FYI, Neuromedical Systems voluntarily filed on 03/26 for bankruptcy
protection in a Wilmington, Delaware court and "therewith let go the
majority of its US workforce."  NeoPath, maker of AutoCyte, will acquire
NSI's "patent estate" and 1.4 million shares of common stock for $4 million,
pending approval.  The recently published "Duke evidence report" and JAMA
article (too little bang for the buck) probably accelerated the inevitable
demise.

Perhaps some large lab will acquire numerous deeply discounted PapNet
devices and offer a regional Pap smear screening service.  However, the
latter is what got NSI into trouble in the first place.  Or perhaps, a few
university researchers will use PapNet to conduct cytological studies.  But
where will they get the spare parts?  It's not a happy situation.

I am not a PapNet user, though I took their week long training course in
1997.  The technology is impressive, but NSI's early marketing strategy and
tactics were not well received by potential end users.  NSI persisted in
this strategy for too long to recover.  Like all automated systems, PapNet
is not perfect; it still misses abnormal cells.  It is also very expensive.
PapNet driven screening microscopy systems are very sophisticated
electronically and require daily QC/QA measures -- which is to be expected.

I wish all NSI employees well.  The few I met were competent, conscientious,
personable individuals.  Having experienced sudden and unexpected
outplacement twice in the past 10 years, I appreciate firsthand the turmoil
created in one's personal and professional life.  Becoming re-employed is
especially difficult when one's job skills are very specialized and matching
job opportunities are few and far between.

Gary Gill

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John van Marsdijk [mailto:marsdijk@wxs.nl]
> Sent: March 27, 1999 3:11 AM
> To: Histonet listserver
> Subject: usersr of PAPnet
>
>
> Are there any users of the PAPnet, and what are they going to do now NSI
> doesn't do to well ?
>
> --
> met vriendelijke groet,
>
>  John