WILMINGTON, Mass., Jan. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Implant Sciences Corporation (IMSC), a high technology supplier of systems and sensors for homeland security and defense markets, announced today that it has joined the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). AAAE is the world’s largest professional organization for airport executives, representing thousands of airport management personnel at public-use commercial and general aviation airports. The organization’s members represent approximately 850 airports and hundreds of companies and organizations that support airports.

“We are continuing to progress through the TSA checkpoint qualification process for our QS-B220. When we have completed this, we believe we will be in a prime position to have our next-generation ETDs installed in airports in the U.S. Our membership in AAAE will facilitate the communication of the value-proposition that Implant Sciences’ next generation ETD provides to both airports and travelers,” stated Implant Sciences’ President and CEO, Glenn D. Bolduc.

“Collaboration between airport executives and proven technology providers like Implant Sciences is critical to our ongoing efforts to enhance security and efficiency in the airport environment,” AAAE President and CEO, Todd Hauptli, commented. “We appreciate the value that Implant Sciences sees in having an opportunity to engage and work with our members, and we welcome them into the AAAE family.”

About the QS-B220 Desktop Explosives Trace Detector

The QS-B220 uses Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) to rapidly detect and identify trace amounts of a wide variety of military, commercial, and homemade explosives. With significantly lower maintenance requirements than competing systems, the QS-B220 can be deployed for a much lower total cost of ownership than other approved products. Featuring a radioactive material-free design, push-button maintenance and diagnostics, and a patented inCal™ internal automatic calibration system, the QS-B220 brings new levels of performance and convenience to desktop trace detection users with unsurpassed ease of use.

About Implant Sciences

Implant Sciences is the leader in next generation Explosives Trace Detection (ETD) technology. In January 2013, the Company became only the third ETD manufacturer, and the sole American-owned company, to have product approval from the US Transportation Security Administration. Implant Sciences has developed proprietary technologies used in its commercial explosives and drugs trace detection systems, which ship to a growing number of locations domestically and internationally. Implant Sciences’ QS-H150 portable explosives trace detector has received Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology Designation and, in addition to receiving TSA qualification for air cargo screening, the Company’s QS-B220 has also received STAC certification, a Developmental Testing & Evaluation (DT&E) Designation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technology Act of 2002 (the SAFETY Act), and the GSN 2013 Homeland Security Award for “Best Explosives Detection Solution”. For further details on the Company and its products, please visit the Company’s website at www.implantsciences.com.

HAIFA, Israel, Jan. 21, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (PSTI) (TASE:PLTR), a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapies, today announced top-line results from its Phase I/II clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of PLacental eXpanded (PLX-PAD) cells in the treatment of muscle injury. The trial indicated PLX-PAD cells were safe and statistical significance was reached (p=0.0067) for the primary efficacy endpoint of the study, the change in maximal voluntary isometric contraction force of the gluteal muscle at six months after total hip replacement. Patients treated with PLX-PAD had a greater improved change of maximal voluntary muscle contraction force than the placebo group. These results provide evidence that PLX cells may be efficacious in the treatment of orthopedic injuries including muscles and tendons.

This Phase I/II trial was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study conducted at the Orthopedic Clinic of the Charite University Medical School under the auspices of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute (PEI), Germany’s health authority. The injured muscle studied was the gluteus medius muscle in the buttock. Total hip replacement surgery via the standard transgluteal approach necessitates injury of the gluteus medius muscle, and post-operative healing is crucial for joint stability and function.

The 20 patients in the study were randomized into three treatment groups. Each patient received an injection in the gluteal muscle that had been traumatized during surgery. One group was treated with 150 million PLX-PAD cells per dose (n=7), the second was administered 300 million PLX-PAD cells per dose (n=6), and the third received placebo (n=7).

The primary safety endpoint was clearly met, with no serious adverse events reported at either dose level. The study showed that PLX-PAD cells were safe and well tolerated.

The primary efficacy endpoint of the study was the change in maximal voluntary isometric contraction force of the gluteal muscle at six months post-surgery. Efficacy was shown in both PLX-PAD treated patient groups, with the group receiving the 150 million cell dose displaying a statistically significant 500% improvement over the placebo group in the change of the maximal contraction force of the gluteal muscle (p=0.0067). Patients treated at the 300 million cell dose showed a 300% improvement over the placebo (p=0.18).

An analysis of the macrostructure of the gluteal muscle using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicated an increase in muscle volume in those patients treated with PLX-PAD cells versus the placebo group. This efficacy endpoint was demonstrated in both PLX-PAD treated patient groups, with the group receiving the 150 million cell dose displaying a statistically significant superiority over the placebo group. Patients treated at the 150 million cell dose showed an approximate 300% improvement over the placebo in the analysis of muscle volume (p=0.004). Patients treated at the 300 million cell dose showed an approximate 150% improvement over the placebo in the change of muscle volume (p=0.19). The complete dataset that includes biopsy results and functional assessments will be presented at a medical conference once the final analyses are completed.

The study’s Senior Scientist, Dr. Tobias Winkler of the Center for Musculoskeletal Surgery, Julius Wolff Institute Berlin, Charite — Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Germany, commented, “I am very impressed with the magnitude of the efficacy results seen in this trial. PLX cells demonstrated safety and suggested that the increase in muscle volume could be a mechanism for the improvement of contraction force.”

Zami Aberman Chairman and CEO stated, “This was a very important study not only for Pluristem but for the cell therapy industry in general. The study confirms our pre-clinical findings that PLX-PAD cell therapy can be effective in treating muscle injury. Having a statistically significant result for our primary efficacy endpoint is very encouraging and consistent with our understanding of the mechanism of action associated with cell therapy. Based on these results, we intend to move forward with implementing our strategy towards using PLX cells in orthopedic indications and muscle trauma.”