Not financial advice. Content by Guerilla Finance Inc. is for educational and informational purposes only. Always conduct your own due diligence. Full disclaimer
PLATFORM GUIDE

How to Use the BiotechSigns Screener

The BiotechSigns screener surfaces biotech companies with active, data-backed catalysts — PDUFA dates, clinical trial milestones, insider buying, and more — across 8,000+ companies. This guide explains every filter, column, and signal so you can find the opportunities that matter.

1. How the Screener Works

Every row in the screener represents a publicly traded biotech company with at least one active data signal. Signals are ingested continuously from four authoritative sources:

SEC EDGAR
8-K filings, shelf registrations, Form 4 insider trades, ATM offerings
FDA.gov
PDUFA action dates, advisory committee meetings, drug approvals
ClinicalTrials.gov
Phase 1–3 trial registrations, completion dates, primary endpoints
Market Data
Short interest, dark pool volume, 13F institutional filings
Start here
The screener defaults to showing all companies sorted by Score (highest first). High-scoring companies have the most active, converging signals right now. Browse from the top down, or use filters to narrow to your specific criteria.

2. Filters Explained

The filter bar lets you narrow the universe from 8,000+ companies to the specific cohort you want. Filters can be combined — all active filters apply simultaneously.

Search
Type any ticker symbol or company name. Results update instantly. Use this to check a specific company you already have in mind.
Grade
Filter by A–F letter grade. Grade reflects overall catalyst quality and risk profile. Start with A or B to focus on the highest-conviction setups.
A–F
Min Score
Set a minimum BTS Catalyst Score (0–100). Scores above 60 indicate meaningful signal density. Scores above 80 are rare and represent strong multi-signal convergence.
0–100
Sector
Filter by therapeutic area — Oncology, Rare Disease, Neurology, Immunology, and 20+ others. Useful for sector-focused research or comparing companies within the same space.
Signal Type
Show only companies with a specific type of active signal. Combine with Grade and Score filters for precision targeting.
Catalyst Toggle
When enabled, shows only companies with an upcoming hard catalyst (PDUFA date or AdCom meeting) within the next 90 days. The most direct way to find near-term binary events.
Near-term events only
Cash Danger
Shows only companies with less than 6 months of cash runway. Useful for identifying dilution candidates or avoiding companies with near-term financing risk.
< 6 months runway
Dilution Risk
Filter by dilution risk level: Low, Medium, High, or Critical. Based on SEC filings including shelf registrations, ATM programs, and warrant overhang. Critical = active or imminent share issuance.
Low / Medium / High / Critical

3. Score & Grade

BTS Catalyst Score (0–100)

A composite score measuring signal density and quality. It weighs insider buying, PDUFA proximity, clinical trial activity, convergence signals, short interest, and publication activity. Higher = more signals converging right now.

80–100Strong multi-signal convergence
60–79Meaningful catalyst activity
40–59Moderate signals present
20–39Limited signals
0–19Minimal activity
Grade (A–F)
A
Strong catalysts + manageable risk. Highest-conviction setups.
B
Good catalyst activity with acceptable risk level.
C
Some signals present. Worth monitoring but not top priority.
D
Weak signals or elevated risk. Requires additional due diligence.
F
No meaningful catalysts and/or critical financial risk.
Score and Grade are not the same thing. A company can have a high Score (many signals) but a low Grade (because dilution risk or cash position offsets the catalyst quality). Always check both.

4. Signal Types

Each company displays colored signal tags representing the types of active data signals detected. Here is what each one means:

PDUFA
An FDA action date is set for a pending drug application. The single most impactful hard catalyst in biotech. Proximity (days until) is factored into the Score.
AdCom
An FDA Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled. AdCom votes are non-binding but historically predict approval decisions with ~75% accuracy.
Clinical
An active Phase 1, 2, or 3 clinical trial is ongoing or has a near-term readout expected. Trial phase and endpoint type are factored in.
Insider Buy
A corporate insider (executive or director) has filed a Form 4 purchase with the SEC. Cluster buying — multiple insiders buying simultaneously — is the strongest version of this signal.
Insider Sell
An insider has filed a Form 4 sale. Context matters — pre-scheduled 10b5-1 plan sales are less significant than discretionary sales.
Convergence
Multiple independent signals (e.g., insider buy + PDUFA + institutional accumulation) are aligning for the same company. Convergence is BiotechSigns' strongest composite signal.
Short Int.
Elevated short interest relative to float has been detected. Combined with a catalyst, this can signal a potential short squeeze setup.
Dark Pool
Unusual dark pool (off-exchange) volume has been flagged. Often indicates institutional accumulation or distribution ahead of a known catalyst.
13F Flow
Recent 13F filings show institutional funds initiating or expanding positions. Lagged by ~45 days but useful for trend confirmation.
Congress
A member of Congress has filed a STOCK Act disclosure for a trade in this company. Useful for identifying politically-relevant drug approvals.
PubMed
New peer-reviewed research has been published related to this company's pipeline. Positive efficacy data often precedes FDA submissions.
Patent
A significant patent filing or grant has been detected via USPTO records. Relevant for platform-stage companies.

5. Table Columns

Each row in the screener table contains the following data columns. Click any column header to sort by that field.

Ticker / Name
The company's stock ticker and full name. Click to open the company detail page, which includes a full signal breakdown, financials, and pipeline overview.
Sector
The therapeutic area the company primarily operates in (e.g., Oncology, Rare Disease, Neurology). Sourced from SEC filings and ClinicalTrials.gov classifications.
Score
The BTS Catalyst Score (0–100). Click the score chip to see a breakdown of which signal types contributed most to the score.
Grade
A–F letter grade summarizing catalyst quality vs. risk. See Section 3 for full grade definitions.
Dilution Risk
LOW / MEDIUM / HIGH / CRITICAL rating based on SEC filings. Hover or click for details on specific filings driving the rating.
Cash Runway
Estimated months of operating cash remaining at current burn rate. Derived from the most recent quarterly SEC filings. Color-coded: green = >12 months, yellow = 6–12, orange = 3–6, red = <3.
Signals
Colored signal tags showing active signal types. The number and diversity of tags directly feeds into the Score.
Next Catalyst
The nearest hard catalyst date (PDUFA or AdCom), with days remaining. Empty if no hard catalyst is on the calendar within the next 12 months.

6. Sorting & Watchlist

Use the sort pills above the table to quickly reorder results by a specific dimension. You can also star any company to add it to your watchlist, which persists in your browser across sessions.

Catalyst
Nearest PDUFA/AdCom date first — best for finding imminent binary events
Score
Highest composite signal score first — default view
Grade
A-grade companies first — fastest way to see top-quality setups
Dilution
Highest dilution risk first — useful for risk screening or identifying squeeze candidates
Cash
Lowest cash runway first — find companies most likely to raise capital soon
Short%
Highest short interest as % of float — potential squeeze setups
Sector
Alphabetical by sector — for sector-focused research
A-Z
Alphabetical by ticker
Watchlist
Click the star icon on any company row to add it to your watchlist. Watchlisted companies appear highlighted and can be accessed quickly from your dashboard. The watchlist is stored locally in your browser — no account required for this feature.

7. Example Workflows

Here are three common ways to use the screener depending on your research goal.

Find near-term binary events
  1. Enable the Catalyst toggle to show only companies with PDUFA or AdCom dates within 90 days
  2. Set Grade filter to "A" or "B" to eliminate high-risk situations
  3. Sort by Catalyst (days until) to find the most imminent events
  4. Click each company to review the full signal breakdown and pipeline details
Find insider buy + catalyst convergence
  1. Set Signal Type filter to "Insider Buy"
  2. Set minimum Score to 60 to ensure multiple signals are present
  3. Sort by Score (highest first)
  4. Look for companies that also show a PDUFA or Clinical tag alongside the Insider Buy
  5. This combination — insider buying ahead of a known catalyst — is historically one of the strongest setups
Screen out financial risk
  1. Enable Cash Danger filter to isolate companies with <6 months runway
  2. Review their Dilution Risk rating — HIGH or CRITICAL means share issuance is likely imminent
  3. Cross-reference with any upcoming PDUFA dates — a company desperate for cash may time a raise around a catalyst
  4. Use this view for risk management: avoid adding to positions in companies that appear here
REFERENCE

Glossary

Essential biotech investing terms — from FDA pathways to BiotechSigns proprietary metrics.

Glossary is loading or unavailable. View the full glossary →
Data sourced from SEC EDGAR, ClinicalTrials.gov, and FDA.gov. For dilution-related terms, see also DilutionWatch. For market sentiment data, see StonkWhisper.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the BTS Catalyst Score?
The BTS Catalyst Score is a 0–100 composite metric that measures the density and quality of signals surrounding a biotech company. Higher scores indicate more converging signals — insider buys, PDUFA dates, clinical milestones, and institutional flows — which historically precede significant price movement.
What does the Grade mean in the screener?
The Grade (A through F) is a letter-grade summary of a company's catalyst quality relative to its risk profile. A-grade companies have strong upcoming catalysts, manageable dilution risk, and adequate cash runway. F-grade companies have weak or no catalyst signals and elevated financial risk.
What is dilution risk in biotech?
Dilution risk refers to the likelihood that a biotech company will issue new shares to raise capital, reducing the value of existing shareholders' stakes. BiotechSigns rates dilution risk as Low, Medium, High, or Critical based on SEC filings including ATM offerings, shelf registrations, and warrant exercises.
What does cash runway mean?
Cash runway is the number of months a company can sustain operations at its current burn rate without raising additional capital. Companies with less than 6 months of cash runway face near-term financing pressure, which often leads to dilutive stock offerings.
What is signal convergence?
Signal convergence occurs when multiple independent signals — such as an insider buy, a PDUFA date within 90 days, and rising institutional ownership — align for the same company at the same time. Convergence is one of the strongest predictive signals on the platform.