MissionIR Small-Cap Investor Blog: December 2015

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

OurPet’s Company (OPCO) Provides an Opportunity to Capitalize on the Steady Growth of the Pet Industry

The success of any growing business depends on a wide variety of factors, but few decisions can impact a company’s prospects for growth more than choosing the right industry or market niche in which to operate. In a recent article on Entrepreneur.com, Christina Baldassarre outlined the benefits of one of the most intriguing market sectors for investors on the hunt for long-term plays with huge upside – the pet industry.

There are plenty of distinguishers to keep in mind when studying an industry’s viability. Is it recession-proof? Is it predictable? Is it experiencing consistent growth? When it comes to the pet industry, the answers to these questions are overwhelmingly positive. In the Entrepreneur.com article, the author studied the effects of the recent recession on the pet industry by taking an in-depth look at Google Trends for the search terms ‘dog toys’ and ‘cat toys’ over the past decade. Interest in both phrases maintained a consistent pattern throughout the 10-year period, with searches spiking toward the holiday season each year.

Overall, industry statistics support Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG, GOOGL) data. Over the past 20 years, the domestic pet market has more than tripled in size, growing from $17 billion in 1994 to just over $60 billion this year, according to the American Pet Products Association. Among these expenditures, just over 25 percent were attributed to veterinary care, leaving nearly three-quarters of the total pet industry divided amongst retailers and service businesses. For companies operating in this space, there’s plenty of room for financial growth. Most retail businesses seek margins of approximately 60 percent or more, but some of the most popular pet toys and bones offer margins in excess of 70 percent.

With an expansive and consistent market and an educated customer base, it’s surprising to find that the pet industry is comparatively sparse when it comes to pure plays. Currently, the industry is extremely fragmented, with hundreds of small, relatively unknown brands jostling for a piece of the growing pie. However, one company, OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO), has been building a strong presence in the market for nearly two decades.

OPCO’s business model centers on marketing products designed to satisfy the mental and physical health, safety and comfort of pets around the world. The company is already a significant player in domestic sales of bowls/feeders; cat and dog toys and accessories; and feline waste management solutions. OPCO’s distribution network includes agreements with some of the most recognizable retail brands in the world – including PetSmart, Kroger (NYSE: KR), Walmart (NYSE: WMT) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN).

With a growing foothold in the third largest consumer market in the country and an expanding portfolio of more than 1,500 SKU’s and 225 patents, OPCO represents an intriguing investment option that a contributor to Seeking Alpha recently referred to as “one of the only non-retail pure pet plays left in the industry.” As the company makes efforts to increase its brand awareness by targeting dedicated shelf space in retail stores, it could be primed to continue building on its past growth while promoting strong, sustainable returns for shareholders.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ourpets.com

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Monday, December 28, 2015

OurPet’s Company (OPCO) Targeting Significant Market Growth with Investment in Distribution and Marketing Infrastructure

Anatole France, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1921, famously said, “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” We know how true that is, because we do love our animals. In Pet Population & Ownership Trends (November 2014), the market research company Packaged Facts reported that about 55% of the U.S. adult population (133 million people) has at least one pet. Dogs are our favorites. There are 45 million households with man’s best friend. Another 30 million or so of us own (or are owned by) a cat. Then, there are the almost 7 million who love fish and the 4 million who fly with the birds and even some 3.5 million who own a reptile.

The American Pet Products Association (APPA) estimates that U.S. pet industry spending will be about $60.59 billion this year. Most of this, some $23.04 billion, will go toward food, of course. The vet will get about one-quarter of that, or $15.73 billion. Another $14.39 billion will go for over-the-counter medicines and supplies. Keeping our pets in a safe place while we go away and grooming services will cost us another $5.24 billion, and getting new pets will involve an investment of $2.19 billion. The industry has grown at an annually compounded rate of 4.6% over the past five years, from $48.35 billion at the end of 2010 to the 2015 estimate of $60.59 billion.

There are a number of factors underpinning this market expansion. First, the industry has been successful in emphasizing the bond we have with our pets. The typical American regards his dog or cat as a member of the family. This has driven sales of top-end products. Second, many upper-income households spend heavily on pet care products, such as toys and other devices that cater to their pet’s mental well-being. Third, the participation of upper-income households in the market has spurred the development of the pet specialty channel, which caters to more esoteric products. Finally, the recognition that pets, like us, need specialized health care has given rise to a burgeoning market.

Despite favorable market conditions, opportunities to invest in this lucrative industry are limited. Most companies in pet care and supplies, save a few, are private. Apart from the big dogs like PetSmart, Inc (NASDAQ: PETM) and Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ: CENT), there’s very little else on the big exchanges.

There is, however, an oasis in this desert of investment opportunities. OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) has been growing much faster than the industry. Since 2010, it has recorded a compound annual growth rate of about 6%. In 2011, it initiated a two-pronged branding strategy. The OurPet’s brand is aimed at the pet aficionado, while the Pet Zone brand is designed for the mass market. This strategy has, undoubtedly, paid off.

The management team is ambitious. In a recent interview, they confessed their objective to double the size of the company. As part of that initiative, they are investing heavily in distribution and marketing infrastructure. Also, they plan to make the waste and odor category a more significant part of OPCO’s business. Spearheading this thrust is the Smart Scoop product line. OPCO’s strategic business plan calls for annual year over year sales growth of 20% with targeted net income as a percentage of sales in the 10% – 12% range. Looks like the guys at OPCO plan to make investors purr.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ourpets.com

International Stem Cell Corp. (ISCO) Edges Ever Closer to First Real Therapeutic Solution for Halting & Even Reversing Parkinson’s

With the recent announcement from Australia’s version of the FDA, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, that pluripotent stem cell manufacturing innovator International Stem Cell Corp. (OTCQB: ISCO) has been cleared to start Phase I/IIa dose escalation clinical trials focused on the safety and efficacy of its human parthenogenetic neural stem cells (ISC-hpNSCs), the company has taken another major step toward a real therapeutic solution to Parkinson’s disease. An incurable condition that primarily affects the planet’s growing elderly population, Parkinson’s currently afflicts well over 10 million people worldwide and represents a therapeutics market somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.6 billion.

However, while the sale of extant therapeutics will continue to be dominated by mere dopamine agonists and an increasing use of MAO-B inhibitors (historically used to treat depression), such treatments are palliative at best, and sales will be substantially impacted by the rapid proliferation of generics. Even the newer agents coming down the industry’s pipeline through to 2020, such as a reformulated levodopa from Impax Laboratories (NASDAQ: IPXL) and GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK), or the MAO-B inhibitor safinamide being developed by Merck (NYSE: MRK), Newron (OTC: NWPHF) and EMD Serono, will be forced to compete with generics.

ISCO, on the other hand, has the inside track in this market with an injectable cellular therapy that is potentially capable of actually replacing dead and dying neurons in the midbrain, while directly offsetting Parkinson’s symptoms. This solution also offers substantial protection to surviving neurons, shielding them from further deterioration. Considerable pre-clinical animal model testing has already shown extremely promising results and the progress ISCO is set to make via the Phase I/IIa clinical trial in humans could propel the company to stardom as the first to develop an actual solution for Parkinson’s sufferers.

This same technology, because it employs high purity functional adult human cells that have been created from unfertilized donor eggs at the company’s state-of-the-art Oceanside, California, facility using an ethical, patented chemical differentiation process, could also evolve into frontline treatments for other CNS (central nervous system) maladies such as Alzheimer’s and stroke. The FDA’s recent IND approval of Stemedica’s allogeneic (same species but genetically dissimilar and generally immunologically incompatible) stem-cell therapy for a Phase IIa clinical study in Alzheimer’s at UC San Diego shows how much potential there is for this kind of technology, and how receptive the FDA has become to stem cell technology.

ISCO’s ability to manufacture commercial-scale batches of both precisely human leukocyte antigen-matched (HLA) and therefore histocompatible human parthenogenetic stem cell lines, as well as HLA-homozygous lines that are suitable for significant segments of the overall population, gives the company a real edge here as well. Stemedica’s allogeneic stem cells, for instance and by contrast, are cultivated from donor tissues, not differentiated from unfertilized eggs. Thus, ISCO’s technology is quite remarkable, because it substantially overcomes one of the main challenges facing stem cell therapeutics as a viable solution to numerous diseases; namely, cell rejection by the patient’s immune system.

International Stem Cell Corporation could be first to market a treatment actually capable of halting the progression of Parkinson’s disease in its tracks, or even reversing the impact of the disease. Results from the company’s landmark human clinical trial should start to become available in the coming months and investors should keep a close eye on ISCO for breaking news.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

Monday, December 21, 2015

How Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (OGES) Excels at “Made in the USA” Manufacturing

Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (OTC: OGES) is in the business of using top-of-the-line technology to manufacture highly innovative energy storage solutions across the United States. As a ‘Made in the USA’ manufacturing company, OGES’s strategy of execution is as simple as it is effective: develop, manufacture and sell products.

The company’s products include lithium-ion large format prismatic cells, small format prismatic cells, and battery modules, which are distributed through a highly focused business development and sales team. The company’s innovative ‘Made in the USA’ product line, comprised of multiple lithium-ion chemistries, technologies and form factors (or shapes) that address multiple high-demand target markets, is a stand-out offering in the manufacturing business that leads the onshoring movement of bringing jobs and manufacturing back to the USA.

Manufacturing products of this caliber calls for an equally high level of manufacturing capacity and sophistication. Through the majority ownership of Oakridge by Precept Fund Management SPC, Oakridge CEO Steve Barber funded the creation of a full-scale manufacturing facility for Oakridge, a significant upgrade from the company’s previous 12,500-square-foot-facility.

In October, Oakridge unveiled the new, 68,718-square-foot facility in Brevard County, Florida, in Melbourne and Palm Bay. The sprawling plant houses Oakridge’s corporate offices and manufacturing plant, and it is part of the company’s ongoing $270 million investment in corporate growth, which also includes the planned purchase of a significant amount of additional manufacturing equipment, as well as continued product development and innovation.

Precept’s investment in Oakridge’s facility has already triggered a positive effect, contributing to the company’s third-quarter results (total assets exceeded $76.0 million while liabilities were reported at slightly more than $2.75 million).

“Our third-quarter results reflect the significant investment that Precept has made into this exciting business,” said Barber. “From development of products to purchase of manufacturing equipment, this business is now fully operational and poised for growth.”

Over the next 18 months, Oakridge has outlined plans to continue to strengthen its balance sheet and ramp-up and install more than 2.6 gigawatt-hours of production capacity. The focus of the ramp-up and installation will be on manufacturing electrodes, cells and batteries in the company’s new facility.

For more information, visit www.oakg.net

OurPet’s Company (OPCO) Represents a Model for Growth in Sales and Earnings

Small Cap companies represent unique and advantageous opportunities to get in on the ground floor of a company before it turns into the next Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) or Facebook (NASDAQ: FB). With a very small investment during the early growth stages, the return can be life changing. The trick is doing your due diligence and pulling the trigger on winners. Keys to look for are always fundamentals, sales growth and an increase in earnings. OurPet’s Company (OTC: OPCO) has all of the above and has been around since 1995.

In its first year of operation, OurPet’s reported annual sales of $150,000, more than tripled that number the next year to $500,000 and now boasts more than $25 million in annual sales. The company is also profitable and has shown growth in that area as well since 2011. Over that time period, OurPet’s earnings have grown from $120,674 to $1.1 million.

The pet products and services industry, where the company operates, was valued at $71.3 billion in 2013 and is expected to grow even more in the coming years. The company has more than 250 distribution customers, including household names like Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), PetSmart (NASDAQ: PETM), Petco and Kroger (NYSE: KR). Relationships like these are essential to sustaining and topping sales and earnings targets in the future.

Innovative and consistent product developments are very important, as well, particularly for companies in the pet products industry. Keeping things fresh and up to date for the ever-changing needs of the consumer is evident with OurPet’s business strategy, as they have about 30 new products in the mill for release during 2016 and beyond.

Consistency and innovation define the OurPet’s brand. Now that its brand is established, it is the company’s mission to gradually increase market share both domestic and internationally. With relationships already in place with world leaders like Wal-Mart, it’s only a matter of time before OurPet’s Company becomes a household name.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ourpets.com

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Moxian Inc. (MOXC) Boasts Rapid Corporate Growth along with a Strong Management Team

Moxian, Inc. (OTC: MOXC) provides social marketing and promotional platforms for clients who want to promote their businesses through social media. These clients can run advertising and promotional campaigns while gaining access to consumer behavior data compiled from a database provided by the company through Moxian+, their social media platform. For consumers, Moxian+ is a great way to see what special events and promotions are going on nearby. They can also play games, message friends, and shop at an online mall with virtual currency, all while racking up rewards points. Businesses using the platform can study analytics, use business and marketing tools geared toward customer needs, and advertise their services. In a social media-driven world, Moxian is providing an integrated platform that aims to pinpoint consumer behavior so businesses can take advantage and make a profit.

Behind the scenes, the management team of Moxian is filled with experience, intelligence, and creativity. At the forefront is CEO and chairman, James Mengdong Tan, who has over twenty years experience in private and public company management in both Asia and the United States. His work history includes being the chairman and CEO of Vashion Group, executive director and CEO of Vantage Corporation, and serving on the board of Pacific Internet Ltd. Tan graduated from the prestigious National University of Singapore in 1985.

Another impressive team member is Director Liew Kwong Yeow, who has over twenty-five years experience in senior positions related to the quality, procurement, and engineering of products. Past employers include Matsushita Denki, General Motors (NYSE: GM), and Intel (NASDAQ: INTC). He holds degrees and certifications from Singapore Polytechnics University, Intel University, and the General Motors Institute.

The Director of Creative and Marketing, Edmund Ooi, brings two decades of creative development and managing experience to Moxian. He helped the company increase its drive in China with his vast marketing communication and creative skills. In the past, Ooi has helped generate the sales and marketing strategies of Samsung (OTC: SSNLF), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Mercedes, Warner Bros. (NYSE: TWX), and more.

Moxian intends to consistently improve its product while expanding its reach to include a wider audience. In a recent news release, Ooi stated, “I think we have seen a great leap in our skillset and our ability to offer much stronger and more robust software.”

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://ir.moxian.com/html-en/

International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (THM) Strategizes for Success in Alaska’s Massive Livengood Mining District

Seventy miles northwest of Fairbanks, Alaska, in one of the most desirable mining jurisdictions on earth, Canadian junior mining exploration company International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (NYSE MKT: THM) is developing its 100% interest in the Livengood Gold Project. The Livengood Mining District has been actively mined for nearly 100 years, and it’s considered one of the largest independent and undeveloped gold deposits in the world with production of more than 500,000 ounces of gold and more than 20 million ounces of gold resource contained.

Within this district, THM controls in entirety its 75-square mile land package, which is made up of Alaska State mining claims, fee simple land, federal placer claims, mineral lands leased from the Alaska Mental Health Land Trust, and leases with private holders’ federal patented and unpatented lode and placer claims.

According to THM, the Livengood gold resource has significantly expanded since it was acquired by the company in late 2006, marked by aggressive resource expansion drilling programs that now total more than 714,900 feet in over 792 drill holes.

THM’s stated vision is to “become a top mid-tier gold mining company,” and its advancement strategy to do so, in specific regard to the Livengood Gold Project, is to utilize a cash management program and maintain the necessary environmental baseline activities to move the permitting process forward. The mine plan provides sufficient ore to support annual production of roughly 577,600 ounces over an estimated 14-year mine life and an average of 698,500 ounces in the first five years of production.

As of September, 30, 2015, THM reported working capital of USD$7.5 million, which the company said it expects will enable Livengood Gold Project advancement into the year ahead.

Elephant Talk Communications Corp. (ETAK) Initiates Restructuring of Global Business Operations with Executive and Board Appointments

As part of its efforts to restructure its global business under recently appointed executive chairman Hal Turner, Elephant Talk Communications Corp. (NYSE MKT: ETAK) recently announced a series of executive and board appointments. These appointments are expected to be the first in a number of critical improvements to the company’s organizational structure designed to boost Elephant Talk’s business operations, technological developments and ability to deliver the best services and support to its rapidly expanding customer base.

The executive appointments and transitions include:

Gary Brandt has been named chief restructuring officer and will be responsible for leading the transition and reorganization of Elephant Talk’s global operations. Brandt brings more than three decades of experience in C-level and executive finance leadership with several public companies in the technology space.

Armin Hessler, formerly co-president of the company’s mobile platform business, will now serve as Elephant Talk’s chief operating officer.

Robert Skaff, founder of DiNotte Lighting Hampton, has been elected as a new independent director, assuming the position formerly held by Jaime Bustillo.

Tim Payne, current president of Elephant Talk North America (ETNA), has stepped down as the company’s interim chief executive officer. Payne will continue to serve as president of ETNA.

“When I assumed the role of executive chairman last month, one of my first priorities was to undertake an extensive, top to bottom review of the company,” Hal Turner, executive chairman of the board of Elephant Talk, stated in the news release. “With Gary Brandt’s appointment to lead the restructuring and the expansion of Armin Hessler’s responsibilities, we are building a foundation of world-class leadership to run our global business operations that will complement Elephant Talk’s world-class technology.”

The company expects to continue its restructuring efforts by announcing additional executive appointments during the first half of 2016.

Hal Turner was appointed to the position of executive chairman last month. He brings more than 40 years of international C-level global telecom and communications experience to Elephant Talk, including extensive experience as an executive with major wireless and wired operators. Notably, he served in senior sales and marketing roles at AT&T (NYSE: T) and as the president and chief operating officer of BellSouth Communications, Inc. prior to its merger with AT&T.

Elephant Talk is a leading international provider of mobile networking software and services. Leveraging software-defined networking, network function virtualization and cloud technologies, the company has developed a suite of products that are at the leading edge of performance and reliability in the rapidly evolving mobile telecommunications industry.

For more information, visit www.elephanttalk.com

International Stem Cell Corporation’s (ISCO) Clinical Trials Vital to Halting Progression of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive movement disorder, meaning that symptoms continue to get worse over time. Approximately one million people in the US are living with this disease. While there is currently no cure and its cause remains unknown, treatment options for managing symptoms range from medication to surgery.

Parkinson’s (PD) involves the death of nerve cells in the brain, called neurons. Some of these dying neurons produce dopamine, a chemical that sends messages to the part of the brain that controls movement and coordination. As PD progresses, the amount of dopamine produced in the brain decreases. The result is that the inflicted individual is unable to control movement in a normal fashion.

Scientists are also exploring the suggestion that loss of cells in other areas of the brain and body contribute to PD. As an example, researchers have discovered that the first indication of PD — clumps of a protein alpha-synuclein, which are also called Lewy bodies — is found not only in the mid-brain, but also in the brain stem and the olfactory bulb. These areas of the brain are associated with non-motor functions such as sense of smell and sleep regulation. Scientists believe that the presence of Lewy bodies in these areas could explain the non-motor symptoms experienced by some people with PD before any motor sign of the disease appears.

Central to the conversation of the treatment of PD is International Stem Cell Corporation (OTC: ISCO). The company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Cyto Therapeutics, has received regulatory approval by the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) of Australia to initiate a phase I/IIa dose escalation trial of human parthenogenetic stem cells-derived neural stem cells (ISC-hpNSC) in patients with moderate to severe PD.

In 2014, the company announced encouraging results from preclinical studies of its ISC-hpNSC therapeutic candidate. In its preclinical studies, the cells demonstrated an improvement in PD symptoms and promoted increases in brain dopamine levels following the intracranial administration of ISC-hpNSC. The studies also noted that the ISC-hpNSCs provided neurotrophic support and cell replacement to dying dopaminergic neurons.

International Stem Cell Corporation is a publicly traded biotechnology company with a powerful new stem cell technology called parthenogenesis, which uses unfertilized eggs and promises to significantly advance the field of regenerative medicine by addressing the problem of immune-rejection. The company is centered on using stem cells to treat diseases of the eye, the nervous system and the liver, where cell therapy has been proven clinically but is limited by the availability of safe immune-matched human cells or tissue.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Content Checked Holdings (CNCK) Nutritionist Provides Potentially Life-Saving Insight for Yahoo! Travel Article

The peanut: a rather inconspicuous snack for the majority of people. However, peanut allergies are among the top eight food allergies in the U.S., accounting for 90% of the food allergies from which 21 million Americans suffer. However, peanut allergies tend to be the most severe and are likely to cause a serious, or even potentially fatal, allergic reaction. For individuals with food allergies, the best strategy for their safety is to completely avoid the culprit, although that’s not always an easy prescription to fill.

Yahoo! Travel recently published a heart-rending article about two children and their accidental interaction with peanuts – one of them fatal. The title of the article, “Big Debate: Is it OK to Bring Peanuts on a Plane?”, demonstrates the danger of bringing food allergens that are known to cause fatal reactions in a public setting, and how we can take others’ risks into consideration, especially when traveling.

Read the full article here: https://www.yahoo.com/travel/big-debate-is-it-ok-1291594081484854.html

Among many medical professionals and experts to chime in on the article is Tara Zamani, a Nutritionist for Content Checked Holdings Inc. (OTC: CNCK), the developer of a family of apps specifically designed for people with specific dietary requirements. While the majority of airlines no longer serve peanuts, there are currently no laws prohibiting passengers to bring nuts on board.

Zamani suggests a few easy precautions peanut-munching passengers can take to alleviate the risk of accidentally contaminating a traveler with a peanut allergy.

“Keep peanut butter in a closed container. If you want to use it as a spread, prepare your sandwich prior to coming on to the plane, wrap it in foil, and put it in a Ziploc. It’s best to ask your neighbors if they have allergies. If so, change seats if you plan on consuming what they’re allergic to,” she says.

Zamani’s comments, in addition to those of Content Checked’s other Nutritional professionals, are becoming increasingly recognizable in food and health-related articles. The company has continued to gain traction as not only the developer of an impressive suite of apps, but also as a reliable and respected source for food and food-related information.

Consumers set their food allergies or intolerances on the Content Checked apps, and simply scan the barcodes of whichever items they are considering purchasing. The app then tells the user whether or not the product in question is suitable based on their dietary restrictions. If the product is not suitable, the app suggests alternatives, similar products free from their allergens. This connection between consumers/users, food products and food manufacturers at the point-of-purchase is the basis of Content Checked’s business model – a highly engaged platform that educates consumers in need of recommendations for products that fit their dietary restriction profile.

Zamani’s commentary on in-flight allergens potentially exposes the Content Checked brand and expertise to Yahoo! Travel’s roughly 57.2 million unique monthly visitors. Additionally, Content Checked is hyperlinked in the article, making it easy for readers to click through for more information about the apps or Content Checked itself.

“This feature is great as it continues to elevate Content Checked’s status while getting it in front of a huge consumer audience,” Content Checked CEO Kris Finstad tells MissionIR, part of the DreamTeamNetwork (DTN). “We are continuing our outreach efforts and also constantly scanning for additional features.”

For more information visit www.contentchecked.com

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

NanoViricides, Inc. (NNVC) Developing Unique, Robust Nanobiopharma Solutions to the Most Pressing Infectious Disease Problems on Earth

The rate at which a virus like influenza adapts and evolves has always been a subject for concern in the medical community, with vaccine technology only barely able to keep up from year to year. In many cases, as was the case this year, the latest vaccine for the latest strain is largely ineffective, with this season’s flu vaccine only obtaining around 23 percent efficacy according to the CDC’s own data (a figure which has dropped to as low as 10 percent in the past). However, in recent years this concern has given way to an increasing degree of outright alarm among savvy epidemiologists, upon whom it is now dawning that, without some serious technological innovation, we may soon be hitting a brick wall with public health crisis written all over it.

Just this week, the first Influenza fatality for the current season was reported in the state of Idaho, where 32 people died from flu-related illness last year. As many as 49,000 or more have died in the U.S. in a given year since the CDC started tracking such data over four decades ago. The majority of flu-associated deaths are typically in people over 65, and influenza vaccines are currently the most popular and widely accepted vaccination amongst adults.

As is typical, influenza vaccines accounted for the lion’s share of the $33.1 billion vaccine market last year. A market which is on track to hit upwards of $57.8 billion by 2019, growing at a CAGR of around 11.8 percent, according to a report from MarketsandMarkets out earlier this year. The market is currently dominated by a handful of major players like Merck (NYSE: MRK), Glaxo Smith Kline (NYSE: GSK) and Sanofi (NYSE: SNY), with smaller positions held by the likes of Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT), as well as CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), which acquired Novartis’ (NYSE: NVS) vaccine business earlier this year, including the influenza vaccines development pipeline.

The kind of forward growth projection contained in the MarketsandMarkets report is quite reasonable considering the increasing public attention about influenza in recent years, following the swine flu (Influenza A, H1N1) pandemic in 2009, and the avian/swine flu scares since. The rapidity with which influenza viruses mutate (driven by underlying, gradual antigenic drift), which can and has resulted in cross-species mobility into human populations for avian/swine flu, is one of the leading sources for the increasing alarm. Just this week, officials at the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection confirmed the presence of avian influenza (AH7N9) in two humans from mainland China who have had routine exposure to poultry, both of whom are currently hospitalized and in serious condition.

Such news is particularly alarming when one stops to consider the mounting evidence that we may be approaching the end of antibiotics as we have come to know them. A daunting problem which has been illustrated most recently by a report in the Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal on plasmid-mediated resistance to the last-resort antibiotic Colistin in animals and human beings in China. The decades-old antibiotic Colistin is only used as a last-resort these days in cases where multidrug-resistant bacteria are encountered, due to significant liver toxicity risk. Thus, this report has really raised eyebrows among many in the medical community, who are concerned that even stopgap measures like Colistin are becoming ineffective.

Luckily, we have some extremely compelling work being done in this area by a development-stage nanobiopharma company called NanoViricides (NYSE: NNVC), which has developed a novel nanoviricide® class of drug candidates that employ an ingenious and wholly unique approach to antiviral therapeutics involving nanomaterials. The company’s incredibly versatile nanoviricide platform has the potential to address a wide range of underserved and unserved demands, with pipeline indications under development ranging from its injectable/oral FluCide™ for influenza and the HerpeCide™ indication for herpesvirus, to candidates that may one day become the leading combatants of such devastating diseases as HIV or Ebola.

What really makes the company’s proprietary nanoviricide technology so interesting is its exploitation of an as-yet critically under examined property among even fast-mutating viruses, where the receptor binding site does not substantially change across iterations. This ingenious approach grants the nanoviricide platform’s method of action immense versatility that is unparalleled anywhere else in the industry today, and allows for the development of both virus-specific and broad-spectrum indications. By pairing a maximally-expressed virus-binding ligand made from the binding site on the virus cell’s own surface receptors, with a proprietary nanomicelle flexible polymer, the company is able to create molecular smart bombs that seek out and attach to virus cells, and yet which look to the virus like an extremely tasty normal human cell.

The virus is fooled into attacking the antibody-scale nanoviricide and is then fully engulfed by the highly flexible nanomicelle polymer in what is effectively a nano-scale Velcro effect, completely stopping the virus from infecting any more cells, degrading the protein shell of the virus, and outrightly dismantling it. This brilliant method of action stands in stark contrast to what most current entry and fusion inhibitors do, blocking only some of the binding sites, which leaves the virus cell able to infect other cells. This method of action is also expected to be far superior to similarly-large antibody agents as well, because it does not require the often already compromised immune system of the host to clear the virus particle, and instead is able to destroy the virus particle on its own.

Moreover, the company’s already successfully demonstrated ADIF technology (Accurate-Drug-In-Field) represents a lightweight, field-deployable frontline defensive and offensive solution for novel or emergent, quickly mutating strains like Ebola. The ADIF technology allows emergency medical responders to rapid-prototype an accurate drug on-site, anywhere in the world an outbreak might occur. This capacity means that NNVC holds the power to potentially allow medical professionals to safely combat the most dangerous infectious diseases, as well as bioterrorism agents directly, before they can spread and become a more serious issue for an increasingly connected world.

This is a key advantage for NNVC that investors should keep an eye on, especially considering the latest Ebola scare in Africa, with news breaking that as of December 15, seventeen suspected Ebola patients have gone missing from a healthcare facility in the Liberian capital of Monrovia, after a mob attacked the facility on Saturday. We could be looking at the start of another Ebola outbreak surge (previously thought to be contained), tipped off by this incident in Liberia, which has not had a history of the disease until recently, but which saw more than 400 fatalities alone due to the disease after the outbreak began last year. This now apparently ongoing outbreak, which began in Guinea two years ago this month, has also caused significant loss of life in Sierra Leone, and even managed to reach the U.S. and EU, forcing governments to critically reassess the potential severity of such a problem.

Dig deeper into this company’s revolutionary tech by visiting http://www.nanoviricides.com/

Dataram (DRAM): To Present at Source Capital Group’s 2016 Disruptive Growth and Healthcare Conference

The conference circuit is an all-important part of the growth process for small and start-up companies. Dataram Corp. (NASDAQ: DRAM) announced in a press release that it would be presenting at the Source Capital Group’s 2016 Disruptive Growth and Healthcare Conference in February 2016. This conference will feature executives from life science companies focusing on solutions to unmet medical needs and growth companies with disruptive technologies and business models.

Presenting at conferences to get your name out there and meeting potential institutional investors is a vital part of getting access to the capital needed to grow and expand your business. This conference, in particular, is expected to have in attendance more than 400 institutional and accredited investors, family offices, analysts, registered investment advisors, and wealth managers, as well as Source Capital representatives and their clients.

Source Capital is a seasoned investment-banking group with a myriad of Wall Street experience that focuses on the underserved and widely unknown gems of the small cap and start-up sectors. Many companies like Dataram will be presenting at the Source Capital Conference and looking to deliver their messages in hopes of attracting new money and opportunities.

Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) and Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) were both in this stage of capital raise and business development just a few short years ago. Great ideas are a dime a dozen, but what separates the winners from the losers in the small cap sector is a steadfast commitment to delivering their products and services to the most customers using whatever means necessary.

Hitting the conference circuit to let the money people put a face with a product is essential for developing trust and interest. Any smart investor scours the endless presentations for the few companies that are worth a closer look and, possibly, a capital investment that opens the door for maximized return on investment.

For more information about Source Capital Group, please visit the company’s website at www.sourcegrp.com.

For more information about Dataram Corp., please visit the company’s website at www.dataram.com.

Monday, December 14, 2015

OurPet’s Company (OPCO): Smart Pet Products for a Growing Market

Pets are part of the family these days. We register them in the American Kennel Club or the American Kennel Association; buy them insurance and health plans; make monthly appointments at the groomer and veterinarian; and are projected to spend $61 billion in 2015 on our pets in the U.S. alone, according to the American Pet Products Association. OurPet’s Company (OTC: OPCO) is capitalizing on this already prodigious and constantly growing market with its innovative, high quality product line designed to improve the health, comfort, safety, and enjoyment of pets.

The company markets its products through two brands: the OurPets brand caters to pet specialty customers and consumers and the Pet Zone brand focuses on the needs of the food/drug/mass-market channel and shoppers.

In the third quarter, OurPet’s reported record revenue of $6 million, which was a 7 percent increase from the comparable 2014-quarter. The company also reported a massive 428 percent increase in net income to $410,450, or $0.02 diluted earnings per share, compared to $77,751, or $0.00, for the third quarter of 2014.

Growth is key to determining whether a small company is on the right track. In the third quarter press release, Dr. Steven Tsengas, president and CEO, commented, “We have expanded and strengthened our relationship with several domestic and international independent sales representative organizations, and have added another experienced salesperson to our staff.”

Nearly 100 million households own either a dog or cat, according to the American Pet Products Association, and with the health conscience consumer segment experiencing rapid growth, it is logical to predict that this type of shopper will want to buy the same type of safe, healthy and innovative products for their pets. OurPet’s is poised for a breakout year in 2016 after expanding its product line, distribution cycle and adding more talent to its sales team.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ourpets.com

International Stem Cell Corp. (ISCO) Gets Regulatory Green Light to Begin Clinical Trial of ISC-hpNSC for the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

Currently available Parkinson’s disease treatments, while capable of improving the early symptoms of the disease, lose their effect as the disease progresses and produce involuntary writing movements in the patients. As of yet there is no cure for the disease, which is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and affects over 7 million people worldwide. International Stem Cell Corp. (OTC: ISCO), a leader in using pluripotent stem cells in regenerative medicine, this morning issued news regarding its stem cell technology – signaling a potential blockbuster shift it the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

ISCO today announces that its wholly owned subsidiary, Cyto Therapeutics, has received regulatory approval by the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) of Australia to initiate a phase I/IIa clinical trial, dose escalation trial of human parthenogenetic stem cells-derived neural stem cells (ISC-hpNSC) in patients with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease.

“We are very pleased to start the first human study of ISC-hpNSC’s for the treatment of this debilitating disease. There is a large unmet medical need for new treatments that may halt or reverse the progression of Parkinson’s disease and we believe our human neural stem cells may fill this need for the millions of people with this disease” stated Andrey Semechkin, PhD, ISCO’s chief executive officer. “We look forward to reporting on the progress of the clinical trial over the coming months.”

ISCO last year announced positive results from its preclinical studies for its ISC-hpNSC therapeutic candidate. In those preclinical studies, the cells demonstrated an improvement in Parkinson’s disease symptoms and increase in brain dopamine levels following the intracranial administration of ISC-hpNSC. The studies further noted that the ISC-hpNSCs provided neurotrophic support and cell replacement to dying dopaminergic neurons.

About the clinical study

The upcoming phase I/IIa clinical study – which will be performed at Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne, Australia – is a dose escalation safety and preliminary efficacy study of human parthenogenetic stem cells-derived neural stem cells (ISC-hpNSC) intracranially transplanted into patients with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease. The open-label, single center, uncontrolled clinical trial will evaluate three different dose regimens of 30 million-70 million neural cells. A total of 12 participants with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease will be treated. Following transplantation, the patients will be monitored for 12 months at specified intervals, to evaluate the safety and biologic activity of ISC-hpNSC.

“We are the first company in the world to conduct clinical trials of human pluripotent stem cells based product for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. We believe the outcome of the study will produce findings in-line with our preclinical studies, where we demonstrated not only safety of our proprietary neural stem cells, but also their functional efficacy. The cells were able to successfully integrate into the brain and provide a significant increase of dopamine levels in the nigrostriatal system” commented Russell Kern, PhD, ISCO’s executive vice president and chief scientific officer.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

Friday, December 11, 2015

NanoViricides, Inc. (NNVC) Ushering in a New Era in Targeted Antiviral Therapeutics

In 2014, the largest Ebola epidemic in history struck countries in West Africa, catching the attention of media outlets around the world and reaffirming the destructive power that viruses can have on unprepared civilizations. Viruses come in many shapes and sizes. From relatively inert bugs such as the common cold to dangerous, life-threatening infections like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), influenza and dengue fever, viruses are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth, making them the most abundant type of biological entity on the planet.

Unlike bacteria, which are mostly harmless and often aid in the function of the human body, viruses are almost always bad news. These tiny organisms attach themselves to healthy cells within the body and, in many cases, reprogram those cells to create new viruses until the cells eventually burst and die. In other cases, viruses transform normal, healthy cells into malignant or cancerous cells. Although viruses are small (the largest virus is still smaller than even the smallest of bacteria), they are vicious. Most viruses target specific cells within the body, such as those in the liver, respiratory system or blood, causing serious, long-term health risks for infected individuals.

Because viruses hijack native cells and reprogram them in order to spread, effectively targeting a virus without harming its host organism’s cells is particularly difficult. When combined with viruses’ ability to mutate in order to counter attempts to inhibit their development, creating a universally effective antiviral medication becomes nearly impossible. Instead, pharmaceutical companies dodge mutations by taking preemptive measures. By administering small, relatively safe doses of viruses to patients, patients’ immune systems can be educated regarding particular viral infections, making future infections much less likely. These doses are known as vaccines.

Vaccines, much like viruses, come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies are continuing to develop and innovative this preemptive treatment option in an effort to keep up with major viral threats. Vaccines are often extremely effective. Measles, for example, is one of the leading causes of death among young children, according to the World Health Organization, but a single dose of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine, which was developed in 1971 by Merck (NYSE: MRK), is 93 percent effective at preventing the deadly virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Not all vaccines are as consistently effective as the MMR vaccine, however. Influenza vaccines, such as those regularly developed by Sanofi (NYSE: SNY) and GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK), demonstrate the limitations of preemptive virus treatment. Because the influenza virus mutates very rapidly, flu shots are developed twice each year, but outbreaks of mutated strains still occur from time to time. To illustrate this, consider the 2009 flu pandemic, which involved the deadly H1N1 influenza virus, commonly known as swine flu. After patients are infected with an unforeseen virus mutation, vaccines are rendered totally ineffective, leaving biopharmaceutical companies to turn to alternative approaches to address these dangerous illnesses.

NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE MKT: NNVC) is a nano-biopharmaceutical company that’s attempting to usher in a whole new era in medicine. The company’s innovative nanoviricide® antiviral therapeutics are nanomachines that are armed to destroy a particular type of virus. By programming information about a specific virus into the nanoviricide – similar to the postal address on an envelope – the company’s treatment fools a virus that’s already in a person into attaching to it. Shortly after attachment, the nanoviricide encapsulates the virus particle and absorbs its coat proteins. Without those proteins, the virus is unable to bind to a cell, rendering it neutralized and effectively destroyed.

Utilizing its versatile platform technology, NanoViricides is currently developing drugs against a number of viral diseases – including H5N1 bird flu, seasonal influenza, HIV, epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), hepatitis C, rabies, dengue fever and Ebola virus, among others. The company’s broad-spectrum nanoviricides, which it’s developing to combat several neglected tropical diseases, can bind to as many as 95 percent of known viruses, according to company data. NanoViricides’s most advanced product candidate, injectable FluCide™, is currently being studied in IND-enabling trials for the treatment of severe influenza with hospitalization.

In a quarterly report filed earlier this year, NanoViricides outlined its considerable progress in recent months. In particular, the company highlighted the advancement of its HerpeCide™ program, which it expects to contribute to the ongoing development of topical drugs to control herpes virus outbreaks for a number of indications – including oral lesions and shingles. Assuming positive results from its animal studies, NanoViricides expects these programs to result in extremely effective drugs.

According to its latest financial report, NanoViricides estimates that it has enough cash on hand to perform initial human clinical trials on at least one of its promising drug candidates, as well as advancing at least one additional candidate toward initial clinical trials. With HerpeCide and injectable FluCide currently leading the way, the company is in a favorable strategic position to put its promising therapeutic candidates to the test in the coming months, ahead of potential commercialization. For prospective shareholders, NanoViricides, complete with its innovative approach to targeted antiviral therapeutics, represents an extremely intriguing investment opportunity in the rapidly evolving biopharmaceutical industry.

For more information, visit www.nanoviricides.com

Moxian, Inc. (MOXC) – Strategically Connecting Merchants with Customers

Moxian, Inc. (OTC: MOXC), a leader in online-to-offline marketing platforms, offers social marketing and promotion platforms to merchants who wish to promote their businesses through online social media. For five years, Moxian has delivered its platform to e-commerce operators, manufacturers, news media, payment providers, retail merchants, shopping mall operators, software developers and telecommunication and transportation providers from its base in Shenzhen, China.

Moxian’s products and services empower interactions between its merchant clients and its consumer users. The company designs its products and services to allow merchant clients to run advertising campaigns and promotions targeting customers. Its platform is also designed to entice users to return regularly and to encourage new users to subscribe to its website. In allowing merchant clients to study consumer behavior through data collected from a database of users’ activities, the company has focused on building a social customer relation management tool that allows business owners to engage in precision marketing.

The Moxian portfolio of products and services includes:

Moxian+ App, an O2O business solution geared toward small and medium businesses that provides its users with a social media platform, which integrates entertainment, commerce, shopping and customer loyalty reward;

A social marketing platform being designed and developed under the MO-Promo brand, which serves as an online sale promotion website for Moxian’s clients’ businesses; and

MO-Reward, a reward giving back platform under development.

Moxian’s innovative platform and loyalty program is driving the company’s growth. In the summer of 2015, the company further solidified its market position when it entered into a subscription agreement with Beijing Xinhua Huifeng Equity Investment Centre, a limited partnership based in Beijing, China. To raise US$8.19 million. Moxian offered 8.19 million shares of its common stock to Xinhua Huifeng through a private placement. This sizable investment will allow Moxian to continue on the path its management has set for it and to continue to invest in its growth. It will also allow Xinhua Huifeng to help fund and contribute to Moxian’s future.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://ir.moxian.com/html-en/

Content Checked Holdings (CNCK): Featured in DIY Active Article “Healthy Kitchen Tips: 4 Easy Steps”

Transitioning to a healthy lifestyle is essential for developing a better quality of life and extending your lifespan. With so many cheap, quick and easy, fast food chains on every corner of America, sometimes that seems like a monumental task, but, in today’s world of smartphone technology and ‘app-hungry’ consumers, Content Checked Holdings, Inc. (OTC: CNCK) is aiding the health conscience shopper with its easy-to-use ContentChecked and SugarChecked apps.

The company’s apps were recently featured in the DIY Active article “Healthy Kitchen Tips: 4 Easy Steps” by clinical nutritionist Tara Zamani where she outlines a guide to healthy living using readily available tips, products, and technology. Zamani emphasizes the importance of getting into the habit of cooking and making it a priority in your life. Once you do this for a while, it becomes fun and is unlike any other activity because of the joys associated with feeling healthier from your own making and, of course, helping your family do the same.

Before jumping into the kitchen, you need the proper ingredients for a healthy concoction. Here is where she illustrates the significance of savvy shopping via ContentChecked’s family of innovative mobile apps. With the SugarChecked app, once you scan a food item, an alert is issued based on personal dietary sugar/sweetener preferences, and then the app provides you with a list of satisfactory alternatives. The ContentChecked app works very similarly, except that it alerts the user based on personal allergy settings and then offers a list of acceptable replacements.

The company’s goal is to continue building an environment that will foster healthier and happier lives through personally targeted information. The key to a healthier way of life is in the palm of your hand thanks to Content Checked Holdings. All you need to do is download the apps and start shopping.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ContentChecked.com.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

ContentChecked Holdings, Inc. (CNCK) Offers You the Holidays Guilt-Free

The holiday season is supposed to be a joyous time of year, but can be surprisingly difficult for people with special dietary needs. A long season of planned celebrations and get-togethers can mean a constant barrage of food choices and decisions, a potential health nightmare for those who are diet-restricted. The search for holiday recipes that are both delicious and safe can make every trip to the store a challenge.

ContentChecked Holdings, Inc. (OTC: CNCK), is a California based company that is tapping today’s advanced mobile technology in the service of a huge and growing market, specifically for individuals that have dietary requirements and preferences. It has done this by offering a growing family of mobile apps that allow the user to specify their unique dietary restrictions, and then quickly and easily monitor their consumer purchases by simply scanning the product’s barcode with the app to find out if the product suits their dietary needs.

ContentChecked, the company’s initial app, helps users make better choices for their food allergy and intolerance needs by instantly telling them whether or not the product they scan is suitable based on their allergy settings. In addition, the app provides the user with positive alternatives.

SugarChecked is an app that, upon scanning a product, gives the user an alert based on their personal dietary sugar/sweetener preferences. If the product is deemed undesirable for the user, it suggests suitable and related alternatives.

MigraineChecked is an app for migraine sufferers who want to avoid eating foods that may trigger a migraine. By scanning the product’s barcode with the app, the user finds out if the product contains an ingredient, additive, or chemical compound that has shown to trigger migraines, highlighting the compound in the ingredient list.

VeganChecked, a fourth app, is slated for release at the end of this year.

Obviously, every individual has their own particular needs and preferences, which makes the flexibility of these mobile apps especially important, but one of the company’s nutritionists, Tara Zamani, recently took the time to put together some general holiday recipe suggestions designed to leave you healthier, happier, and less bloated. See http://dtn.fm/L8it1 for some ways to enjoy all of the holidays without hurting your body in the process.

For additional information, visit www.ContentChecked.com.

Hill International (HIL): Construction Management at its Finest

Risk is associated with every form of business, but it is especially important in the construction business. Millions and even billions of dollars are on the line with every project. Averting this risk as much as possible is paramount for a construction company to return profits on each project. The best way to increase the odds of success with a big construction job is to turn to a world-renowned company like Hill International, Inc. (NYSE: HIL).

Hill International is in the project management and construction claims business, meaning they are experts in budgeting; management of contractors, subcontractors and suppliers; estimating; inspection; expediting; and scheduling. Once your construction company lands a multi-million or multi-billion dollar project, the first call you make should be to the experts at Hill International. The company has many successful projects and accolades, including, most recently, being named the seventh largest construction management firm in the U.S. by Engineering News-Record.

The company has 4,800 professionals in 100 offices worldwide and also just announced a contract with Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company Morocco SARL for a coastal resort in Tangier, Morocco. This golf and beach resort encompasses nearly 600 acres and includes a hotel, resort, spa, apartments, beach and golf villas, clubhouse and 18-hole golf course.

Percentage points in this business determine whether your company goes under or moves on to greener pastures, so why risk doing this alone? Instead, put your faith in the company that has been around nearly 40 years and dominates its field. Would you rather have Joe Montana driving down the field to score the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl or Dan Marino? Historical results say the winner of four championships should be your choice.

Reputation, experience and success are cornerstones of Hill International’s business model, which explains why they are on the speed dial of real estate moguls around the globe.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.hillintl.com.

Sugar Creek Financial (SUGR): Stability and Security for More Than 100 Years

Choosing a reliable bank is an important decision. People often consider interest rates, total assets, and terms on accounts (checking, savings, loan, retirement, etc.) when considering their banking options. Another very important factor in the decision process is the bank’s reputation and how long they have been in business. Sugar Creek Financial Corporation (OTC: SUGR) is the holding company for Tempo Bank, which has been in business since 1889 and is located in Trenton, Illinois. Sugar Creek Financial is a subsidiary of Sugar Creek Mutual Holding Company.

Tempo Bank is Trenton’s oldest independent, locally operated and managed financial institution. Its directors, officers and employees live, work and are involved in the community. This means that all decisions are made locally, not hundreds of miles or states away. The bonus is that its customers receive personalized service and quicker responses to questions or requests from people that they know. From its humble beginnings to the present, Tempo Bank still believes that personal service is the major ingredient of its success.

The company offers the following types of accounts to individuals: checking accounts; savings accounts; IRA’s (with terms from 18 months to 60 months); and Certificates of Deposits (with terms from six months to 60 months). Insurance is always very important, so the company offers deposit insurance up to $250,000.

Working with a locally owned bank also has its perks. The company offers a suite of loan vehicles along with competitive interest rates and great customer service. Loan products include the following: consumer and auto loans; mortgage loans; home equity and improvement; and special programs (first time homebuyer’s program; home buyer pre-qualification, counseling and education assistance program; and affordable housing grant assistance program).

The company also offers eBanking; online bill pay; phone banking; a Shazam ATM card; and MasterMoney debit cards.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.tempobank.com.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

International Stem Cell Corp. (ISCO) Has a Broad Pipeline of Targets

International Stem Cell Corp. is tackling some of the world’s most debilitating health maladies with a powerful new stem cell technology that employs parthenogenesis. Parthenogenesis is a type of reproduction that takes place in the absence of fertilization. The company’s new stem cell technology holds the promise of advancing significantly the field of regenerative medicine by addressing the problem of immune-rejection. Stem cells are able to divide in a process of self-renewal in which one cell gives birth to two or more. They are also able to differentiate into cells of a different type so that a stem cell originating from one part of the body may differentiate into a type that is similar to the cells in another part of the body.

At the top of ISCO’s list is Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s is characterized by noticeable tremors of the hands. But since it is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects motor functions, it also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement. The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation estimates that approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease each year, a number that may not reflect the thousands of cases that go undetected. About one million Americans live with the disease and an estimated seven to ten million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease. ISCO’s UniStemCell for Parkinson’s has completed the Food & Drug Administration (FDA)’s Investigational New Drug (IND) phase, which means it will soon begin to undergoing clinical trials. Clinical trials occur when the effects of new treatments on humans are studied.

ISCO’s development of neural stem cells for the treatment of ischemic strokes is also at an advanced stage. Pre-clinical trials have been completed, and the company is now embarking on the FDA’s IND phase. Ischemic strokes occur as a result of an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that, on average, one American dies from stroke every four minutes and that more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke each year. About 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes.

ISCO is also developing treatments for spinal cord injury, metabolic liver diseases, retinal blindness and corneal blindness. These four treatments are all at the pre-clinical stage. Metabolic liver diseases, retinal blindness, corneal blindness and spinal cord injuries are ailments that affect hundreds of thousands. The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham estimates that between 240,000 and 337,000 people in the United States are currently living with spinal cord injuries (SCI) and 12,500 new SCI cases occur every year.

So far ISCO has accepted no government subventions and has been able to generate income from its two subsidiaries to help fund its research. One subsidiary, Lifeline Skin Care, Inc., develops, produces, and markets a line of anti-aging cosmetic skin care products. The other is Lifeline Cell Technology, LLC, which develops, manufactures, and sells human cell culture products along with optimized reagents for laboratory research purposes. For the many sufferers of Parkinson’s disease and other debilitating conditions, relief from ISCO is on the way.

Oakridge Global (OGES): The Battery Business is Recession Proof

Many uncertainties exist in today’s economy. People have to be much smarter with their money and change spending habits in order to compensate for a lack of disposable income. Take golf carts for example. A consumer is much more likely to pay more for longer lasting batteries instead of buying the newest model golf cart every year. Add Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (OTC: OGES) to the conversation.

Oakridge is a producer of lithium-based batteries for a multitude of residential, commercial, government, and medical applications that are made entirely in the US. Most batteries are produced in China and, while they’re cheap, they just don’t last very long. Oakridge makes high quality lithium-based batteries with significantly longer lifespans than the competition. Longer life in batteries means fewer trips to the store; increased reliability and performance when you really need it; more money in your pocket; and less tonnage dumped into landfills.

Alternative energy is the future, but it is unattainable, in a practical sense without a sustainable energy storage solution. You can have the most efficient solar panel or the highest power generating wind turbine, but unless you have a way to effectively store, harness, and access that energy, the point is moot.

The company uses two state-of-the-art production facilities in Florida to produce its batteries and has a perfect mix of science project winners and investment professionals needed to become a leader in the industry. Batteries are the food for our technologies, so the demand will always be there. What distinguishes Oakridge Global from the competition is that it is the only battery maker offering ‘Made in the USA’ solutions.

The company is largely held by a foreign investment group (90 percent of the outstanding common stock) made up of Australian, Japanese and European families, so that tells you this is not a quick profit type of investment. They are here for the long haul and constantly developing new products to stay ahead of the competition.

For more information, visit www.oakg.net