Atossa Genetics Inc. (ATOS), a development stage healthcare company, has had an excellent run--now up over 72% year-to-date. However, in the past month the company stock has given back over 23% of its value. So, has Atossa Genetics lost its steam? Atossa focuses on the prevention of breast cancer through the commercialization of diagnostic tests to detect precursors to breast cancer. The company also focuses on treatments of pre-cancerous lesions. Second to non-melanoma skin cancers, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. In 2012 there were approximately 226,870 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and an additional 63,300 women with in situ breast cancer. Roughly 39,510 women will die of the disease. The U.S. breast cancer detection and diagnostic technologies market is expected to exceed $2.8 billion in 2013, and is expected to grow annually at 5.4%.

There are over 150 million women in

Biotechnology has produced more 100% 52-week gains than any industry in the market. One of the reasons is because of the amount of data that has been presented in the last year from important late-stage studies. This has caused both a bull-run on biotechs, but has also left investors seeking the next big jump. As you look throughout the industry, many feel confident that NewLink Genetics Corp (NLNK) could be the next to present good data, hence leading to large gains. Therefore, I am assessing its outlook as data for its lead product approaches.

If we just look at the last year alone, there have been countless valuation-changing moves in biotechnology. Keryx Biopharmaceuticals (KERX) saw a two-day period where its stock more than doubled after reporting Phase 3 data. Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT) saw a one-day gain where its stock went from $15.00 to $45.00, and just recently Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In the last five years, shares of Vical Incorporated (VICL) have traded near flat. This breakeven return properly reflects how investors might classify the company at this point in time, with a little hesitation. The reason for uncertainty has nothing to do with whether or not the company is good or bad, but rather the fact that investors are awaiting important data from its Phase 3 Allovectin trial in the treatment of melanoma. Due to uncertainty, I am looking at the stock, comparing it to the competition, and trying to determine how investors should approach the stock ahead of data.

Here's the question: With a $350 million market cap, will Vical Incorporated become Celldex Therapeutics (CLDX) or Oncothyreon (ONTY)? Prior to Celldex Therapeutics' year of good data it was also a $300 million company, but with the success of late-stage studies it has since become a $900

A speculative biotechnology stock can abruptly change directions with just one catalyst, but when there are several catalysts for an undervalued stock, this change of direction can be sudden and large. I believe there are three biotechnology stocks that finished the week in a strong way. Each company has a number of valuation-changing catalysts over the next several weeks that could lead to much heftier returns, and each reflected trading tendencies during the last week that make a position even more lucrative.

Countdown to Launch

Arena Pharmaceuticals (ARNA) lost 6% of its market cap during the last five sessions as investors impatiently await the launch of its obesity drug Belviq. During this period the stock has fallen beneath its trading range above $8.50 and below $10.00, with the stock currently priced at $8.00. One reason to be optimistic, despite these losses, is the catalysts that could arise in

When it comes to investments in speculative biotech companies there are many unique aspects to evaluate. One of the most important considerations for investors revolves around the potential impact that each company's new products might have in healthcare. To be a success, biotech companies need to have large enough markets to promote their new products. Although important, these large markets in themselves are not enough to guarantee success. Companies must also consider how much competition already exists in the space. The more completion, the harder it is to gain any market shares from the established competitors.

That being the case, let's focus on three companies that have products with immense potential. These companies potentially have the winning combination of large markets coupled with limited competition.

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ARNA)

Our first business is the well known biotech company named Arena Pharmaceuticals. ARNA is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing,

The market for radiopharmaceuticals - drugs that contain radioactive materials called radioisotopes - continues to expand. It is estimated that by 2015 the radiopharmaceuticals market in the U.S. is expected reach $6.6 billion, driven mostly by an aging population, cardiovascular, oncological, and neurological disorders. The majority of radiopharmaceuticals are used in nuclear imaging as it offers a non-invasive, static and dynamic image of the body's organs, and has become indispensable, due to its ability to identify various disease processes much earlier than other diagnostic tests. More than 10,000 hospitals worldwide utilize radioisotopes for the in-vivo diagnosis or treatment of approximately 35 million patients every year.

However, the use for radiopharmaceuticals has been attracting attention from a number of biopharmaceutical development-stage companies testing medical isotope therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers. Late last year at the 61st International Innovation, Research and New Technology Fair held in Brussels, Belgium, researchers

Regenerative medicine, which consists of tissue engineering, cell therapies, and healing therapies, is still in its infancy, but is a fast-growing segment in the medical field. The market for regenerative medicine continues to grow worldwide; according to BCC Research, it is expected to accelerate at roughly 12% annually, from $3.8 billion in 2011 to $6.6 billion in 2016. Regenerative medicine has already shown the potential to repair and replace damaged cells, tissues, and organs by using specially grown stem cells. Through regenerative medicine, researchers have developed therapies to heal injuries such as skin burns and broken bones, and from heart disease to organs damaged by cancers. This is a very exciting field for patients and investors as the government and biotech companies are spending hundreds of millions of dollars for stem cell research and development with the goal to not only repair, but in the future actually

While chemotherapeutic and DNA based drugs have shown to be effective in battling certain cancers, the challenge has been getting the needed medicines to the actual cancer cells without destroying surrounding healthy tissue. This has been a challenge for doctors because many of the medicines require penetrating the cell membranes to access to the cells interiors to be effective and to get enough of the drug to the cells sometimes required such high doses of the toxic medicines that it does more harm than good. Because the phospholipid bilayer of the cellular plasma membranes have hydrophilic (water loving) exteriors and a hydrophobic (water repelling) interiors, any polar molecules, including DNA and protein molecules, are unable to freely pass through the membranes. However, new techniques that are creating temporary openings in the plasma membrane are being developed so the targeted medicines can be more effectively delivered into the cancer

The year 2012 has been a great one for the development of products in the treatment of cancer. We've seen clinical data and approvals from the largest of biotech companies to the most speculative of biotechnology companies. The promising results have occurred as we have become more intelligent, have learned more about the disease, and are therefore more able to develop superior therapeutics. In this article, I am looking at four smaller companies that are developing promising candidates, and have the potential for further gains in 2013, adding to the already large gains in 2012.

In a previous article, I tied the immediate upside in shares of Celldex Therapeutics (CLDX) to whether or not its breast cancer drug CDX-011 would prove to increase survival. On December 10, the stock traded higher by as much as 25% when it announced news that CDX-011 not only delayed tumor growth,

The catalysts to push a biotechnology stock higher are few and far between. These catalysts are dependent upon a variety of factors and/or questions, such as, whether or not the company has an approved product, the upside of its pipeline, valuation, and the importance of future announcements. With that being mentioned, I am looking at several stocks that present the potential for large gains heading into the new-year; stocks that could rally throughout 2013.

Just as the catalysts to move a biotechnology stock higher can vary, the stocks on this list are all quite different. The companies included are in all different phases of development, and have traded in different directions over the last year. However, all share a common trait, none have valuations that have appropriately priced in upcoming catalysts for 2013. All companies have either a product or a late stage candidate with large revenue potential that will

Radiotherapy has been used to fight cancers for over 100 years. There are basically two means to administer radiation: external radiotherapy and internal radiotherapy (also known as brachytherapy.) With internal radiotherapy a radiation source is administered with precise placement inside or next to the site of the cancerous tumor. It is commonly used as an effective treatment for prostate, breast, cervical, and head and neck cancer, as well as others. The radioactive material, or seeds, inserted in the body cavity are generally delivered via a catheter allowing for a higher dose of radiation to a more specific part of the body. It differs from conventional radiation therapy, which uses an external beam, that projects radiation from outside of the body; thus brachytherapy has shown to cause fewer side effects and requires a shorter treatment time than conventional radiation. However, there are limitations to conventional brachytherapy, the most

Dendreon (DNDN) was the start of something special. It was the first company that challenged the boundaries of medicine and cancer: to take a chance and develop a cancer therapy that used the body's immune system to fight the disease. The stock reached a peak price over $50 in 2010, but has since fallen to near $4 as the company has faced several problems. However, Dendreon opened the door for many other companies with a first-of-a-kind therapy that has led to a change in standard of care.

In biotechnology, it takes a lot of nerve to try to set trends, change standards, and become the first of anything. Sometimes "the first" is warmly welcomed by Wall Street, and then other times it is not. One of the newest forms of treatment that is marching to the beat of its own drum is cell therapy. This, along with regenerative medicine

Nordion Inc. (NDZ) is a global life sciences company that has continued to innovate annually even as global supply of medical isotopes continued to challenge the company. However, Nordion may have finally met its match via a company-changing development that puts a damper on its plan to replace the infamous NRU Reactor. The stock has since traded lower by 36% during the last two months, and appears to have few answers to its many questions.

Nordion and its competitor Covidien (COV) are, without a doubt, the global leaders in medical isotope production. Medical isotopes are necessary radioactive substances that are used in countless diagnostic procedures as well as treatments for cancer and other diseases. The production of these isotopes is a fast-paced logistical race to deliver the most common medical isotopes, such as Mo-99, from the nuclear reactor to the patients in need.

Nordion supplies the vast majority of Mo-99,

The new government in the Quebec province of Canada recently announced it will not proceed with the multibillion-dollar refurbishment of Hydro-Québec's Gentilly-2 nuclear power plant near Trois-Rivières, but will instead be shutting it down. The outgoing government of Premier Jean Charest agreed in 2008 to rebuild the aging nuclear plant at a cost of about $2 billion, but work was stopped after the Fukushima disaster in Japan in 2011. The reactor has been in commercial operation since 1983, and refurbishing it could have extended its useful life by up to 30 years. This is typical of many nuclear reactors around the world that are nearing the end of their useful lives and unlikely to be replaced or refurbished.

The Role Of Nuclear Reactors In Present Day Medicine

Normally when we think of nuclear reactors, we think of bombs and electricity generation. But, the entire field of nuclear medicine depends

Looking beyond traditional pharmaceutical companies to alternative branches and ideas of medicine could provide an investor with new opportunities. There are many companies that are developing unique approaches and strategies to battle disease or tackle the unmet medical needs. Due diligence is required to sift through them, but the rewards of uncovering the company and associated stock that is successfully able to turn an idea into a marketable product or new technology could be substantial. This article will look at three companies from three different areas of medicine, each with the potential to become the future standard of care. Each company also bearing a certain amount of risk as they develop and grow.

Diverse Stem Cell Company

NeoStem (NBS) is a groundbreaking stem cell therapy company that is developing and building on its core competence in order to capitalize on the increasingly important role that stem cell therapy is

At the end of August, I wrote an article entitled "4 Biotech Stocks With Large 2012 Gains That Still Present Significant Upside." In that piece, I looked at stocks that had traded with large returns in the first eight months of the year, but could still trade higher in the final four months of the year. These stocks were all leading performers in biotechnology, but had upcoming catalysts that could take shares even higher. Now, after five weeks, a couple of the stocks on this list have returned enormous gains, and all have returned some gains. As a result, I am re-visiting the list, looking at each stock and its current valuation, to determine whether or not additional upside exists.

Celldex Therapeutics (CLDX)

At the time of the first article (Part One), Celldex traded with a valuation of just under $300 million. Since then it has increased

EOG Resources' (EOG) CEO Mark Papa had some interesting things to say at the 2012 Barclays CEO Energy/Power Conference about his company and the energy industry in general. His remarks provided insight into some of the concerns that investors have about the industry and the structural issues that need to be addressed. Moving into 2013, the company plans to stop all dry gas drilling in the U.S., despite its relatively cheap portfolio of gas assets, which includes the Marcellus, Haynesville, Barnett, Uinta, and Horn River. He categorically said that his company continues to "have zero interest in growing North American gas volumes at these miserable prices".

Mr. Papa went on to say, "Don't expect the philosophy to change there unless we have the coldest winter in the history, or something that changes the structural configuration of North American gas". EOG is one of several independent energy producers in

When it comes to words that evoke a sense of dread in people, the term cancer must be at the top of the list. According to the American Cancer Society, about half of all men and one-third of all women in the US will develop some sort of cancer during their lifetimes. Needless to say, the financial impacts of the disease are overwhelming. Billions upon billions are spent each year in an attempt to treat the disease, find cures and treat its symptoms.

The goal of investors is to capitalize on the investment potential in these companies that have the most promise in this deadly war. Obviously, any company that is successful in finding cures and new treatments will find themselves thrust to the forefront of medical science. Of course a small initial stake by investors today could potentially turn into substantial gains if this was to happen to

Despite appreciating in value by over 80% in the last four months, NeoStem Inc. (NBS) is still highly undervalued. The company is largely misunderstood and potentially a great play on the future of cell therapy and the innovation of cancer treatments. Its overall loss over the last 14 months was a combination of several events: the market trading lower during the final six months of 2011, the acquisition of Amorcyte, and a round of financing in which the company raised $6.8 million. Obviously, anytime a company does a public offering it affects share value. However, its recent strategic decisions that led to the stock trading lower have made NBS a company of great opportunity and a far better investment than it was in 2010 and 2011 when it traded consistently over $1.50.

For anyone who has followed the company, both its Phase 2 trial of AMR-001 and the

So far, 2012 has been the year of small and midcap biotechnology stocks. We have watched as new innovative drugs have taken the industry by storm and led the market with incredibly large gains. In regard to small cap biotech stocks, almost all are still in the clinical phase, and still have a long journey ahead before potentially earning an FDA marketing approval. Yet, with strong clinical data and undervalued prices, investors have been accumulating shares in companies that could return enormous gains over the next few years. With that being said, I am looking at four companies with encouraging clinical data that suggest the possibility of an FDA approval and continued gains in anticipation of impressive data. Each of these companies has traded higher in 2012, but is still undervalued considering potential sales of lead products, and could very well continue to trade higher by a significant degree if