesn’t have to be that way…it’s just that, at this very point in time, there is little evidence to the contrary.”

As a Rude reader, and thereby somewhat contrarian by nature, you have most likely endured similar conversations in your own life…especially in recent times.

To be clear here, most skeptics are only too happy to alter their outlook from pessimistic to optimistic…but only when facts permit. That is a rather large caveat. Simply denying a terrible reality, no matter how hard you try, does nothing to diminish its existence.

Would we like to wake up in the morning and report that a major U.S. bank just ADDED 53,000 jobs, for instance? Sure! But the fact that Citi just CUT that many employees will still stand, regardless of what we type in these humble pages. We would like to report that the rate of foreclosures in the U.S. FELL in October but, again, the tough fact that they ROSE by a whopping 25% is hardly subject to the whimsy of one delusional editor.

Even the fallen Hollywood star of Tom Cruise might wish his somewhat compromised public image still flew as high as it did in the days of Top Gun and Jerry McGuire. Alas, for the Maverick today, it is more a case of “Show me the reality!”

Likewise, regardless of the level of political chicanery emanating from D.C. and beyond, the outlook for the real economy is, quite simply, not good. Job losses are at their worst in over 5 years, the stock market is in the dumps, and consumer confidence is quickly evaporating…even the bellwether drivers of automotive production in Detroit are hanging on by the thread of a governmental promise.

Rather than mitigate these harsh truths, denial merely serves to intensify them. If anything, skeptics should be setting politician-sized rat traps up and down the streets of the capital for any talking head who dares state otherwise.

Above rant notwithstanding, there are many things to be optimistic about in today’s investment environment; it’s just that you have to look a little harder to find them. In fact, some of the most profitable opportunities are not even visible to the naked eye. In the column below, our resident emerging technology expert, Patrick Cox, identifies one such breakthrough that offers “staggering” potential for nimble investors. Details below…

—- Breakthrough Technology Report —-

Shocking, Never-Before-Seen Report: Expert Researcher Stakes Reputation to Reveal Staggering Profit Potential…

Your Great-Grandfather Saw the Railroad Come to Town, But Did He Profit From It?

Your Grandfather Watched the First Model T’s Roll Down the Street. Did He Get Rich?

Your Father’s Generation Witnessed the Rise of Computers. How Much Did He Make On Them?

The Next Massive Wealth Creation Starts NOW. Here’s How YOU Could Give Millions to Your Family’s Next Three Generations.

The world will learn of what could be a historic breakthrough on Nov. 19 — and you can get in before the news breaks… Continued Here

—————————————–

Going “Long Life”
By Patrick Cox

For the first time in history, we are seeing a rapidly emerging medical technology with the power to dramatically extend life spans. As a result, no technology on Earth has greater potential for investors.

To quickly review, stem cells are unique in human biology. Unlike all other cells, they are immortal and can be programmed, or potentiated, to replace any aging or damaged cell. Whether you want new skin, a new heart, new knee cartilage or new eyes, all these things are theoretically possible using stem cells therapies.

There were, however, two serious barriers to this exciting technology. The most obvious was that the only source of stem cells was embryos. This not only raised ethical questions, but it raised the possibility that stem cell therapies would require immune system repression. Just a year ago, many scientists believed these barriers were insurmountable. Stem cell therapies were in the same class as jet packs and flying cars. As a result, Big Pharma shied away from the partnerships that new scientific fields usually enjoy.

Then, last year, the entire picture changed. In rapid succession, five groups of scientists proved that adult cells could be reprogrammed to become stem cells using four transformative genes. The mechanism for introducing these genes into the adult cells was viruses.

Let me explain.

Viruses can’t reproduce on their own. They invade host cells and hijack their genetic mechanisms. In effect, they inject their own genetic code into host cells to duplicate themselves. By attaching these four transformative genes to the viruses, scientist tricked them into genetically reprogramming adult cells into stem cells.

These revolutionary new cells are called induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells. They are identical to embryonic stem cells. Mouse skin cells were transformed to iPS cells. They were then allowed to continue developing into living mice. Still, however, skeptics doubted that the almost alchemical power of stem cells had finally been released. The reason was that the virus used for producing these iPS cells was a retrovirus.

Retroviruses are associated with cancers and remnants lingered in the iPS cells. Obviously, therefore, the FDA would not allow their use in human therapies.

At the time, I predicted that the problem was temporary and would be worked out in a few years. I was wrong: It took months. A few weeks ago, Harvard researchers announced they had transformed adult cells into iPS cells using the adenovirus. The virus used was referred to in the press as a cold virus because it produces symptoms similar to those of the common rhinovirus. After a few cell divisions, it is completely deactivated.

This is amazing, astonishing news. I don’t have room here to go over even a few of the implications of this momentous breakthrough. I will remind you, however, that stem cells can be programmed to replace any cells in your body with perfect, youthful versions. Think about what that means. The financial implications for investors are staggering.

Harvard’s stem cell biologist Konrad Hochedlinger said, “I have never seen a field move forward as fast as this one.” That’s an understatement. In practical terms, this breakthrough means that right now, we could take a little of your blood and clone you. At this very moment, scientists have the ability to rejuvenate your heart and vascular tree. Not only that, but the telomere length of these replacement cells will have a longer life span than your heart and arteries had on the day you were born.

Few people know this and, consequently, few understand the virtually unlimited potential for both our species, in general, and early investors in this space, in particular.

There is another reason to expect stem cell stocks to increase in value. The cold virus breakthrough prompted pharma giant Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) to announce a major new emphasis on stem cell science. Pfizer’s previous timidity was caused by ethical concerns that arose from using stem cells lines derived from human embryos. Now that this issue is moot, Pfizer has jumped into the field with both feet, fully clothed.

Pfizer’s executive director of global research and development John McNeish said, “These cells will be tremendous in drug discovery. They will help us understand personalized medicine, genetic variation, ethnic populations, what biomarkers to follow.” Later on, McNeish says, Pfizer will market stem cells to rejuvenate aging and damaged organs and tissue. Insiders consider this the tipping point the industry has been waiting for.

We can expect that, finally, the holders of important stem cell patents will form partnerships with big pharmaceuticals. This has always been the pattern with biotech.

Adding to the excitement, another remarkable event has just taken place that will benefit companies in the RNAi space, though the benefits are a few years out. That’s the price drop on a complete genetic blueprint I talked about above. The company, Complete Genomics, says it will map your DNA for $5,000 next year. Moreover, I expect the price tag will drop to $1,000 within another two years.

At this price, gene mapping makes sense for the individual, the industry and insurers. For individuals, gene mapping could enable preventative therapies for genetic diseases. Insurers will also see cost savings here and Pharma will accelerate genetic research as part of drug development. The more DNA maps there are, the faster researchers will be able to identify the genetic causes of both diseases and resistance.

Because RNAi gives us the ability to switch individual genes on or off, RNAi companies stand to benefit massively from an increased understanding of our genome. The more maps correlated to medical histories that exist, the more we will know - and, unbelievably, the faster progress will be made.

Investors looking to go “long life” might like to consider this the investment of a lifetime.

[Joel's Note: It’s certainly an exciting time for readers of Patrick Cox’s Breakthrough Technology Alert. Pat expects an announcement later today that will blow the stem cell space wide open, creating huge profit potential for a few key companies involved. He’s also recommended one sub-$3 stock for his subscribers to own when the news does hit. At this market cap, the stock is far too small for us to divulge its name to our entire readership, but if you are interested in learning more, please feel free to check out Pat’s latest report right here.

Well, that just about ends it for us today.

Let’s see here…longer life…stronger hearts…massive profit potential…and they said we were all doom and gloom. Ha!

Until next time…

Cheers,

Joel Bowman

The Rude Awakening
aussiejoel@the-rude-awakening.com