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[Bombadil]

What is Organovo?

Organovo is a company that was founded on the research of a biophysicist named Gabor Forgacs.
Dr. Forgacs is a professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia who developed breakthroughs in 3D organ structure replication. His work led to the creation of the company, the mission of which is:

delivering breakthrough three-dimensional biology capabilities to create tissue on demand for research and surgical applications. As the first company with a three-dimensional tissue technology that works across tissue types, we are meeting the promise of regenerative medicine to fill unmet medical needs.

Basically, Organovo is a pioneer company that is performing ongoing research on 3D tissue and organ replication using bioprinters. If you've heard of 3D printers that make tools and houses, then apply the same logic to human tissue and organs.

Organovo has developed a Bioprinter called the NovoGen MMX Bioprinter. Using this technology, the replicate human tissue structure for the purpose of studying the effects of pharmaceutical drugs in a pseudo-clinical human trial fashion.

According to Gabor Forgacs, the immediate goal of the company is this:

Organovo is trying to come up with two products. One of them is focused on blood vessels, which I call vascular grafts and the other focus is on nerve grafts. You need vascular grafts, or substitute blood vessels, when you have a clogged artery or symbiosis where you need to replace blood vessels. We are building blood vessels using the 3D printing technology but we’re not yet at the point where our vessels can be safely introduced into a living organism. We’re very close but we’re not yet there.
The nerve graft is another important graft. Imagine that someone’s nerve is ruptured, typically in a traffic accident or on a battlefield, which is a serious injury. Unfortunately a nerve will not regenerate spontaneously if the gap between the two ruptured ends is bigger than 3 centimeters in a human being so we’re building grafts that can breach this gap that’s made of the patient’s own cells. The buzzword here is autologous tissue engineering. Autologous means we’re using the patient’s own cells. That’s where this science is leading to avoid immunological reactions.

Other important things to note are:

We will not be able to reproduce the heart that you have in your body one hundred percent. That is a structure that evolved over millions of years. The biggest challenge to tissue engineering or organ engineering is that we don’t know yet how to construct the vascular tree, which we have in our body [and which is integral in keeping organs alive]. However, this is probably not necessary.

We don’t have to reproduce exactly the same kidney that you have in your body, which again is the result of many millions of years of evolution. The kidney is a complex organ but one of its major functions is to rid the body of toxins. If we just concentrate on that function, I see no reason why we would not be able to build from the patient’s own cells a structure that can perform the same function. This structure will not look like a kidney and it will not mimic or resemble 100% that kidney that we carry in our body because I don’t think we’ll be able to do that ever.

So it’s about replicating the functionality of the kidney from one’s own cells as opposed to creating an identical copy of the actual organ?
If I can come up with a structure from your own cells – so I put it in your body and there is no immunological reaction and that structure performs the same function as far as ridding the body of toxins – then I accomplished my goal. It’s a very important realization that that’s what we’ll be able to do in the future. Maybe not in the too distant future. Don’t ask me when exactly because I don’t know. But this is my vision of regenerative medicine.

That's an ear, son.

That's a printed human kidney. It's a mini-kidney because the research is still ongoing.

Bladder

This is Gabor Forgacs.

So, what's this thread all about?

INVESTING!!!!

Although Organovo is only a start up company, and is likely to be bought out or trumped by someone larger, as of right now, I think they're ahead. Investing in companies is not something I normally do or encourage. In fact, this is the first company I've ever really been interested in investing in. I believe their work is going to be the future, and I'm not doing this to get back money. I consider it both a donation and an investment because while I don't expect to get money back from it, I expect that the results of their research will benefit mankind.

The price of their stock is reasonably low. It's 4.70, which I assume means it's less than 5 USD a share. I'd like to purchase some stock from them. Is anyone on Gaf interested in doing the same?

Here is a direct copy paste of their FAQ page in reference to their stock and company info.

FAQs

The information in this FAQ was last updated on July 20, 2012 and should be considered current as of that date.

When was Organovo founded?

Organovo, Inc. was incorporated in 2007 to advance bioprinting technology and began its operations in San Diego, California in January 2009.

When did Organovo become publicly traded?

The common stock of Organovo Holdings, Inc. became publicly traded on February 14, 2012 (Press Release).

Where are Organovo shares traded and what is the ticker symbol?

Organovo’s common stock is publically traded on the OTCQX under the symbol "ONVO." Effective October 8, 2012, ONVO began trading on the highest OTC marketplace, OTCQX® marketplace (Press Release)

What is the relationship between Organovo Holdings, Inc. and Organovo, Inc.?

Organovo, Inc. has been an operating company in San Diego, California since 2009 and currently operates as a fully owned subsidiary of Organovo Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB:ONVO). As a vehicle to provide capital for Organovo, Inc. operations and to provide access to public markets for equity securities, Organovo, Inc. entered into a reverse merger with Organovo Holdings, Inc. in February, 2012 concurrent with a private placement financing. Organovo Holdings, Inc. was a publicly traded shell company before completion of the reverse merger. Upon effectiveness of the reverse merger, former officers and directors of Organovo Holdings, Inc. resigned their positions and officers and directors associated with Organovo, Inc. assumed control of Organovo Holdings, Inc. In aggregate, approximately $15.2 million was raised in the private placement (Press Release).


Can I purchase shares directly from Organovo?

You can purchase Organovo’s common stock through a registered brokerage or stock purchase service provider of your choice. You cannot buy stock directly from Organovo.

How many shares are outstanding?

Approximately 43.7 million shares of common stock are issued and outstanding. The Company has not issued any shares of preferred stock. This information can be confirmed in the form 8-K/A filing from March 30, 2012.

Where can I find Organovo’s most recent financials?

Organovo’s audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2011 can be found in the form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on March 30, 2012.


When does Organovo report earnings? How can I listen to the webcast for the earnings report?

To stay informed about our upcoming earnings report, please sign up for email alerts.

Where can I find all of Organovo's SEC filings?

You can access our filings through our the investor section of our website or the SEC website.


What is Organovo’s policy on dividends?

Organovo does not pay a dividend on stock and does not foresee doing so in the immediate future.

What is Organovo’s fiscal year-end?

December 31

Who is Organovo’s transfer agent?

V Stock Transfer is Organovo’s transfer agent and can be reached at (212) 828-8436 or at vstocktransfer.com.

What is a transfer agent and how do I contact them?

The transfer agent is responsible for maintaining all records of registered stockholders (including change of address, telephone number and name), canceling or issuing stock certificates and resolving problems related to lost, destroyed or stolen certificates. If your shares are held in Street name (i.e. by your broker), you must contact your broker for these services. See contact information above for Organovo’s transfer agent.

I’ve lost my stock certificates. How can I replace them?

If you have lost a stock certificate, you should contact or email V Stock Transfer, Organovo’s Transfer Agent, immediately so that they may place a ‘”STOP” on the form of certificate. Once the “STOP” is placed, you may need to complete a “lost instrument bond” form. Feel free to call the Transfer Agent to discuss at (212) 828-8437. Please note that surety bonds are typically required by transfer agents to replace lost, stolen, or damaged stock certificates. Further contact information for V Stock Transfer can be found at vstocktransfer.com.

What do I do if my address has changed?

If your shares are held in your name, you may contact V Stock Transfer, Organovo’s Transfer Agent, at (212) 828-8437. If your shares are held in Street name (by your broker), you must contact your broker to update your address.

How can I stay informed about Organovo?

You can sign up for email alerts and follow us on Twitter (@Organovo).


Where is Organovo located?

Organovo is located in San Diego, California. Our mailing address is:

Organovo, Inc.
6275 Nancy Ridge Drive, Suite 110
San Diego, CA 92121


Who can I contact if I have questions or need more information?

Email Investor Relations at ir@organovo.com

Who can I contact if I am a member of the media?

Email Media Relations at media@organovo.com

 

[Bombadil]

Bump.

 

[Secks4Food]

...viral marketing?

 

[Bombadil]

...viral marketing?

No. This is the second time I've been accused of that. Last time I had made a thread about Vizio laptops.

I just think this is something really great. Investing in this company is like donating to a research foundation.

 

[Divvy]

3D printing is certainly the future. If this companies financials are sound then it might certainly be worth investing in. I bought some shares of Stratasys, one of the major 3d printer companies, back in october and it's gone up 60+% since then.

 

[ezrarh]

I've actually been keeping an eye on them for a while now. The premise is extremely fascinating and has huge potential obviously. Recently the stock has jumped from about 2 dollars to over 4 now but I didn't see a real reason for such a move? They've had a jump up to 10 dollars before and crashed mightily right afterwards. Also, just because the price of one share is under 5 dollars doesn't mean it's cheap technically. It's still a speculative buy right now and you can just as easily lose money in my opinion.

 

[Bombadil]

I've actually been keeping an eye on them for a while now. The premise is extremely fascinating and has huge potential obviously. Recently the stock has jumped from about 2 dollars to over 4 now but I didn't see a real reason for such a move? They've had a jump up to 10 dollars before and crashed mightily right afterwards. Also, just because the price of one share is under 5 dollars doesn't mean it's cheap technically. It's still a speculative buy right now and you can just as easily lose money in my opinion.

I don't really care about losing money when it comes to this. If my money advances their research, then I'll be happy.