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New "Protein Chips" Could Save Your Life Someday and Make You a Bundle

By , Defense + Tech Specialist, Money Morning • @Robinson_STI -

Ever since some wag came up with the term "Silicon Valley" in the 1970s, investors have thought of semiconductors as the brains behind computers.

That was then. This is now...

Today, semiconductors are about a lot more than computers.

In a recent breakthrough, a new kind of computer chip was able to spot disease that doctors have a tough time finding on their own. This new field of cutting-edge high tech could have a big impact on the health of millions around the world.

See, we are getting very close to the point when your doctor will be able to detect not just what type of disease you have but which of many versions is affecting you.

And with these new chips they will have the answer in a matter of minutes.

That will speed up everything -- the diagnosis, the drugs and -- more to the point -- your return to good health.

And needless to say, these breakthrough new chips could make a few savvy investors quite rich.

This new field -- loosely called "lab on a chip" -- holds so much promise that a key research arm of the Pentagon will spend at least $65 million to help get it out of the lab and into the real world.

In a moment, I'll give you the details. But first there is this recent new development.

The Power of "Protein Chips"

Intel Corp. (NasdaqGS:INTC) has joined forces with a team from Stanford University School of Medicine. The Intel-Stanford team is placing proteins directly on chips to detect disease and help drug firms come up with new compounds.

Just last month, the team said it had synthesized an array of short pieces of proteins on silicon chips normally used as computer microprocessors. Team members said the process will help doctors quickly figure out which of the many possible drugs will work best for each patient.

Here's the thing. Proteins are vital to our health.

They are large, complex molecules that do most of the work in cells. We need them for the structure, function, and regulation of the body's tissues and organs.

Turns out proteins also serve as "markers" for certain diseases...



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"Microchip Medicine" Will Save Millions of Lives

By , Defense + Tech Specialist, Money Morning • @Robinson_STI -

A new generation of medical devices is set to have a profound impact on American health - and wealth.

You see, I know from detailed research and analysis that more than 100,000 people in the U.S. die each year from bad reactions to drugs.

That's more than three times as many as those who die from all street drugs, including heroin.

Fortunately, a better way is just on the horizon.

Indeed, new "microchip medicine" technology by itself could save as many as 1 million American lives roughly every decade.

It's proof that you should never throw a good idea away. The two researchers behind this new breakthrough device first thought of it more than 15 years ago.

Now, their tiny product appears headed to produce some big results.

Microchip Medicine Breakthroughs

To reach this breakthrough, the two Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers teamed up with their colleagues at a small biotech firm called MicroCHIPS. The firm is privately held.

But if it ever goes public, you'll want to keep an eye on MicroCHIPS as a potentially winning investment - one that also will benefit millions.

Here's why: A new study showed that doctors can safely implant a small semiconductor into a patient's body.

In turn, doctors can program the microchip to deliver the correct doses of medicine at precisely the right times.

The chips operate wirelessly and can be programmed as needed to change doses. How cool is this?

This particular study involved providing drugs to women who suffer from osteoporosis. But I believe it could be used with dozens of diseases treated with prescription drugs.

But don't take my word for it. Here is what MIT professor Robert Langer had to say.



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Buy, Sell or Hold: Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) Offers the Security and Profit Potential that Few Other Investments Can

By , Global Macro Trends Specialist, Money Morning -

It's not easy to find a safe investment these days. The rulebook has been thrown out and mercantilism reigns supreme between nation states. The world is experiencing significant and rapid changes in currency exchange rates, as policymakers around the world take a beggar thy neighbor approach toward economic security.

There are very few multi-national companies that are not being seriously impacted by these changes.

However, there is one company that should be a safe beacon in these stormy market conditions: Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC).

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Intel Corp. Invests $8 Billion to Lead the Next Generation of the Semiconductor Industry

By , Associate Editor, Money Morning -

Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) announced Tuesday that it would invest up to $8 billion in U.S. manufacturing with the goal of keeping its position as a semiconductor industry trailblazer and beat rivals in creating the next generation of silicon chips.

The world's biggest chipmaker will build a new factory in Oregon and upgrade four existing plants in Arizona and Oregon. The move emphasizes Intel's position as the biggest manufacturer of microprocessors and its ability to keep up with the semiconductor world's rapid and expensive pace.

The upgraded Intel plants will produce the company's most technologically advanced chips and support its move to 22-nanometer production. This next generation of chip production reduces the line widths on circuits, which lowers costs and improves capability. Currently chips are made with a 32-nanometer process.

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Five Ways to Play a Rebound in Semiconductor Stocks

By , Contributing Writer, Money Morning -

What a difference a year makes - or, for that matter, even a mere quarter.

Back in September 2009, most analysts were anticipating a surge in 2010 semiconductor sales that would reflect the upcoming economic recovery. After all, semiconductors are used in virtually every device consumers deem essential these days - from smart phones and notebook computers to coffee makers and gaming consoles. Yet the industry had been mired in a three-year slump that saw global semiconductor sales plunge 9.6% in 2009 alone.

By April of this year, the numbers seemed to confirm those expectations. First-quarter worldwide sales had soared 58.3% to $69.2 billion from the prior year quarter's $43.7 billion, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), the sector's leading U.S. trade group.

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Eight Semiconductor Stocks To Charge Up Your Portfolio

By , Contributing Writer, Money Morning -

Today's world literally runs on semiconductors. Virtually every device that plugs in or uses a battery has its functions controlled by semiconductors of one type or another. And, with spending curtailed in the recent financial crisis, many of the semiconductors in use are either wearing out or going out of date. But, good times are here again for semiconductors. Here's how to make a profit on the new semiconductor boom market.

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Which Sector Will Step Up and Lead Bulls in 2010?

By , Contributing Writer, Money Morning -

Digging beneath the surface of the late 2009 market for clues, we find that some measures of breadth continue to deteriorate even as the major indices continue to float near their highs. For example, the percentage of stocks above their 10-day moving average has gone from 81% on Christmas Eve to 71% now. This is an indication that buyers have become more selective.

This adds to a trend that's been developing over the last few months. While the NASDAQ has managed an impressive breakout from its multi-month trading range, it's doing this on the back of fewer and fewer stocks based on the number that are over their 50-day moving average. Part of the problem is the lack of clear market leadership.

One of the reasons that the bull cycle of the past year has been so strong is that it had a rotating cast of leaders: First banks, then retailers, then tech, then energy, then materials, and so on.

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The Three Tech Businesses Investors Can't Afford to Ignore in 2010

By , Associate Editor, Money Morning -

The technology sector has always been about The Next Big Thing, and while next year will be no exception, products and services purchased will more reflect the needs of consumers and businesses - unlike the past when more tech buys reflected "wants."

Call 2010 the year of "necessary technology."

While 2009 has seen a dramatic turnaround in the world's stock markets, the rest of the key economic indicators - such as manufacturing, inventories, and jobs - have lagged behind. This has prompted less discretionary spending on technology, and even a postponement of some necessary purchases.

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Investment News Briefs

By , Money Morning -

Intel Pays AMD $1.25 Billion to Settle Multi-Year Lawsuit; WalMart Forecasts Bleak Holiday Sales on Surging Unemployment News; FHA Capital Reserves Lowest in History; Commercial Paper Market Falls For Second Week in Row; Better Ad Market Helps Disney Profit, Sales Grow; British Airways, Iberia to Merge; Barofsky: TARP Will Be a Loss For Taxpayers; Activision Sees Sales of $310 Million on First Day of Game’s Release

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Housing Hits the Semiconductor Market; Synaptics Named the Profit Play to Make Now

By , Executive Editor, Money Morning • @privatebrief -

By William Patalon III and Mike Caggeso Money Morning There's a surprising new addition to the long list of industries stung by the U.S. housing slump and the accompanying mortgage crisis: The semiconductor sector. The housing sector's ills were alleged to have spread to the semiconductor market this week when Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP) was […]

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