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Id be very surprised if we didnt get some form of news or exposure before the middle of feb. That could be a confirmation by the company that deadline for offers has now closed with a statement of the level of interest. It could be general speculation through media channels regarding potential parties involved in the buy out & again refering to the strong interest mentioned in the previous RNS & global leading position of Asterand. I think the price will firm up strongly in the next few weeks with a sharp move on any specific news. Gla

An RNS this week & a further build up of the SP in anticipation of a highly contested takeove battle between the interested parties imho

Its the market leader globally AND the largest supplier to the NCI (National Cancer Institute) of America. A big part of the fall from 24.5p was its inability to meet customer demand along with financial pressures from the acquisition of BioSeek. As weve seen theyve had the positive developments with ONO last month and now an extension to 2014 for the NCI contract. This is what James Faulkner of Watshot had written about it previously "With the largest commercial bio-bank in the world, Asterand aims to become the “Go-to Company” for pharmas looking to de-risk their compounds through testing in human tissue, thus minimising the chance of failure. Asterand is the market leader with significant competitive advantages. In 2010, Asterand was awarded a 5-year $24.3 million contract by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to supply it with clinically annotated human biospecimens. Notably, Asterand is the largest tissue supplier to the NCI, with most of the other suppliers being academic institutions. Herein lies the key to Asterand’s future growth potential. Supplying tissue is just one of the things academic institutions do, it is not a priority for them, and it certainly isn’t carried out with commercial goals in mind. This presents Asterand with an opportunity to quickly gain market share through exploiting its extensive network of over 100 active suppliers and offering a more comprehensive service, which is becoming increasingly important to customers." No wonder theres been increased interest from a number of parties & why i believe the takeover action could result in a bidding war & a very heavy premium to the current price level. Any buyer would have an immediate global leading position in a top growth biotech sector. Away from the screen today but definately keeping a full holding here for further news & developments this week. Atb

A Bidding War is what we need here. A definate possibility with the recent RNSs & the analyst comments on early year takeovers at heavy premiums. dyor & gla

RNS this week & solid newsfow / speculation building up for the takeover which indications show will be contested by a number of parties.

Exciting times ahead imho dyor & gla

I agree with the sentiments of Greg Guenthner an american stock analyst. "The buyout frenzy that has gripped the pharmaceutical sector during the first two weeks of 2012 will more than likely continue. A long list of expiring patents and plenty of available cash are prompting large-cap pharmaceutical companies to seriously consider takeover opportunities in small-cap biotechs. But the top-line boost of a promising biotech acquisition doesn't come cheap. Yesterday, I highlighted the Bristol-Myers Squibb purchase of Inhibitex (NASDAQ: INHX) for $2.5 billion, a premium of more than double the company's market cap at the time. The deal landed shareholders overnight gains approaching 125%. If the market remains this competitive for quality acquisitions, small-cap traders and investors should have numerous opportunities to cash in on the trend. Several large-cap pharma players have indicated they are actively looking toward acquisitions to fuel growth."

Im expecting an RNS this week confirming that theyve received the offers. That should stimulate even more interest in the stock before any final offer is recommended. As the 5th Jan RNS indicated theres strong interest from a number of parties. With the industry leading position & other factors already mentioned that makes for a good outlook for commanding a premium price for the company as well as possibilities of counter offers to the one officially recommended. That would result in a bidding war which holders of the stock definately wont complain about.

the further RNS of 5th Jan 2012. Also seen that theyve had an extension of the American NCI (National Cancer Institute) beyond the initial expiration date of September 23 2012 to September 30 2014. Asterand is the largest tissue supplier to the NCI, with most of the other suppliers being academic institutions. That gives them a strong platform to gain future market share with academic institutions engaged in numerous activities and not solely focused on the commercial supply of the human tissue like Asterand. Theres a very strong investment case for a large pharma to buy out Asterand at a heavy premium. The strong interest already makes that an ever more likely outcome imho

Also subsequent to that youve had the milestone target reached with there collaboration with ONO Pharmaceutical. that gives themeligibility for further success & milestone payments as well as research funding - RNS 20th Nov 2011. That in itself strengthens there position to command a higher buy out price apart from the fact that global leaders in the sector. The further RNS of 5th Nov 2012 "strong interest from numerous parties". I think Fordies post of news leaking out may have some credence & im definately holding for a much higher takeover price with relevant parties vying and raising any offer price for the acquisition. Greg Guenthner's point (US analyst) about a takeover frenzy for smallcap biotechs in early 2012 nad at hefty premiums will come to bear here imho. The price movement along with the other factors suggests something big is building up behind the scenes.

excuse the spelling. Off to stratford upon avon for the day but hopefully back on the board later. This ones just started a very strong climb imho.

Thats the statutory phrasing in any taeover notice. The main points are the ONO agreement subsequent to the first takeover notification putting them in a stronger position. The fact that there the global leaders in an expanding sector relying on human tissue reserach rather then on animals. Theyve laready had Sstrong interest from numerous parties. The SP was 24.5p not so long ago & its just beginning to rise now. That article on biotech takeovers and the massive premiums being paid is also a good reference to what i believe will happen here. Buy when you feel comfortable but this is going to get very big imho. Good luck

Whenever anyones got a global leading position in an expanding sector then you can expect a hefty premium when it comes to any takeover price. That article by Greg Guenthner sets the mood AND we know theres already very strong interest here from multiple parties. The price here was 24.5p not so long ago and im expecting this to deliver a major profit to those buying in at these levels

Have a look at the one i mentioned. Pretty sure itll eclipse OCH that had a near 200% rise yesterday. BRDY moves on low volumes like you said. Those 2 early sells didnt help but if news is out soon regarding the investment developments then best sit tight. Itll move up fast enough with the buying that results

It could eclipse the yesterdays rise on OCH and a comfortable entry at this level

There gloabal leaders in the field which specialises in human tissue research rather then dependency on animals. Thats where companies want to push there own reasech with public opinion & legislation moving towards 'Ethical' research. The recent deal with ONO after putting themselves up for sale makes them an even more attractive target for a large pharma. Theyve already specifically said theyve hade strong interest from numerous parties. This was at 24.5p not so long ago and any bid will be at a hefty premium imho. The share price movement suggests the same. Only just strated pushing up but a massive bonus coming or way here imo

Heres an article from yesterday by Greg Guenthner an american stock analyst. Its not specifically about Asterand but very relevant to whats going on with the takeover. "The buyout frenzy that has gripped the pharmaceutical sector during the first two weeks of 2012 will more than likely continue. A long list of expiring patents and plenty of available cash are prompting large-cap pharmaceutical companies to seriously consider takeover opportunities in small-cap biotechs. But the top-line boost of a promising biotech acquisition doesn't come cheap. Yesterday, I highlighted the Bristol-Myers Squibb purchase of Inhibitex (NASDAQ: INHX) for $2.5 billion, a premium of more than double the company's market cap at the time. The deal landed shareholders overnight gains approaching 125%. If the market remains this competitive for quality acquisitions, small-cap traders and investors should have numerous opportunities to cash in on the trend. Several large-cap pharma players have indicated they are actively looking toward acquisitions to fuel growth."

More interested in ATD (asterand). Thats going to have a heck of a rise leading up to the takeover bid imho currently 3.25p from its high of 24.5p. dyor as usual

Like most of these takeover situations it has to be remembered that no offer has been 'officially' accepted to date but the indication in the RNS about "strong" interest from numerous parties makes an positive outcome (and at a good price) much more promising. Add to that there leading industry position & growth of the sector (towards human tissue research rather then animal research) and were likely to get that heavy premium to any current price level imho. The strong buying suggests positive developments associated with the stock. Dyor but we could be in for a major rise over the next few weeks for ATD http://www.asterand.com/Asterand/about/index.htm http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201201050700130086V

Just been having a closer look at these. Theyve had a fall from 24.25p due to financial weakness which besets a lot of biotech companies. What they have achieved is a global leading position in the rapidly expanding sector of human tissue based research. The financial issues resulted in them commencing a formal sales process on the 24th Oct. Since then theyve reached a major milestone in their multi-year drug discovery collaboration with Ono Pharmaceutical through there subsidiary BioSeek. That translates to eligibility to receive success payments based on the research-phase progress as well as existing research funding. Last week we had the update on the formal sales process which stated "On 17 November 2011, the Company announced its expected timeframe for the submission of potential offers for Asterand. Since then, the Company and its advisors, Covington Associates LLC ("Covington") and Daniel Stewart & Company plc ("Daniel Stewart"), have received STRONG INTEREST FROM A NUMBER OF PARTIES. However, it was not possible to complete the various conversations prior to the Christmas break and the Company has decided to extend the timetable by approximately two weeks so that the potential offerors now have until 17 January 2012 to submit their proposed offers, with the intention of being able to announce a recommended offer by the middle of February. The Company continues to update its key creditors on the process and the developments to date."