By Donald Zuhn
As noted by Patent Docs earlier this week, a recent article at BusinessWeek.com has issued a poor prognosis for biotech IPO's. If the events of the past week are any indication, rumors of the "demise" of biotech IPO's may have been greatly exaggerated.
On Tuesday, Rosetta Genomics announced that its initial public offering of 3,750,000 ordinary shares, priced at $7.00 per share, would begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol "ROSG." Although Rosetta began offering its shares on a day when the market saw its worst single-day drop since 2001, Rosetta's shares were up $0.50 by market close on Tuesday, and were up to $8.80 by market close on Thursday.
Rosetta Genomics focuses on diagnostic and therapeutic product development based on microRNA - small, single-stranded forms of RNA generated from endogenous hairpin-shaped transcripts that regulate protein production. A complete description of microRNAs (as well as a very cool animation) can be found at Rosetta's website. 
On Wednesday, Helicos Biosciences announced that it had filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a proposed initial public offering of its common stock. According to Helicos' press release, neither the number of shares nor the offering price had yet been determined. MarketWatch, however, has reported that Helicos is looking to raise $100 million in the IPO.
Helicos Biosciences develops instruments for high-speed sequencing of individual molecules of DNA or RNA (i.e., without amplification). A description of Helicos' technology can be found at its website.
MarketWatch also reported that EndoCeutics had filed a registration statement with the SEC on Wednesday to raise $75 million in its own initial public offering. EndoCeutics is a biopharmaceutical company that develops hormone therapies for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer.
Finally, on Thursday, Sirtris Pharmaceuticals announced that it had also filed for a proposed initial public offering of its common stock. According to Sirtris' press release, neither the number of shares nor the price range for the offering had yet been determined. MarketWatch has reported that Sirtris expects to raise $60 million in the IPO.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on identifying and developing small molecule drugs to treat diseases associated with aging, including metabolic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes. According to Sirtris' website, by activating the enzyme SIRT1, Sirtris' drug candidates are designed to mimic the beneficial health effects of calorie restriction, without requiring a change in one's eating habits.
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