I took my parents shopping in Romford today (my dad no longer drives) and left them to their own devices after poncing a tenner from my old man to have my own fun.
And in the secondhand CD section of the British Heart Foundation shop I blew the lot on a bit of a mixed bag of genres which I’m working my way through listening to.
So Far my favourite is a 4 track EP by an artist called Jessica Faroe. It’s pretty heavy and I like her vocal style, sometimes melodic, sometimes growly.
I even found out the meaning of a new word from one of her tracks: nyctophilia, a love of the nighttime, possibly just another name for asymptomatic bipolar disorder.
I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do today so did a bit of research on the new ‘wonder drug’ for schizophrenia: Cobenfy.
I expect in a short time the NHS will be prescribing it regularly at a cost of nearly $2,000 a month or $24,000 a year.
It is meant to have lower side effects than other antipsychotics because it works on a different neurotransmitter (it’s an acetylcholine agonist and also acetylcholine suppressant. In fact the theory behind it seems like bad science to me).
But when I read this I managed to predict with total accuracy that it would utterly bugger your digestion and lo and behold it does according to the literature.
But what makes it work as a treatment for hallucinations is that it has the effect of lowering dopamine. Maybe then acetylcholine and dopamine work in opposition to one another; raising one lowers the other and vice versa.
so here’s another effect I’m going to have a punt at that hasn’t cropped up but may in time, uncontrollable fast muscle agitation, effectively tardive dyskenesia one way or another.
Patients will end up drowsy but twitching, probably as bad as it could get.
It could take a few years of use for these side effects to come to the public’s attention although I expect Bristol Myers Squibb have predicted it will do this but nonetheless will make a good deal of money out it.
Just another drug that does exactly the same as all the others in the class.
Money for old rope for big pharma and money for lost hope for the sufferers.
The subject of today’s potcast is a few bits of crockery I picked up that are now adorning my windowsill.
I apologise for the quality of the images, a cheap mobile phone is all I have; I’ve resolved to buy a digital camera when I have the money, for ebay if nothing else.
Now a closer look at each of them:
First up a British teapot which I think dates to around 1850 but can’t be sure as all it has is a pattern number on the base.
It was heavily stained when I first bought it due to crazing to the glaze and years of use but soaking it in a bucket of water and dishwasher tablets has helped a lot.
I think it is hand painted with raised reliefs to the body and appears to be influenced by Chinese design. I particularly like the pale blue colour.
It cost me £2.50 at a car boot sale.
Next up the small vase. I found this in a charity shop and paid £2. It looked good quality but what sold me on it was a 511 mark hand engraved near the base. A bit of research suggests this is German drip glaze pottery probably from some time in the 20th century and made by the highly regarded company Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur.
Last up is my favourite, another British teapot and the only one I can date accurately to 1894 due to an Rd. date number on the base. I’ve no idea who manufactured it though. This one would be near enough perfect if not for a chip to the spout. I particularly love the the transfer printed chinoiserie pattern. The cost was £4 again at a boot sale.
The fact is if I decided to sell them on I’d be lucky to find a buyer and lucky if I could get more than £10 for the lot.
But how does this statement hold up during those moments when we exist but have no conscious knowledge of it, such as periods of sleep?
You could film someone with their knowledge getting into bed and falling asleep until the point at which they wake up with a demonstrable sense that time has passed but no recollection of thought.
Would memory mean:
I thought therefore I was.
Kind of makes sense doesn’t it.
But memory is fallible, so did you only exist during those brief periods that you can remember which can get corrupted and fade?
Yet the physical body can be shown to have existed longer than the events we can recall.
This would possibly suggest a disconnect between the physical existence and the neurological one.
I would argue then that descartes is only partly right unless we are two organisms living in symbiosis, a physical one and a spirit.
Just what many religions believe
But then the Abrahamic religions believe the spirit can exist without the body. How could this be possible?
Here’s a YouTube video of a lecture by Dr. Sapolsky that I found really interesting. It’s long but he’s a really good lecturer and I have since watched more of his lectures.
It seems to confirm some of my ideas about an evolutionary reason for the persistent existence of genetic disorders and psychiatric conditions.
Disclaimer: I am not qualified or authorised to give investment advice so please consider taking professional advice before buying the shares.
This company and it’s proprietary blood separation system Parsortix is one I previously wrote about under their previous name Angle PLC. Back then the company was valued at just £30m but has since fallen to just £5m on fears that the company is running out of cash before commercialisation.
However, I feel the early part of this week may present a fantastic opportunity to invest and November and December may prove pivotal in securing a stunningly successful future for CellBXHealth PLC and Parsortix.
There has been some interesting news recently and forthcoming TV and media coverage that suggests CTC capture using Parsortix may be in widespread clinical use within 5 years coupled with imminent much needed funding. Parsortix already has FDA approval for breast cancer and there is a wealth of independent research proving it’s efficacy in a range of cancers.
Independent Expert Consensus Confirms Clinical Relevance of CTCs and Identifies Parsortix Platform as Leading Next-Generation Technology
The paper publishes the consensus of 32 global oncologists and research leaders who agree that CTCs provide unique biological insights not captured by circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), and that CTCs are poised to transform cancer care through their use in prognosis, treatment monitoring and characterisation to inform precision medicine.
90% of respondents believe that CTCs will become a routine part of clinical practice within the next five years and strongly support their use in metastatic cancer. The publication provides a consensus for the clinical use of CTCs across cancer types, removing the biggest historical barrier of clinical scepticism, and is intended to guide the integration of CTCs into oncologic practice.
Update on Funding
Further to the interim results of 9 October 2025, the Company currently has a cash runway into early 2026. CelLBxHealth has recently commenced discussions with a number of shareholders and is seeking to raise approximately £6m with the intention to make an offer to retail investors alongside an institutional placing.
The Company expects to announce the fundraise by early December and will make further updates as appropriate.
In November there is a three part docuseries starting this Thursday 20th at 9pm on the UK’s Channel 4 detailing the work of Prof Caroline Dive at Manchester University on the role of CTC capture and enrichment in lung cancer.
Andrew Newland, chief executive, tells Proactive Investors: “This is really important. It comes after four years of working to develop the tests and on the strength of that data they [the University of Manchester] now want to incorporate it for routine use in their clinical laboratory.”
In short then it appears that by the time of the fundraise later this year the company will have had some very significant media exposure and the price at which they can raise money will be a lot higher. Less shareholder dilution and more cash.
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