MissionIR Small-Cap Investor Blog

Thursday, March 24, 2016

International Stem Cell Corporation (ISCO) Developing Therapeutic and Biomedical Products on a Global Scale

International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO) is a company focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development of cell-based research and cosmetic products leading to commercialization. ISCO’s core technology, parthenogenesis, is achieved through the creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs). hpSCs avoid the ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. Company scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of both genders and all ages and racial background with minimal risk of immune rejection after transplantation. hpSCs deliver the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell™.

The company’s resolve to be a leader in the field of restorative medicine is seen in its partnership with The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, a globally-recognized brain research center. The agreement drives both parties to launch phase I/IIa clinical trials on the effects of human parthenogenetic stem cells in individuals living with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

The Florey Institute’s credibility is undeniable. The institute employs a staff of over 500, with its scientists comprising the largest neuroscience research team in Australia. Work is conducted on a range of serious diseases, including epilepsy, stroke, PD, Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, depression, Huntington’s disease, motor neuron disease, schizophrenia, mental illness and a variety of addictions.

ISCO’s human cell culture products are made up of adult stem cells and reagents for regenerative medicine integral in the study of human renal and bladder diseases and prostate disease, as well as human corneal cells present in corneal disease and other cell culture reagents and supplements for the growth and freezing of human cells. International Stem Cell Corp. promotes and sells skincare products through its website and distribution channels and human cell culture products through its sales force, OEM partners, and brand distributors. The company is headquartered in Carlsbad, California, and was founded in 2001.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

About MissionIR

MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.

Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com

Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html

Overstock.com, Inc. (OSTK) Remaining at the Forefront of eCommerce with Culture of Innovation

Overstock.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSTK) is an online retailer based in Salt Lake City, Utah, that sells a wide variety of products at low prices. Originally founded in early 1999, the company’s goal was to be the premier seller of excess inventory on the web. Today, Overstock.com has expanded beyond selling surplus inventory to offer a huge selection of consumer goods ranging from furniture and home décor to cars. In an effort to better represent this shift in business strategy, the company acquired the O.co URL in January 2011 and began incorporating it into parts of its brand, including, most notably, its international and mobile businesses.

In the past, Overstock.com has proven itself adept at adapting to evolving market trends, as demonstrated by its success in the mobile space. Earlier this year, the company’s mobile app was named the Web Marketing Association’s Best Shopping Mobile Application at the 2015 Mobile Web Awards. This was the fourth consecutive year in which the company’s mobile app has been honored. In total, the Overstock.com app has been downloaded more than five million times, with 76 percent of mobile users becoming repeat customers.

Capitalizing on the sustained growth of the digital commerce space, Overstock.com has achieved profitable results for the past four years. In 2015, the company reported total revenues of $1.7 billion, marking an increase of 11 percent over the previous year. Overstock.com’s net income for the fiscal year totaled $2.4 million. As of December 31, 2015, the company reported cash and cash equivalents of $170.3 million.

In recent weeks, Overstock.com has made considerable progress toward building on its strong financial growth. For more than two years, the company has been involved with the crypto currency Bitcoin in an effort to gain familiarity with the highly disruptive potential of blockchain technology. At the 41st Annual International Futures Industry Conference, Overstock.com, through majority-owned subsidiary t0.com, demonstrated the results of these efforts when it announced plans to complete the world’s first public offering using proprietary blockchain technology. The company previously issued the world’s first private blockchain crypto-bond in June 2015.

For more information, visit http://dtn.fm/6IroP

Elio Motors Inc. (ELIO) Offers Dramatic New Approach to Multi-Billion Dollar Automotive Market

Arizona-based startup company Elio Motors Inc. (OTCQX: ELIO) represents a refreshingly different take on the changing American automotive market. Instead of wrestling with untested, high-priced technologies aimed at elite consumer markets, Elio is focused on the essential consumer basics of price and operational efficiency, taken to the extreme. It’s a bit like the approach of Henry Ford, who was smart enough to recognize the potential of a mass automotive market while other car makers produced expensive toys for the rich.

To Elio, the key to the marketplace is a set of parameters that, in spite of what the industry says, have not been fully respected or explored:

Price (forget the $15,000 – $20,000 subcompact)

Fuel Efficiency (forget 39 mpg)

Style (forget “they all look alike”)

Elio is out to produce a truly modern commuter vehicle for the urban masses; a sleek hyper-efficient car that is safe, fun, and amazingly affordable to purchase and operate. The company realized that much of the driving being done today doesn’t require the family minivan or SUV. It’s about one or two people getting to work. Once the Elio team had fully accepted that fact, their research led them to the shocking conclusion that, using the latest and most sophisticated design and material capabilities, together with advanced organizational efficiencies, they could now produce a vehicle filling that very large market niche in a better way; a car that could get an unheard-of 84 miles to the gallon, while still only costing $6,800 to buy retail.

None of this revolution came easy. The company emphasizes that nothing is too small for engineering innovation. But the result is the potential to tap a vast market that has until now been improperly served. Elio is still in the startup stage, offering both investors and consumers a unique opportunity.

For more information, visit www.ElioMotors.com

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

OurPet’s Company (OPCO) Reaches Favorable Settlement in Patent Infringement Case

Before the opening bell, OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) announced a patent infringement settlement with Van Ness Plastic Molding Co., Inc. In the previously filed suit, OPCO alleged that Van Ness’ stainless steel, rubber-bottomed bowls infringed upon the company’s 529 utility patent, which covers a feeding dish with rubber on the bottom where the rubber does not extend up a sidewall. According to the news release, the matter was settled favorably to OurPet’s.

“We are pleased with the outcome of this patent infringement case,” Dr. Steve Tsengas, president and chief executive officer of OPCO, stated in this morning’s news release. “In the future, OurPet’s will continue to protect the value of our innovative product lines, and specifically our intellectual property portfolio, which currently includes 160 patents issued or pending.”

The intellectual property in question covers the company’s DuraPet® line, which is the leading line of pet dishes in the pet industry. According to the product’s description on Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), the OurPet’s DuraPet® Bowl uses a permanently-bonded rubber ring on the bottom of the bowl to prevent sliding and reduce noise while the pet is eating. The stainless steel bowl is scratch-resistant and crack-proof, and the product is dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning.

Over the years, OPCO has developed an expansive line of innovative pet products, including a strong IP portfolio featuring 160 issued or pending patents in the United States. In addition to its steadfast commitment to driving innovation in the pet industry, the company has committed significant effort to enforcing its patents against copycat competitors. These efforts have helped OPCO maintain a sizable and growing presence in the pet industry, as demonstrated by the company’s latest financial results.

In the fourth quarter of 2015, OPCO recorded $450,592 in net income, an increase of 10 percent from the same period in 2014. Likewise, the company’s 2015 full-year net income was up 74 percent over the results from the prior year, with OPCO continuing to benefit from specific management initiatives that resulted in lower fixed costs, lower production costs and lower general and administrative expenses. Following the successful implementation of its dual branding strategy, by which OPCO markets the OurPet’s brand for the pet specialty channel and the Pet Zone brand for the food, drug and mass retail channels, the company is well-positioned to build on these results and continue its positive momentum throughout the first quarter of 2016 and beyond.

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

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

OurPet’s Company (OPCO) Continues to Evolve its Infrastructure to Successfully Meet Fiscal Goals and Market Trends

An innovative leader in the pet industry, OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) aims to improve the health, safety, and comfort of household pets while ensuring they’re having fun with their owners. The company first stepped into the pet space in 1995, when the industry was pulling in $16 billion in annual sales. According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), that number is now $65 billion. Cat products alone are increasing by 6% each year. OurPet’s is aiming to capitalize on this trend and climb to $50 million in annual sales in the next five years. To do this, the company has been continuously updating its infrastructure to meet its goals.

First, OurPet’s developed a new branding strategy in 2012 that easily segregates its products into two brands targeting different market segments. The OurPets® Brand is a high-end product brand that caters to pet specialty stores like PetSmart, Petco, and Pet Valu. This line consists of patented one-of-a-kind products such as the Whirling Wiggler™, a butterfly-inspired toy that simulates insect movement for cats, and the Flappy® Chirp-N-Prey™, a squeaky toy that promotes healthy gums and teeth for dogs.

The company’s second product line, PetZone®, markets affordable pet products to food, drug, and mass retailers like Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Kroger (NYSE: KR), and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN). Consumers will find products such as toys, feeding solutions, waste management solutions, and accessories at these stores. The PetZone brand boasts “specialty quality products at affordable prices.”

Furthermore, over the past three years, OurPet’s has been expanding its management team into a company stronghold that delivers experience and expert knowledge. For example, the company added Gabriella Chessman as vice president of marketing, Kathleen Peters-Homyock as vice president of sales, Scott Mendes as chief financial officer, and Dean Tsengas as chief operating officer.

Lastly, OurPet’s updated its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system with warehouse logistics. Now it can receive all orders electronically all the way to payment. This change allows for a faster and more efficient ordering process that can promote more revenue along with heightened customer satisfaction.

With constant reevaluation of the company framework, OurPet’s is positioned to maintain its leadership status in the pet industry. By creating 160 individual patents that have no equal, the company stands by its intentions of exceeding the expectations of pets and their owners.

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

NanoViricides (NNVC): Market for HerpeCide™ and DengueCide™ Estimated at $17 Billion

Most people are surprised to find out that two types of herpes viruses — the one that causes cold sores and the one that causes chickenpox — can cause a condition called herpetic eye disease. Unlike a separate virus that causes genital herpes, herpetic eye disease is not sexually transmitted.

The recent presentation by the CEO of NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE MKT: NNVC), Eugene Seymour MD, MPH, at Biotech Showcase 2016 illustrated how the company is currently moving full speed ahead with human trials for its lead virucidal herpes (of the eye/cornea) keratitis (inflammation of the cornea) treatment, HerpeCide™. Human clinical trials are currently on-track to begin late this year or in early 2017, and commercially-available HerpeCide would be a most welcome addition to the healthcare system’s existing biomedical arsenal, as ocular herpetic disease in general is a serious challenge for both optometrists and patients.

Herpes keratitis is the leading cause of infectious blindness in the Western world and ultimately requires a corneal transplant when it has progressed to the stage of blindness. Corneal transplant is a difficult procedure that can often fail and the procedure can cost as much as $24,400 on average, according to actuarial intelligence giant Milliman. The major herpes viruses that cause ocular disease (simplex and zoster) quite often bring about immunologic reactions in the host that outlive any active infection as well, meaning that the latent demand for a real solution is considerably larger than the baseline market metrics would indicate.

One of the viruses that causes herpetic eye disease is called the varicella-zoster virus. It is the same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles. When this virus affects the eye, it is called herpes zoster ophthalmicus.

Herpes keratitis is a viral infection of the eye caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). There are two major types of the virus. Type I is the most common and primarily infects the face, causing the familiar “cold sore” or “fever blister.” Type II is the sexually transmitted form of herpes, infecting the genitals.

The combined estimated market size for NanoViricides’s antiviral eye drops designed to fight conjunctivitis/keratitis, its HerpeCide™ indication for shingles, as well as ocular and genital herpes (note that HSV-1 has also been linked to Alzheimer’s), and its DengueCide™ indication to combat Dengue arboviruses (West Nile, Yellow Fever, Japanese B Encephalitis), are in the neighborhood of $17 billion.

While both Type I and Type II herpes can spread to the eye and cause infection, Type I is by far the most frequent cause of eye infections. Infection can be transferred to the eye by touching an active lesion (a cold sore or blister) and then your eye.

Type I herpes is very contagious and is commonly transmitted by skin contact with someone who has the virus. Almost everyone — about 90 percent of the population — is exposed to Type I herpes, usually during childhood.

After the original infection, the virus lies in a dormant state, living in nerve cells of the skin or eye. Reactivation can be triggered in a number of ways, including: stress; sun exposure; fever; trauma to the body (such as injury or surgery); menstruation; and certain medications.

Once herpes simplex is present in the eye, it typically infects the eyelids, conjunctiva (the thin, filmy, mucous membrane that covers the inside of the eyelids and the white part of the eye) and cornea (the clear, front window of the eye). It may also infect the inside of the eye; however, this is much less common. The symptoms of herpes keratitis may include pain, redness, blurred vision, tearing, discharge and sensitivity to light.

If the infection is superficial, involving only the cornea’s outer layer (called the epithelium), it will usually heal without scarring. However, it if involves the deeper layers of cornea (which can happen after time), the infection may lead to scarring of the cornea, loss of vision and sometimes even blindness. Left untreated, herpes keratitis can severely damage your eye.

NanoViricides recently entered into an agreement with the University of Pittsburgh for the testing of its nanoviricides® drug candidates in standard animal models of ocular virus infections. Dr. Eric Romanowski, research director, will perform the research in the Charles T. Campbell Ophthalmic Microbiology Laboratory. Dr. Romanowski has extensive experience in ocular virus infections and anti-viral agents discovery.

These animal studies will evaluate the efficacy and potency of the company’s nanoviricides anti-viral agents in ocular viral infections. The goal of these studies is to help select clinical drug development candidates for treatment of ocular herpes keratitis in humans.

“We are very pleased to have the Campbell Laboratory join our efforts in developing a drug against Herpes Keratitis,” Eugene Seymour, MD, MPH, CEO of NanoViricides, stated in a recent news release, adding, “This is a renowned lab in the field of ocular infections with substantial experience in antiviral drugs development. We plan to perform IND-enabling efficacy studies of our anti-viral agents at the Campbell Labs.”

The Charles T. Campbell Ophthalmic Microbiology Laboratory is part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Eye Center (UPMC Eye Center). The UPMC Eye Center in the Department of Ophthalmology of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has one of the top basic and clinical research programs in the country. UPMC Eye Center’s research focuses on infectious disease, ocular immunology, molecular genetics and molecular biology of retinal disease, glaucoma and advanced diagnostic imaging technology development.

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

Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (OGES) Announces Launch of New Manufacturing Facility in Palm Bay, Florida

Earlier today, Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: OGES) announced the commencement of operations at its new $40 million, 70,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Palm Bay, Florida. Following this announcement, the state-of-the-art facility will immediately begin commercial production. The launch of its manufacturing facility marks the completion of Oakridge’s 17-month transition from a research and development company into a full-fledged battery manufacturing company. It also represents the most significant step forward in the company’s history.

“We are excited to announce that we have now begun regularly shipping our groundbreaking lithium-ion batteries to the golf cart and motorcycle markets, as well as a number of significant custom and semi-custom markets,” Steve Barber, executive chairman and chief executive officer of Oakridge, stated in this morning’s news release. “This signifies the first time Oakridge is on permanent, routine commercial production footing.”

In recent weeks, Oakridge has successfully leveraged the momentum provided by its significant investments in research and product development to achieve a number of milestones. Through a recent sale of assets, the company added $20 million to its balance sheet, and the $2 million debt payoff that followed eliminated all current company debt. Additionally, Oakridge has received more than $30 million in recent state and local tax credits stemming from its operations in Florida’s Space Coast region. This strong financial position helped the company secure a strategic partnership with Sojitz Machinery Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, through which Sojitz will provide equipment, materials and financing to support Oakridge’s sustained growth.

According to the company’s latest guidance, it’s on pace to achieve $250,000 in revenues during the first quarter of 2016, and with an existing pipeline of orders totaling roughly $24 million, the company expects to achieve a break even financial position as early as the second quarter of 2016. Oakridge’s recent expansion of its product portfolio, which has included the introduction of its Pro Series golf car battery systems and its Liberty Series motorcycle batteries, is expected to play a key role in the company’s efforts to increase its share of the domestic lithium ion battery space moving forward.

“With the domestic U.S. market representing over 35% of global demand, we are uniquely capable of leveraging our position as the only domestic manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries,” concluded Barber.

Oakridge management will conduct a conference call to discuss the company’s recent progress today at 2:00 p.m. EDT. To participate in the call, investors should dial +1-712-775-7035, referencing conference ID 684304#.

For more information, visit www.oakridgeglobalenergy.com