Each quarter Friess Associates, managers of the Brandywine Funds, share samples of innovative ideas that cross their research team's radar screen even though opportunities to invest in them may lie in the future or never surface. Some of these innovations might be showing up near you already while others fail to evolve into practical applications. Here are some recent ideas:
All-in-One Flu Shot. As the H1N1 flu demonstrates, researchers wage an ongoing fight against influenza, scrambling to develop an effective vaccine each time the virus mutates into a new and virulent strain. Time-consuming to produce, available vaccines target a limited number of flu strains identified by experts as most likely to emerge in the next flu season. Inovio Biomedical Corp. hopes its DNA-based vaccines gives the medical community a universally potent weapon against the flu. The vaccine is made from portions of DNA common to all human flu viruses, a recipe that the company hopes will one day put an end to the strain-chasing game by protecting against every strain in a single shot. Inovio couples injections with a technique called electroporation, in which tiny electrical pulses are delivered to increase cellular uptake of the DNA material. Human trials of the vaccine are scheduled for 2010.
Air Purifier with Growth Potential. Typical air purifiers work by trapping allergens, but they do nothing to rid homes of potentially harmful emissions from things like carpet and paint, which can contain chemicals such as benzene and formaldehyde. Utilizing one of nature's most effective filters, the Andrea from Le Laboratoire is billed as the first purifier capable of absorbing and metabolizing toxic gases. Andrea uses a fan system to force air over a houseplant inside the purifier, through soil and the plant's root system. Tests showed Andrea to be 40 times more efficient in filtering formaldehyde than standard portable HEPA or activated carbon filters. The system works with any houseplant and can be purchased beginning in October for about $200.
High Rays for the Highway. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded a grant to help an Idaho company continue developing prototype solar technology that is central to an ambitious plan to create solar paneled roads. The aptly named company, Solar Roadways, estimates that outfitting U.S. roads, parking lots and driveways with solar material capable of today's average panel output (about 15 percent efficiency) conservatively would produce more than three times the energy needed to power every home in America. The company believes its solar road surface could ultimately prove to be more durable than asphalt, able to conduct heat to prevent ice build up and embedded with LEDs for lighting and signage. Assuming Solar Roadways can develop an engineered glass with the right characteristics for considerations such as traction and durability, the company hopes to make everything from utility poles to power plants obsolete.
Radiation Redirected. With heavy cell phone use increasingly common, concerns persist about the potential dangers cell phone users face from the radiation their phones generate. Pong research recently released what it claims is the first technology proven to reduce cell phone radiation without interfering with signal strength to be tested by FCC-certified laboratories. The company's product, the Pong iPhone Case, is a silicone skin designed with a proprietary "technology module" that channels emitted radiation up and away from the user's head. The "chimney effect" reduced the specific absorption rate (a mobile industry standard of measurement) by 60 percent and intense "hotspot" cell phone radiation by 85 percent in lab testing, according to the company. Pong plans to introduce a case for BlackBerry devices later this year, followed by others.
Editor's Note: Founded in 1974, Friess Associates, P.O. Box 576, Jackson, WY 83001 manage more than $6 billion in the Brandywine mutual funds, www.brandywinefunds.com, as well as separately managed portfolios.
