Tiresias: The Beat Goes On

"If you were offered a seat on a rocketship, don't ask what seat! Just get on."

Cheryl Sandberg

My friends,

The beat goes on, and the drums are pounding louder and faster. The nomination of Professor Camile Farah, by Richard Chandler’s Orchid Capital, Clermont Group, as agreed in Orchid’s recapitalization of Optiscan, is another and next important milestone, in the progress of Optiscan to real-time pathology in the clinic and in the operating theatre. Professor Farah’s appointment is no small deal. The Clermont Group has a worldwide reach, comprising over 160 companies, with over 6,000 staff around the world. Being in the medical and technology fields, they undoubtedly would have considered a number of in-house people who would have suited their purpose. Chandler and Orchid chose Professor Farah. Looking at his curriculum vitae one can see why. Professor Farah has the academic, clinical, histopathological, business, and practical experience which is extraordinary, and purpose built for Optiscan’s coming development. Of course, he is preeminent in oral cancer. But don’t forget gastrointestinal cancer. Professor Farah has a long association and has the connections with Olympus, the number one endoscope maker in the world, and Optiscan has an endoscopic flexible fibreoptic microscope fully developed and ready to go. Professor Farah has been using the Optiscan instrument in the clinic, and, being a histopathologist as well as everything else, has been actually doing real-time pathology. He is undoubtedly the most qualified person in the world to understand the full technology and its potential. My friends, it has not escaped Tiresias’s notice, that he already had shares in Optiscan. He had skin in the game, long before these recent developments. He knew, better than anyone else in the world what Optiscan means, and he put his money on the line. That, in Tiresias’s book, is the best affirmation possible. Tiresias, and his friends, know that Optiscan has the technology to revolutionise cancer screening, cancer surgery, cancer treatment. Optiscan’s real-time digital pathology has the potential to transform histopathology itself. The recent appointment of a powerful Chairman, and the strengthening of the Board with the appointment of Mr Song, with his business experience and financial connections, and now Professor Farah, is a masterstroke by Richard Chandler. The management is strong, and the financial clout, well, the financial clout is there.

So with all of this, what of the price? What of the price action? Well of course, entirely predictable. Some traders are happy to take pennies. They are not up to the ride on a rocket. It might be noisy. It is frightening. This is good. This is refreshing. Remember my friends, there are lots of buyers taking stock at this price.

Post Scriptum: Tiresias was also a little amused this week. He noted that some of his friends were suggesting that Professor Farah was Tiresias. He smiled and was flattered by the suggestion. Tiresias is most certainly not Professor Farah. Tiresias is not Teresa either. Tiresias is not on the board or on staff of Optiscan. Tiresias is a significant shareholder with a meaningful stake, and is seated on the rocket, comfortable, and ready to soar to the stars.