Canadian biotech Aquinox Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AQXP) created quite the industry buzz last week when the company reported positive mid-stage trial results for its bladder pain drug, AQX-1125.

In addition to meeting secondary endpoints, the LEADERSHIP trial also demonstrated that a high proportion of patients (49%) achieved a clinically meaningful improvement in pain (2 points or greater on an 11-point NRS scale) as compared to placebo (39%).

“Consistently positive results from multiple secondary endpoints have strengthened our confidence in further development of AQX-1125 for BPS/IC,” David Main, president and CEO of Aquinox stated in the news release. “The encouraging effect of AQX-1125 observed on the primary endpoint of reduction in pain together with several statistically significant secondary endpoints, underscore the potential of AQX-1125 as a once daily, oral therapy for this debilitating disease.”

Aquinox also provided a general business update, recapping news from July when the company reported negative FLAGSHIP trial results for AQX-1125 as treatment for chronic pulmonary disease (COPD). As such, the company said it is not planning further development of AQX-1125 as a potential treatment for COPD.

Aquinox instead is reallocating resources to the prioritization of its activities to support possible future registration and planned pivotal clinical trials with AQX-1125 for bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) and is deferring the initiation of its phase 2 trial in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

Also on deck is approaching top line data in KINSHIP, a phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AQX-1125 in atopic dermatitis. Target enrollment in the KINSHIP trial was achieved in early May 2015, and the company anticipates top line data from the trial in Q4 2015.

With Aquinox successfully advancing AQX-1125 for the treatment of a disease affecting between 5 and 12 million Americans each year, the company is aptly positioned to drive shareholder value – warranting a second glance at the small company making big waves in the biotech market.

For more information visit www.aqxpharma.com

PEDEVCO is focused on acquiring and developing high growth energy projects, including shale oil and gas assets, in the United States. Though the company’s principal asset is its D-J Basin Asset located in the D-J Basin in Colorado, PEDEVCO last month reported the initiation of drilling operations on seven new Wattenberg horizontal wells in Weld County, Colorado. The company has a 25 percent working interest in each of the seven wells and is on the fast-track to finish 2015 with strength.

Since its founding as a private company in 2011, PEDEVCO has steadily increased its acreage holding from less than 5,000 acres to current holdings of more than 25,000 net acres, demonstrating the company’s ability to identify and move-in on key growth opportunities. The Wattenberg locations represent one of several near-term growth drivers for PEDEVCO, which also include strategic downspacing, improved drilling and completion techniques and reducing costs.

A more long-term driver is the company’s intended merger with Dome Energy. In May 2015, PEDEVCO announced its merger agreement with Dome in which PEDEVCO will acquire all the U.S. oil and gas assets of Dome. On the operational side, PEDEVCO management sees great benefits in Dome’s expertise in conventional plays, diverse portfolio of operated wells, low cost and low risk production, and long-life, low decline production. Financially, Dome comes to the table with a strong balance sheet and cash flow generation, long-term hedges significantly above current market rates, low OPEX production, and a lower cost of capital with a 3.75 percent bank credit facility. Combined, PEDEVCO anticipates increased pro forma production to 3,300 BOE/D at closing, and an estimated PV10 of 1P reserves of approximately $280 million.

If PEDEVCO’s track record is any inclination, the company is well prepared to fully take advantage of these drivers.

Spearheading this momentum is a management team with collective decades of global experience in the oil and gas industry. PEDEVCO CEO Frank Ingriselli has more than 35 years of experience in the industry as a seasoned leader and entrepreneur with wide-ranging E&P experience in diverse geographies, business climates and political environments. Ingriselli is the founder of Pacific Asia Petroleum, Inc. – later known as CAMAC Energy Inc. (NYSE:CAK) – which has operations in Africa.

Prior to Pacific Asia Petroleum, Ingriselli spent 23 years at Texaco in diverse senior executive positions involving in power and gas operations, merger and acquisition activities, pipeline operations and corporate development. His tenure at Texaco included the positions of:

• President of Texaco Technology Ventures
• President and CEO of the Timan Pechora Company (owned by affiliates of Texaco, Exxon, Amoco, Norsk Hydro and Lukoil)
• President of Texaco International Operations Inc.

Ingriselli led Texaco’s global initiatives in exploration and development in key new countries at that time, including China and Russia, and was integral in the signing the company’s first successful international oil contract in China in 1983, which today is still generating over $1 billion a year in revenues.

Under this leadership, and despite a more than 50-percent drop in the price of oil, PEDEVCO in the first quarter of 2015 grew revenues to approximately $1.5 million compared to $1 million the year prior. Production for the same period grew to approximately 49,000 BOE from approximately 13,000 BOE in the comparable quarter of 2014.

Moving forward, PEDEVCO in a news release said it plans to maintain its pace, close its merger with Dome, and continue its focus on building shareholder value.

For more information, visit www.pacificenergydevelopment.com

Successful Close of $41.4 Million Launches “The Vape Store” Retail Expansion

One of the leading U.S. based distributors and retailers of e-cigs, e-liquids, e-hookahs and personal vaporizers, Vapor Corp. recently closed on a $41.4 million capital raise (NASDAQ: VAPO) (NASDAQ: VPCOU). The newly traded 3.76 million units consist of one-fourth of a share of Series A preferred stock and 20 Series A warrants, offering an intriguing investment opportunity.

“Following the completion of our recent public offering, we are extraordinarily well funded and well-positioned to execute against our business plan swiftly and judiciously,” said Jeff Holman, CEO of Vapor Corp. “This significant infusion of capital will allow us to accelerate our retail expansion through a combination of new store launches and a roll up, in the form of purchasing existing, profitable vape store locations. The current retail environment is highly fragmented and ripe for consolidation. “

Vapor Corp. designs, markets, and distributes electronic cigarettes and accessories and has a broad array of products already available in the company’s portfolio, including the most popular disposable electronic cigarette in the industry, KRAVE®, which uses proprietary technology to offer consumers a product that looks and feels like a real cigarette, but without ash, flame, odor, tar, or second-hand smoke, Vapor Corp. has an established retail presence which will enable the company to expand quickly through both traditional and emerging channels. They have a commitment to innovation demonstrated by the early adoption of patent-pending biometric fingerprint locking system and the first-ever Mechanical Vaping Lock (MVL), important adaptations to help prevent minors from using the products.

E-cig sales in the U.S. more than doubled between 2012 and 2013 to over $630 million and Wells Fargo analysts put subsequent year-over-year growth at 47 percent for the overall e-cig market. Euromonitor data indicates equivalent growth for the space last year, with estimates of 40 to 50 percent growth to as high as $3 billion domestically and $5 billion internationally during 2014. Wells Fargo has even predicted that the e-cig market will outstrip traditional cigarettes by as early as 2024. Combined UBS and Wells Fargo data indicates that the U.S. e-cig market will likely be worth around $10 billion within the next two years alone. These estimates confirm projections out earlier this year by BIS Research, which put the overall industry as being on track to hit upwards of $25 billion by 2025, growing at a 22.36 percent compounded annual growth rate. This is explosive growth by almost anyone’s standards.

Even more compelling is the underlying structure of the deal which holds intriguing profit possibilities. Initially priced at $11, each unit contains one-fourth of a share of Series A preferred stock which is convertible into 10 shares of common stock and 20 Series A warrantsexercisable at $1.24 per share. However the warrants were valued at the offering utilizing the Black-Scholes valuation method. Black-Scholes is a mathematical model used by the financial industry to value derivative securities such as options and warrants. This model places the intrinsic value of just the 20 warrants at $21.80. Digging further into SEC filings reveals that even if the price of the unit declines the unit holders are entitled to more shares in exchange for their warrants virtually guaranteeing them a substantial profit (https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/844856/000149315215003079/ex4-2.htm).

The track record of Dawson James in this arena is exceptional. The firm recently underwrote a similarly structured highly successful offering, Great Basin Scientific (NASDAQ: GBSNU), which has nearly doubled since March.

Vapor Corp. now has the kind of capital momentum needed to execute its expansion strategy and, given the structure of the deal, investors have even more compelling reasons to own the units.

To learn more please visit www.vapor-corp.com

Palatin Technologies, Inc. (NYSE MKT: PTN) is a biopharmaceutical company developing targeted, receptor-specific peptide therapeutics for the treatment of diseases with significant unmet medical need. The company’s leading product candidate, Bremelanotide, is currently set to begin two phase III clinical trials for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction (FSD). Additionally, Palatin’s development pipeline features a collection of programs and drug candidates addressing erectile dysfunction, pulmonary diseases, heart failure, obesity, inflammatory diseases and dermatologic diseases.

In the fiscal quarter ending March 31, Palatin made significant progress toward the eventual commercialization of Bremelanotide. In February, the company launched a clinical trial website in support of the impending phase III reconnect study that will serve as a source of information for women interested in participating in the Bremelanotide trials. As of its latest update, enrollment for Palatin’s trials was meeting target objectives, clearing the way for initiation of the pivotal study in the months to come.

“We are extremely pleased that enrollment in our two phase III studies of Bremelanotide for the treatment of FSD is on track,” Carl Spana, president and chief executive officer of Palatin, stated in a news release. “[W]e anticipate completing enrollment in the second half of calendar year 2015 and reporting top-line results in mid-calendar year 2016.”

Upon completion of clinical development, Bremelanotide is expected to become the first product approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of FSD, giving Palatin a significant strategic advantage following commercialization. According to Florida Hospital, an estimated 63 million women in the U.S., or 40 percent of the female population, suffer from FSD. As a point of comparison, consider that the market for erectile dysfunction (ED) therapy, which affects an estimated 30 million men in the U.S., is expected to account for sales of approximately $2.5 billion this year, according to Medtech Insight. Although no FSD treatment is currently approved, the strong performance of the ED treatment market could provide some insight into the massive commercial potential of Bremelanotide in the years to come.

As of its latest financial report, Palatin reported $36.7 million in cash and cash equivalents, which is expected to adequately fund its operations through the quarter ending June 30, 2016. For prospective shareholders, the company’s favorable cash position, as well as the considerable market potential of its leading product candidate, makes Palatin an intriguing investment opportunity moving forward.

For more information, visit www.palatin.com

Northern Freegold Resources Ltd. (OTC: NFRGF) (VSE: NFR.CA) is a growth-oriented precious metals exploration and development company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. The company’s primary exploration property, the Freegold Mountain Project, is located in south-central Yukon and covers zones of mineralization that host established inferred gold resources, including an extensive collection of claims staked in recent decades by Bill Harris, the company’s founder and director. NFRGF’s second project, located on its Burro Creek property in Arizona, also features a historical resource with significant expansion potential, as well as ideal climate conditions to foster year-round field operations. Through the continued exploration and development of these promising properties, NFRGF will look to promote strong financial growth and sustainable investor returns moving forward.

In 2014, prospective shareholders were given a preview of the production potential of the company’s Yukon project, as the Fraser Institute’s Annual Survey of Mining Companies ranked the Yukon Territory within the world’s top 10 jurisdictions in terms of both mineral potential and investment attractiveness. This recognition followed an exploration boom in the region from 2010 to 2012 that resulted in the identification of more than 7.3 million ounces of gold in new discoveries and 23 million ounces of gold added to known deposits. As a member of the Yukon Mining Alliance, this potential could foreshadow big opportunities for NFRGF in the future.

“Yukon remains one of the top jurisdictions in the world for mineral investment and has weathered the challenging markets faced by all junior explorers and developers,” John McConnell, chairman of the Yukon Mining Alliance, stated in a news release. “The Yukon government works collaboratively with our member companies, industry representatives and First Nations to advance and improve opportunities in the minerals sector for our communities, our economy and our shareholders.”

To date, NFRGF has identified more than 20 mineralized zones on its expansive Freegold Mountain Project – including 1.3 million indicated and 0.8 million inferred gold ounces delineated at its promising Nucleus deposit, as well as more than 1.0 million inferred gold ounces delineated at the adjacent Revenue deposit. In the coming months, the company will lean on the expertise of its seasoned management team, which features well over a century of combined industry experience, as it continues to make progress toward translating its considerable resources into improved financial returns.

For more information, visit www.northernfreegold.com

Operators around the globe are actively seeking franchise opportunities with Giggles N’ Hugs, owner of a growing number of family-friendly restaurants on the West Coast of the United States. Since the company opened the doors of its first Southern California location in 2008, franchisees (large, small, domestic and international) have sought to take its concept into new markets. Large multi-unit franchising operators and small individual franchisees from Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and almost every major city in the United States have expressed interest in Giggles N’ Hugs franchise opportunities because the company’s formula has proven effective.

1. Location, Location, Location

In the five years since its founding, Giggles N’ Hugs has set up three thriving locations in the Los Angeles, California area. It has one restaurant in the Westfield Mall in Century City, another in the Westfield Topanga shopping center in Woodland Hills and a third in the Glendale Galleria in Glendale. And it has structured them so that each restaurant offers, under one roof, the upscale, organic food that adults care about as well as the active, cutting-edge entertainment that kids care even more about. At Giggles N’ Hugs’ restaurants, parents can come in and relax with outstanding food while their kids have a blast.

2. Celebrity Endorsements

Owing to their proximity to Hollywood, the Giggles N’ Hugs restaurants count among their clientele many of America’s glitterati, including celebrity parents Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, Jessica Alba, Victoria Beckham, Marcia Cross, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Tobey Maguire, Ellen Pompeo, Adam Sandler, Dennis Quaid and Mark Walhberg. The award-winning company has also received stamps of approval from Yelp and CitySearch (it was voted the #1 Family Restaurant) and Nickelodeon (it was voted the #1 Birthday Party Place).

3. Unlimited Play

Every Giggles N’ Hugs location offers a posh, adult-friendly and kid-friendly ambiance and a unique, custom-made 2000 square-foot play area for children 10 and younger. All-day activities (e.g. crafts, face painting and karaoke) and nightly entertainment (e.g. concerts, magic shows and puppet shows) are also on the menu as are fresh and local organic foods. And for the families that want to host special occasions for their kids either at one of the company’s locations or in their own homes, Giggles N’ Hugs offers hugely popular themed birthday party packages (rated #1 in Los Angeles), such as a Marvel superhero party to a Disney princess party.

Giggles N’ Hugs is a growing restaurant chain that believes everyone needs some giggles and hugs.

For more information, visit www.gigglesnhugs.com/investor-relations/

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On the Move Systems is engaged in exploring new online tools to reduce costs and boost convenience in the travel, tourism and trucking. The company has recently released several news releases that reveal high market potential for its proposed online, on-demand courier service.

OMVS points out that the shared economy, much like the Uber business model, is beneficial for people seeking what’s referred to as, “steady, flexible employment or extra income” as a means to profit from the increasingly popular business model. Further, On the Move Systems management says it is considering workforce potential as it continues to pursue additional locations for courier service.

Company CEO Robert Wilson stated in a recent news release, “We are looking for a location that has an ample workforce, and one that is open to a flexible arrangement.” “An online, on-demand courier service is not a typical 9-5 job. It requires not only rapid mobility, but quick adaptability as well, as the business needs are constantly changing. Right now, urban areas with young populations, particularly college students or recent graduates, appear quite promising, as people in this group always need extra income, can be highly flexible in terms of time and are open to new ways of doing business.”

On the Move Systems references research studies that show the Millennial generation considers the shared economy to be “hip and cool” as it is collectively and quickly adapting to using shared economy services and becoming an active participant in the respective business models.

OMVS spokespeople state, “Younger consumers and workers embrace technology and are willing to share – key components for success in any shared economy venture.” Additionally, a recent survey has indicated three out of four Americans might utilize such a service within the next two years.

On The Move Systems Corp. provides transportation and trucking services in the United States. It focuses on the development of an online, app-based, nationwide trucking service. On The Move Systems Corp. was founded in 2010 and is based in Henderson, Nevada.

For more information, visit www.onthemovesystems.com

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Yesterday, International Stem Cell Corp., a California-based biotechnology company developing novel stem cell based therapies and biomedical products, announced the completion of a recently discovered compound’s clinical testing. This compound is expected to be utilized in skin care products marketed by the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care, Inc.

Topical treatment with the compound showed significant (p<0.01) improvement in skin elasticity and decrease in skin roughness in all subjects 4 and 8 weeks after the start of the study. In addition, the compound-treated group outperformed not only the baseline, but also the Retinol treated group. There were no adverse events reported in the compound-treated group, such as skin irritation, which has been reported as a common side effect of Retinol treatment. Prior to the clinical study, the compound was tested on different in vitro models: normal human keratinocytes, fibroblasts and 3D model of human skin. In all these models, the recently discovered compound induced up to twice the production of elastin and collagen compared to Retinoic Acid (the active form of Retinol) with none of its toxic characteristics. The launch of the compound-based products is expected this year. Currently Lifeline markets its stem cell-based skin care in the US and Asia via professional and on-line retail channels (www.lifelineskincare.com). The company believes that these new compound-based products will not only allow it to increase sales and profit margins in its existing markets, but also will allow it to enter the European "high-tech" skin care market. For more information on International Stem Cell Corp., visit www.internationalstemcell.com

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Net Element is providing over 500,000 restaurants throughout the United States with an innovative opportunity to update the performance of their point-of-sale systems without the need to replace existing restaurant management platforms. The company’s newest product, Restoactive, is an all-in-one mobile application that enables a collection of value-added offerings designed to increase customer satisfaction and improve operational efficiency. For restaurant operators, it’s the ideal tool for adopting modern, value-added technology solutions without the effort and expense required to remove and replace existing point-of-sale systems.

Restoactive is a first-of-its-kind platform created to seamlessly introduce popular features – including an all-in-one digital menu, kiosk and mobile point-of-sale application – into existing restaurant environments. By integrating compatibility with some of the world’s largest and most popular point-of-sale and restaurant management platform brands, Net Element ensured that its newest product is fully compatible with a significant portion of the country’s expansive restaurant industry.

Through the commercialization of Restoactive, Net Element effectively addresses some of the restaurant industry’s most popular technological updates. According to a report by Hospitality Technology, adding mobile point-of-sale capabilities is the number one reason that restaurant operators decide to upgrade their payment systems. However, Restoactive’s benefits go far beyond mobile payments. Net Element’s proprietary platform also promotes increased revenue by improving menu management, which has been shown to increase average order size, and enabling the operation of stand-alone kiosks, which promotes faster table turnover during peak hours.

According to the National Restaurant Association, an overwhelming 79 percent of consumers believe that technology-based ordering and payment options increase convenience, while 70 percent indicate that these systems increase order accuracy and speed. For restaurateurs, this can lead to significant boosts to operational revenue, as 35 percent of consumers say that these technology options sometimes make them choose one restaurant over another.

For Net Element, the launch of Restoactive is just the latest in a long line of moves aimed at facilitating sustainable growth in the future. Moving forward, the company will look to promote adoption of its new product while making headway toward the integration of its latest acquisition, PayOnline, into its domestic offerings. Following the elimination of more than $25 million in debt over the past two years, as well as the addition of $10.5 million of growth capital in May, Net Element is in a formidable position to continue progressing with its strategic goals of business expansion and improved profitability for the foreseeable future.

For more information, visit www.netelement.com

Vapor Corp. (NASDAQ: VPCO) (NASDAQ: VPCOU), a leading distributor and retailer of vaporizers, e-liquids, e-cigarettes and e-hookahs, provided investors with an update on the company’s future growth strategy on Thursday following the close of a $41.4 million capital raise.

“Following the completion of our recent public offering, we are extraordinarily well funded and well-positioned to execute against our business plan swiftly and judiciously,” Jeff Holman, chief executive officer of Vapor Corp., stated in a news release. “This significant infusion of capital will allow us to accelerate our retail expansion through a combination of new store launches and a roll up, in the form of purchasing existing, profitable vape store locations.”

Currently, the company’s retail network includes a collection of ‘Vape Store’ locations – including six that were acquired as part of its recent merger with Vaporin, Inc. In the first quarter of 2015, Vapor Corp. opened four additional locations, and the company has announced plans to open as many as 30 more by the end of the year.

“As the vaporizer and e-liquid market continues to mature, there is a tremendous opportunity for Vapor Corp., to capitalize on its industry knowledge and proven track record of launching and supporting a successful retail store concept,” continued Holman. “We are confident that consumers will react favorably to our expanded retail and branded presence.”

Although the market for traditional cigarettes has fallen by nearly 30 percent since 2004, according to a report by Euromonitor International, sales of e-cigarettes have recorded tremendous growth in recent years. Currently, the electronic cigarette industry is estimated to account for $1.5 billion in annual revenue, and annual growth of 24.2 percent is forecast through 2018. For Vapor Corp., this continued market performance could provide a platform for considerable growth in the months to come.

For much of the e-cigarette industry, looming Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations are a considerable threat to the performance of what has, to this point, been a largely unregulated space. However, Vapor Corp. views the possibility of new regulations as an opportunity to increase its market share in one of the country’s fastest growing sectors.

“[T]hese regulations will likely make it more difficult for smaller, local vape shops to remain in business,” Holman stated. “Vapor Corp. is cognizant of the opportunity that this presents for the company to make reasonably priced acquisitions during its consolidation efforts.”

In recent months, Vapor Corp. has made significant progress in transitioning from a primarily wholesale distribution strategy to a more direct go-to-market business plan. For prospective shareholders, the company’s rapid development toward its goal of becoming the first national retailer in the thriving electronic cigarette market makes it an intriguing investment opportunity moving forward. Look for Vapor Corp. to leverage its established market position and scalable retail strategy in order to promote sustained growth for the foreseeable future.

For more information, visit www.vapor-corp.com