It has been said that every cloud has a silver lining and that lemons are easily transformed into lemonade. This healthy perspective manifests itself in the business model of Halitron, Inc. (OTC: HAON). The company’s focus is on acquiring businesses and turning them into efficient, low-cost entities. More specifically, Halitron finds bankrupt or distressed companies, and, with much ingenuity and know-how, turns them into profitable businesses. Complementing its search for financially troubled companies, HAON also seeks out profitable businesses with the potential of maximizing growth within its established operational infrastructure. This rather unique strategy enables company holdings to benefit by way of offering their services to each other while also employing a sales arm to reach external customers.

Following its acquisition of PRD Holdings, Inc. in February 2016, Halitron established a fully integrated business model. As the sole business in its manufacturing division, PRD Holdings owns a number of factory investments in Mexico providing the capacity to produce over $20 million in annual sales. The company’s multiple locations engage in different activities benefiting its vertical business model. At Newtown, Connecticut, the focus is on sales, marketing and finance through NDG Holdings, Inc. San Diego, California, on the other hand, is used as Halitron’s distribution point for products that are manufactured through PRD Holdings in and around Tijuana, Mexico.

Halitron is following an acquisition roll-up business model, and it targets two types of acquisitions. The first type includes bankrupt, distressed or insolvent companies that can be acquired inexpensively and then “rolled” into the company’s existing infrastructure. The second type includes profitable companies operating at a multiple of EBITDA ranging from two to four times that possess a strategic fit operationally that would benefit the collective group of businesses.

Halitron, Inc. was formerly known as Teknik Digital Arts, Inc. and changed its name to Halitron, Inc. in August 2014. The company was founded in 2003.

For more information, visit www.halitroninc.com

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Earlier this week, Laguna Blends, Inc. (CSE: LAG) (OTC: LAGBF) announced plans to complete a non-brokered private placement of 1,863,636 units priced at $0.11 for gross proceeds of $205,000. Each unit will include one share of the company’s Canadian Securities Exchange common stock, as well as one transferable share purchase warrant exercisable at $0.15 for a period of one year. Laguna plans to rely upon the ‘existing shareholder exemption’, as described in Multilateral CSA Notice 45-313 – Prospectus Exemption for Distributions to Existing Security Holders, as well as other applicable exemptions. Proceeds from this offering are expected to be used toward future IT expenditures, consulting fees, repayment of debts and working capital.

April has proven to be an exciting months for shareholders of Laguna Blends. Early in the month, the company introduced Pro369, a water-soluble hemp protein powder, as its first entry into the functional beverage products market. According to reports from Allied Market Research, this market is expected to surpass $33.6 billion in revenues by 2020. Pro369 joined Caffe, the company’s protein-infused coffee beverage, as a flagship product in Laguna’s rapidly expanding affiliate program. Since the launch of its affiliate program in early March, Laguna has exceeded all growth projections by attracting a base of well over 700 independent affiliates from all corners of the United States and Canada.

Following completion of the proposed placement, Laguna is expected to have the capital needed to build on this solid foundation. The company has already launched phase one of its Laguna World virtual 3D community, positioning it as the first network marketing company to use this technology to train, recruit and drive sales. Additionally, Laguna recently entered into a research and development agreement with Robert Lamberton through which the company will be developing a proprietary brain health, memory coffee product with all costs and expenses related to development covered by Lamberton. Upon completion, Laguna will maintain the intellectual property and worldwide marketing rights for the innovative product in exchange for a small royalty on net sales.

For more information, visit www.lagunablends.com

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Giggles N’ Hugs (OTCQB: GIGL) combines a fresh and healthy menu, replete with great-tasting and refined dishes that appeal to discerning adults, as well as kid-friendly selections that boast numerous organic features (http://dtn.fm/v45Ge) (like being gluten-free and made from locally-grown ingredients) that you simply won’t find in other so-called kid-friendly restaurants – with a highly themed and stylistic Gymboree-like play area that dominates the floor space. It’s a model that has seen the company rocket to stardom among the stars, with numerous A-list celebs bringing their children to one of the company’s three locations in upscale malls throughout LA, either for lunch, or for a birthday bash. And the company has just been doubling-down on its core competencies since making a name for itself in LA, generating big initiatives to grow through the expansion of company-owned and/or franchised locations in other malls throughout the U.S., in precisely the same fashion as they expanded from the company’s initial Westfield Century City location, to the Westfield Topanga Mall and Glendale Galleria.

Voted the number one family restaurant by Citysearch and Yelp, as well as the number one birthday party place by beloved children’s network Nickelodeon!, Giggles N’ Hugs does what it says on the tin, fostering a dining and play environment that (for perhaps the first time in the history of the industry), really goes that extra mile to cater to children. And GIGL has ingeniously been executing this next-gen kid-friendly model off the back of catering to the increasingly selective tastes and discerning attitudes of parents who want to make sure their kids eat healthy. Parents who also understand that in order to get the kids to really eat healthy, those healthy choices must generally be embedded in otherwise attractive/delicious menu items that finicky children can’t say no to.

The shared vision of GIGL founder and CEO Joey Parsi and his wife, to really make a place where kids can be at home and thus give the parents a chance to also relax, has been brilliantly realized and subsequently stamped with the mark of excellence by household names such as actress Drew Barrymore, English singer and songwriter Adele, and homegrown musical celebs like Beyonce and Jay-Z. These restaurants are a marvel to behold and equally accommodate everyday mom and dads who want to have a drink and watch the game on a jumbo flat screen while their rambunctious kids, who want to laugh and play, climb around, and actually be children, can do so without earning reprimands to sit still. The amount of stress relief for parents contained in the basic equation is incalculable and GIGL has really created something of an institution for busy parents, and choosy parents who want to have a birthday blowout for their special little ones, while also having access to a truly healthy menu that is also scrumptious to kids.

Needless to say, there is an entire nationwide footprint of over 1,000 malls (and a broader 47,000 shopping centers) that could stand to benefit from the presence of a Giggles N’ Hugs, because it isn’t just a dining choice or superb birthday party location, it’s like a nursing home for under 10’s, where moms can drop the kids off and let them play safely in the expansive 2,000-square-foot-plus play area while they get the shopping done or just unwind in the relaxed mall setting.

Mall owners and site leaseholders love the Giggles N’ Hugs model, because it frees up a key demographic to more actively patronize the locale’s other establishments. This is an advantage which opens up sought-after square footage across the country in upscale malls quite readily, giving GIGL exclusive access to sweetheart development deals and lease conditions at some of the choicest locations, where the company’s model has the best chance to thrive sales-wise. The company is pushing hard coming off a banner 2015, which saw extensive operational streamlining that has led to significantly improved margins and increased YOY sales performance. Net cash used in operating activities was slashed last year, almost in half from 2014 levels, on the back of strong sales, and the company is currently exploring ways to further leverage the bedrock value of its existing services, while also seeking to add on new, parallel services.

GIGL is confident that the company not only has some of the best overall dining experiences available anywhere today for parents and their young children, but a similarly trend-setting and growing portfolio of food products and designs underlying those experiences as well – products and designs which can be used to secure a leadership brand position in the sector. Toward this end, GIGL is continuing to innovate and is currently mapping out vectors such as curb-side take-out, increased availability of beer/wine selections, branded baby food, branded merchandising, and gift certificates, all intended to augment already strong day-to-day commercial operations (increasingly fueled by themed parties that carry exceptional profitability margins). The company has even been looking at partnering with a baby products supplier, whereby GIGL could generate commissions on sales of the various furniture, fixtures, toys and other equipment available in the play area, about the acquisition of which parents are constantly inquiring.

Learn more by visiting www.gigglesnhugs.com

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Moxian, Inc. (OTCQB: MOXC) exists for the e-commerce operator, software developer, manufacturer, payment provider and other merchants who wish to promote their businesses using novel social marketing techniques. The company continually redefines marketing with precision. After a timely entrance into the online-to-offline market in Asia, it has steadily developed its social marketing and promotional platforms for merchants operating in Chinese markets.

Moxian enables business owners to engage in high-level, targeted marketing while using the ideas of community and reward to entice consumers. For the past six years, the company has designed key proprietary tools. Along the way, it merged its customer relations management tool with advanced data analysis capabilities and created a comprehensive solution for small- to medium-sized enterprises. The resulting online-to-offline platform combines business activities and social media campaigns.

Moxian’s business app is focused on optimizing merchant-customer touch points. It allows merchants to manage their presence within the company’s platform. Plus, with it, merchants can open e-commerce shops, plan marketing campaigns, interact with customers, manage payments, offer discounts and rewards and access detailed analytics.

The company’s combined products and services portfolio delivers social customer relationship management, marketing, event hosting, vouchers and product listings services, as well as actionable reports. By allowing its merchant clients to study consumer behavior, Moxian’s offerings create repeated interactions between these businesses and potential consumers.

Moxian has spent an ample amount of time testing, honing and perfecting its online-to-offline platform in various spaces in Asia. Now that it is focusing its attention on the largest cosmopolitan areas in China (it is opening new sales offices in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai), the company seems primed to benefit from increases in revenue, courtesy of new merchant subscriptions to its social marketing platform.

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

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It seems that Oakridge Global Energy Solutions (OTCQB: OGES) is driven by the same energy that powers its innovative line of rechargeable lithium ion batteries. Over the past year, the company has moved at a frenetic pace and currently fulfills nearly all of the listing requirements to be admitted under Standard 3 to the New York Stock Exchange’s NYSE MKT marketplace, with the exception of a share price of $2.00. However, that may not be long in coming. Although the stock traded at $0.65 on Wednesday April 20, 2016, it has hit a high of $2.40 over the past year.

The company began its sprint to the NYSE MKT listing in January 2015 when its large format Pro Series lithium ion phosphate (LiFePO4) battery system was launched at the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) show in Orlando, Florida. When it returned to the PGA show the following year in January 2016, it received orders of more than $250,000 and follow on commitments of some $20,575,000.

Then on October 1, 2015, the production launch of the Pro Series was announced. Initially aimed at the golf car market, the Pro Series is designed for task-oriented vehicles such as maintenance vehicles, forklifts, off road vehicles, and other applications that require professional and industrial levels of power. The Pro Series comes with a special user interface and battery management system called the Range Commander that allows the user to monitor the performance of their battery system through their smartphone, tablet, or computer.

In September 2015, Oakridge announced it had reached agreements with CBX Electronics (Orlando, Florida) and BESTCREWS (Tokyo, Japan) to become major participants in the Oakridge sales and marketing team. CBX Electronics and its staff of eight will join the Oakridge in-house sales and marketing team. The BESTCREWS team brings a staff of more than 50 inside and outside sales professionals to the Oakridge sales and marketing organization. BESTCREWS is one of the leading sales and marketing organizations in Japan. CBX Electronics brings more than 30 years’ experience in the Southeast U.S. and the Caribbean.

A few days later, Oakridge announced the production launch of its Patriot Series. The Patriot Series is a line of battery systems meant for radio controlled vehicles such as drones, multi-copters, aerial vehicles, water-based vehicles and land-based vehicles that require long lasting levels of power.

In February 2016, the company announced that Maritime Tactical Systems, Inc. (MARTAC) had conducted successful field trials of systems using Oakridge batteries. MARTAC is a Melbourne, Florida, based company that designs and produces the Man-Portable Tactical Autonomous Systems (MANTAS), which are designed to be used in numerous applications such as naval fleet protection, mine warfare, port and harbor security patrol, anti-piracy, search and rescue, and many others. The Oakridge batteries employed in the test were custom-made to MARTAC specifications.

Later in February 2016, Oakridge announced that it would be supplying batteries to Freedom Trucking in Minnesota. Freedom Trucking has developed a fully electric interstate truck propulsion system that will enable interstate trucks with a gross vehicle weight of 80,000 pounds to travel more than 400 miles. By utilizing a proprietary logistical system, powered by specially designed Oakridge battery systems, Freedom Trucking can now begin to utilize its revolutionary fully electric interstate trucks to move product from Chicago to Minneapolis. Using fully electric trucks to move this cargo will save each truck in excess of $0.60 per mile over traditional diesel fuel, according to analysis for Freedom Trucking by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

In March 2016, Oakridge announced the commercial introduction of its groundbreaking Liberty Series lithium ion motorcycle batteries at the 75th anniversary of the iconic Daytona Beach Bikefest, which ran from March 4 through the 14th. Later in March, the company announced a strategic business alliance agreement with Sojitz Machinery Corporation (Sojitz) of Tokyo, Japan, to provide equipment, materials, and financing to support the planned growth of Oakridge in the lithium ion battery market. Sojitz Group is a general trading company with a worldwide network comprising approximately 400 group companies and operations in 50 countries, including the U.S. The group has over 15,000 employees worldwide. Its annual revenues exceed $35 billion. With such spirit and vigor, Oakridge may soon be ringing the opening bell.

For more information, visit www.oakridgeglobalenergy.com

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What started as a network marketing company quickly grew as it entered the hemp protein market. Laguna Blends, Inc. (OTC: LAGBF) tapped into the hemp protein market at the perfect time. As it launched its hemp products throughout the U.S. and Canada, Laguna’s affiliate base grew rapidly. Laguna Blends started with a product that is extremely popular in both the U.S. and Canada: coffee. The company then combined it with the nutritional values of hemp protein.

There is no denying that the popularity of protein as a supplement is growing every year, according to the BBC article: ‘The Rise of Protein Drinks for Ordinary People’ (http://dtn.fm/puyK5). The nutritional values that hemp protein hold are revolutionary. There are many benefits that come with using hemp in day-to-day life, including reducing the risk of heart disease, helping with skin disorders, and reducing symptoms of PMS and menopause. Hemp allows for a balanced diet with high quality protein.

Today, Laguna Blends offers two flagship products. Their first is “Caffe”, a product that blends the flavor of coffee with the power of hemp protein. The second is Pro369, a pure hemp protein powder supplement. These products were introduced to different audiences and have highlighted the benefits of daily hemp consumption. During the research period for the blending of hemp protein and coffee to make “Caffe”, Robert Lamberton, president and CEO of Robert Lamberton Consulting, stated: “There are a number of natural source compounds which have been proven to be of potential benefit for brain health and we intend to combine some of these ingredients with the well known health benefits of coffee to offer a great tasting coffee product with these additional benefits”.

Caffe and Pro369 are just two of many hemp products now on the market. Thanks to extensive research and refined marketing campaigns, Laguna Blends is growing. The benefits of hemp protein with the affiliate program that Laguna Blends is running creates a unique network for people. Not only are these people able to be part of the promotion of a new product, but the delivery of a more functional and healthy beverage to customers. Both Caffe and Pro369 are made with hemp protein combined with other ingredients to deliver a nutritional beverage. Last month’s spontaneous, yet impressive affiliate base growth of 105 percent in less than a week confirms that Laguna is presenting an attractive business opportunity to its partners, and that could be great news for its shareholders.

For more information, visit www.lagunablends.com

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Before the opening bell, Immune Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB: IMUN) announced its entry into a binding letter of intent to acquire Chinese Chimeric Super Antigen Receptor T cell (CAR-T) cocktail therapy, pending immuno-oncology patents, manufacturing technology and clinical data regarding the aforementioned therapies from Super-T Cell Cancer Company (STCC), a newly-formed corporation. The technology outlined in this letter of intent could play a key role in IMUN’s ongoing efforts to achieve commercial approval for its patented immunotherapies, as described by Christopher Pearce, the company’s chief operating officer, in this morning’s news release:

“This CAR-T cell technology licensing further accelerates IMUN’s growth in the Immuno-Oncology field as we evaluate paths to commercialization both in China and other Emerging Markets,” he stated.

CAR-T cell therapy leverages the power of the patient’s own immune cells to detect and attack cancerous tumors. Data from numerous studies has suggested that regulatory T cells act as key mediators to the development of an immunosuppressed microenvironment that would allow tumors to avoid attack from the immune system and grow unimpeded. Likewise, the CAR-T cocktail therapy has demonstrated promise in early clinical trials for the treatment of blood, renal, cervical and hepatic cancers.

“We are very impressed by the quality of the work done by Professor Shan and his team, and are excited by the safe and efficacious profile of this novel CAR-T cocktail therapy for cancerous diseases,” Noreen Griffin, chief executive officer of IMUN, added in this morning’s news release. “This is the beginning of a long-term strategic partnership between IMUN and STCC. Together, we will expeditiously continue our quest in developing more affordable, safer, and more effective cancer immunotherapy programs.”

Upon completion, acquisition of the Super CAR-T cocktail therapy and its related clinical data is expected to strategically position IMUN to capitalize on the huge demand for affordable cancer therapies in China. Industry data suggests that roughly 4.3 million cases of invasive cancers will be diagnosed in 2016, breaking down to nearly 12,000 new cancer diagnoses with each passing day. According to a study by leading market researcher Research and Markets (http://dtn.fm/I24nc), the oncology market in China is expected to climb to $2.2 billion in 2017, up from just $830 million in 2009.

Despite the rapid growth of the Chinese oncology market, competition in the cancer therapeutics space has remained highly fragmented. The top five players in the space, which is currently led by big pharmaceutical firms of the U.S. and Europe such as Roche/Genentech (OTCQX: RHHBY) and AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN), occupy less than 30 percent of total market share. IMUN’s management team believes that, upon clinical approval of the CAR-T cocktail therapy, the company could capture as much as five percent of China’s total market share within the first year.

Learn more by visiting www.immunetherapeutics.com

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Before the opening bell, Content Checked Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: CNCK) announced the addition of Dr. Göran Rune Skog to its board of directors. Skog brings more than 35 years of experience in the field of medicine to the Content Checked team, during which time he has specialized in orthopedic medicine, physical medicine, research and surgery, invasive pain management and rehabilitation. He currently serves as the head of the spine treatment unit at the NIMI Hospital in Oslo, Norway, and as the associate professor at Cedarcrest Hospitals in Abuja, Nigeria. Additionally, Skog maintains his own private practice in central Stockholm, Sweden.

“We were determined to find a board member with all of the attributes that Göran embodies and we are proud to welcome such an outstanding individual and leading medical authority to our board,” Kris Finstad, president and chief executive officer of Content Checked, stated in this morning’s news release. “I am confident that Göran is going to make a significant and positive impact on our Company.”

Skog received a bachelor of science in psychology from the University of Stockholm, a bachelor of science in Zoology from the University of Tulsa and a doctor of medicine from Oklahoma State University. Leaning on these qualifications, he has served in a number of high profile positions over the years. Notably, Skog served as the physician for the Swedish National Alpine Ski and Winter Olympic teams, as well as the medical director for the Swedish Ski Areas Organization, Alpine Search & Rescue of Sweden and Sea Search & Rescue of Sweden. He’s currently a member of the board of directors of Active Life Foundation, SEB (Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken).

“I have a long-term interest in nutritional, dietary, medical technology and the process of guiding innovative companies to make a positive impact in people’s lives, hit business milestones and expand into new markets,” Dr. Skog stated in this morning’s news release. “I am excited by what Content Checked has accomplished and I am honored to be joining their board.”

In addition to adding a wealth of medical and nutritional experience to its board of directors, the appointment of Skog represents another step toward Content Checked’s planned uplisting to the NASDAQ exchange. Earlier this month, the company engaged Bonwick Capital Partners LLC as its financial and corporate advisor in an effort to better position itself for uplisting later this fiscal year. Among the corporate governance standards to which Content Checked will be required to adhere in order to qualify for uplisting, the company needs to appoint independent directors to its board. Additional requirements include the engagement of an audit committee and adherence to defined management and officer compensation requirements.

For more information, visit www.contentchecked.com

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With numerous pundits currently raving about the bullish undercurrent for zinc, as a looming supply shortfall is predicted on the horizon amid ebbing China slowdown fears, it makes a great deal of sense to look at domestic producers in low-risk jurisdictions. Producers who can act as a profit vehicle for investors over the medium- to long-term price appreciation currently projected for this increasingly widely used metal, whose primary industrial consumption comes in the form of being used as an anti-corrosive galvanizing agent for iron and steel coatings. Given the recent closure of the Century mine in Australia by Melbourne-headquartered MMG, Ltd., whose majority shareholder is the state-owned corporation, China Minmetals, as well as big production cutbacks by the likes of Glencore (OTC: GLNCY) and Nyrstar (OTC: NYRSY), overall global production is off by around 10 percent, according to Haywood Securities’ mid-cap base metals guy, Stefan Ioannou.

Increased real-estate activity and infrastructural investment rebounding in China on the back of broad-based credit easing further underscores a supply equation shift that is apparent from the International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG) data, which shows how inventories went from a surplus of 183k tons at the outset of 2015, to a 60k ton deficit at the end of the year – even as total global inventories fell by 55k tons. Conservative estimates from the likes of JPM and Macquarie Research further confirm this bullish outlook for zinc, with mine output forecasts for 2016 falling 4.5 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively.

All of this throws a bright spotlight on a domestic zinc producer like Star Mountain Resources (OTC: SMRS), whose Balmat Mine is in upstate New York near the St. Lawrence River and the border with Canada. The IG7 report on Balmat (http://dtn.fm/4P3eK) out early this February roundly confirmed initial reserve estimates for the property (which was acquired back in November of 2015), showing some 585k tons of proven and probable reserves at a 9.2 percent grade. Given an estimated initial 2.5-year mine plan haul of some $80.8 million in revenues, as well as a broader 8.5-year mine plan that would consume similar-grade/adjacent reserves, Star Mountain Resources is the very portrait of a small, domestic producer, in an ideal jurisdiction, with the massive sulfide zinc mineralization digs needed to profit off this looming zinc shortage.

The noteworthy commitment to site safety and environmental stewardship for which SMRS is known should help to stave off any potential impediments for the company as it wraps up plans to finish the minimal overhaul needed at Balmat before the onsite mill can be shipping out high grade zinc concentrate to a hungry global market. Described as a low-cost, mechanized operation, with the mine equipment fleet in excellent condition, Star Mountain has every intent to, and seems capable of, actually exceed the planned production rate for Balmat, and SMRS has brought in the heavy guns to make sure its well-timed play pans out with maximum upside, retaining 30-year geological guru Dr. Mark Osterberg as the company’s new president and COO.

Zinc is only about a hundred bucks shy right now of the Capital Economics target price of $2,000 a ton by year’s end, and with the April 19 price around $0.86 a pound, the Haywood Securities per pound number for 2016 of $0.80 being exceeded speaks volumes. Especially when one considers Ioannou’s recent comment to Streetwise Reports’ The Gold Report, where he explained the Haywood Securities projection for 2017 is around $1.00 a pound.

For more information, visit www.starmountainresources.com

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It is generally accepted that the first successful organ transplant was the one performed by Dr. Joseph E. Murray at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston in 1954. Dr. Murray, who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1990, and his team transplanted a kidney from one identical twin to another. Later, in 1967, Dr. Christian Bernard, a South African heart surgeon, garnered international acclaim after he performed the first human heart transplant at Groote Schur Hospital in Cape Town. Since then, the field of organ transplantation has grown. Data (http://dtn.fm/QMlg0) published by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, shows that ‘each day, an average of 79 people receive organ transplants’. Some estimates (http://dtn.fm/OgPb3) are even higher. The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF) states ‘it is estimated that approximately 600,000 Americans benefit from some form of transplant each year ’.

Yet the same U.S. government data shows that is not enough to satisfy the need and so ‘an average of 22 people die each day waiting for transplants that can’t take place because of the shortage of donated organs’. This is why professionals in the health care industry are increasingly turning to companies like the International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO) and their regenerative technologies that augment or replace organ transplants.

The International Stem Cell Corporation’s human parthenogenetic stem cell (hpSC) technology holds out a life-saving promise to those with end-stage organ failure in two ways. First, it circumvents the problem that arises when the immune system attempts to reject the transplanted organ, which it perceives as an alien thing. In early transplant operations, medications were administered to suppress the immune system, but such an approach leaves the body, essentially, defenseless against other even minor threats.

The rejection problem arises because embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are heterozygous. i.e., they generally have different forms of genes (alleles) at each genetic position of the paternal and maternal chromosomes. Alleles contain the mechanism that determines between domestic and foreign bodies in the form of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes. ‘Since hESCs are derived from fertilized embryos, they carry the genes of a unique individual, thus the therapeutic cells derived from hESCs will carry alleles that can be recognized as foreign and be rejected by most patients unless they receive immunosuppressive therapy. Such therapy is costly, has significant side effects, and often is disabling in the long term.’

‘In contrast, the hpSCs developed by ISCO are derived from unfertilized eggs (oocytes) that have been shown in peer-reviewed journals to exhibit unlimited proliferation potential and are pluripotent (can become cells from all three germ layers that form a human being). Most significantly, hpSCs can be created in a ‘homozygous’ state in which the alleles, including the HLA alleles, are the same at each genetic position. When these HLA alleles are also found with a high frequency in a population, these ‘HLA-homozygous’ stem cells and their therapeutic derivatives have the potential to be immune-matched to millions of people. For example, ISCO’s first homozygous stem cell line with high-frequency HLA alleles has the potential to be immune-matched to an estimated 75 million people worldwide.’

Back in 2010, ISCO added two world-leading immuno-geneticists to its scientific advisory board to study the immune-matching properties of its human parthenogenetic stem cell technology and the potential for each hpSC-derived therapeutic cell to be an immune match for millions of people. Dr. Hans-Dieter Volk, Professor of Immunology and Chair of the Institute of Medical Immunology and Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT) at Charité Universitätsmedizin in Berlin, and Dr. Matthias von Herrath, Professor at the La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology at University of San Diego, are both highly regarded immuno-genetics experts internationally.

Second, hpSCs may obviate the need for an organ transplant. ISCO’s hpSCs are similar to human embryonic stem cells in that they have the potential to be differentiated into many different cells in the human body. Thus, they may replace diseased or malfunctioning cells in the liver, the eye, and in the nervous system before a full transplant operation is required.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

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