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HAIFA, Israel, Nov. 12, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (PSTI) (PSTI.TA), a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapy products, announced today that it has been granted a patent in both Australia and New Zealand for the use of a specified population of placental cells for treating several medical indications. The patent, titled “Adherent cells from placenta and use of same in disease treatment” has been issued in Australia, Patent No. 2010322808, and in New Zealand, Patent No. 600651.

The patents’ claims include the use of the population of placental cells in the treatment of muscle trauma, muscle defect, neuropathic pain, peripheral nerve injury, and neurodegenerative diseases.

“These patents, which cover multiple indications and bring the Company’s total to 32 granted patents, are timely, as we’ve demonstrated Pluristem’s ability to use its technology platform to develop distinct cell therapy product lines for the potential treatment of different conditions. We continue to evaluate additional indications for PLX-PAD and PLX-RAD, our first two cell therapy products,” stated Pluristem CEO Zami Aberman.

WILMINGTON, Mass., Nov. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Implant Sciences Corporation (IMSC), a high technology supplier of systems and sensors for homeland security and defense markets, announced today it has entered into an Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for its QS-B220 desktop explosives trace detectors, which recently received TSA qualification for airport checkpoint passenger and baggage screening. The IDIQ, a necessary prerequisite for competing for TSA’s annual trace detection procurements, establishes contract terms under which the TSA could purchase up to $162 million of equipment and services.

“We are very pleased to receive an IDIQ of this magnitude from the TSA, just weeks after receiving approval for baggage and passenger screening. With this agreement, Implant Sciences becomes the first non-radioactive ETD manufacturer for passenger and baggage screening in airports. This is a testament to the performance and value delivered by our next-generation explosives trace detectors,” stated Implant Sciences’ CEO, Glenn D. Bolduc.

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. 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.

PETACH TIKVA, Israel, Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE MKT: CANF) (CFBI.TA), a biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs that address cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced the Company’s CEO, Dr. Pnina Fishman, will co-chair the Cancer Therapeutics session of the 19th World Congress on Advances in Oncology. The conference will take place in Athens, Greece, from October 9-11, 2014.

In addition to co-chairing the Cancer Therapeutics session, Dr. Fishman will deliver a presentation regarding Can-Fite’s drug, CF102, titled, “CF102 for the treatment of liver cancer: De-regulation of the Wnt signal transduction pathway.”

In pre-clinical and clinical studies in liver cancer patients, CF102 has demonstrated a robust anti-tumor effect via deregulation of the Wnt signaling pathway, known to mediate and control cell proliferation, resulting in apoptosis of liver cancer cells.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to co-chair the Cancer Therapeutics session and to present CF102 as a potential treatment for liver cancer at this prestigious international conference. This conference brings together researchers and key opinion leaders from around the world to learn about and discuss the latest developments in the fight against cancer,” stated Dr. Fishman.

CF102 is now entering Phase II trials in the U.S., Europe and Israel for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Orphan Drug Status to Can-Fite’s CF102 for this indication, and Israel’s Ministry of Health has approved CF102 for Compassionate Use in liver cancer patients.

WILMINGTON, Mass., Oct. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Implant Sciences Corporation (IMSC), a high technology supplier of systems and sensors for homeland security and defense markets, announced today that the QS-B220 has successfully passed the European Civil Aviation Conference’s (ECAC) Common Evaluation Process of Security Equipment (CEP) for airport checkpoint screening of passengers and baggage. The QS-B220 is the first Explosives Trace Detector (ETD) to pass ECAC’s stringent laboratory testing protocol. The CEP was established to provide standards for security equipment performance across ECAC’s 44 member nations. The QS-B220 was also recently added to the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Qualified Products List (QPL) in the U.S.

“The 44 EU member nations covered by the ECAC approval represent an enormous opportunity for Implant Sciences. Procurements across the region have been delayed while this standard was established and implemented,” stated Implant Sciences’ Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing, Dr. Darryl Jones. “As the first company to pass the new standard, we believe we are in an excellent position to capitalize on this pent-up demand.”

“Our company has achieved an unprecedented number of ETD approvals in a very short period of time, making the QS-B220 one of the most widely approved products in the world. Implant Sciences’ success is a testament to the quality product that our design team created and our manufacturing group built,” added Glenn D. Bolduc, President and CEO of Implant Sciences. “We have been gearing up in anticipation of these approvals, and we believe that we are ready to execute on these important opportunities.”

VIENNA, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE MKT: CVM) today announced the first volunteer patient has been enrolled and administered Multikine* (Leukocyte Interleukin, Injection) in a Institutional Review Board approved Phase I Clinical Trial evaluating peri-anal wart immunotherapy in HIV/HPV co-infected men and women at the Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD). The purpose of this dose escalation study is to evaluate the safety and impact of Multikine as a treatment of Human Papilloma Virus associated peri-anal warts and assess the effect on anal intraepithelial dysplasia (AIN) in HIV/HPV co-infected men and women.

The study is being conducted through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between CEL-SCI Corporation and Naval Medical Center San Diego. By entering into this CRADA, NMCSD does not directly or indirectly endorse any product or service provided, or to be provided, by CEL-SCI, its successors, assignees, or licensees. CEL-SCI is contributing doses of the investigational drug Multikine and will have the right to exclusively license a new technology developed from the collaboration.

“This is an important milestone in our Phase I trial, which is the third indication for which Multikine is being evaluated as a potential immunotherapy. We are pleased to have this working relationship with the Naval Medical Center San Diego and look forward to completing enrollment and Multikine administration for the 15 patients planned for this trial,” stated CEL-SCI Chief Executive Officer Geert Kersten.

Multikine has the potential to improve the clinical treatment of HPV lesions that are associated with cancer. The NMCSD Clinical Investigation Department has a robust spectrum of ongoing research with over 300 Institutional Review Board approved research studies and clinical trials to advance medical treatment and improving quality of life for patients.

Anal and genital warts are commonly associated with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted disease. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has named HPV the 4th largest health threat the U.S. will face in 2014. According to the CDC, 360,000 people in the U.S. get genital warts each year. Persistent HPV infection in the anal region is thought to be responsible for up to 80% of anal cancers. HPV is an even more significant health problem in the HIV infected population as individuals are living longer as a result of greatly improved HIV medications, but have difficulty clearing HPV due to their compromised immune system.

PETACH TIKVA, Israel, Sept. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE MKT: CANF) (CFBI.TA), a biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs that address cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent to the Company which covers its drug candidate, CF102, in the treatment of liver regeneration and function following liver surgery. The issued patent # 8,846,635 is titled, “Method for inducing hepatocyte proliferation and uses thereof.” Can-Fite has recently been granted a patent for this technology in Japan and the European Union.

CF102 is now entering Phase II trials for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer in the U.S., Europe and Israel. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Orphan Drug Status to Can-Fite’s CF102 for this indication and Israel’s Ministry of Health has approved CF102 for Compassionate Use in liver cancer.

“The treatment of post-surgery liver function is an indication that would complement our current portfolio of indications in clinical trials. CF102 may offer important healing benefits for the liver not only to cancer patients, but also for patients who have other diseases or injuries of the liver,” stated Can-Fite CEO Pnina Fishman.

In preclinical studies, CF102 has induced proliferation of hepatocytes following liver resection (surgery), increased liver weight and reduced elevated levels of serum liver enzymes, reflecting improved liver status. In patients with preexisting liver diseases, such as cirrhosis or cancer, normal hepatocellular proliferation following injury is impaired, exposing patients to liver dysfunction and associated complications that can lead to liver failure and death.

Can-Fite’s intellectual property portfolio consists of 150 issued and pending patents worldwide. Additional patents relating to induction of hepatocyte proliferation and uses thereof are pending in several other markets, including Israel.

ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 24, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE MKT:RNN), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing best-in-class therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation for its drug RX-3117 for the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer. RX-3117 is a next generation, cancer-specific nucleoside analog. Rexahn is currently enrolling patients in a Phase Ib clinical trial in cancer patients and expects to complete this trial in the first quarter of 2015.

The FDA’s office of Orphan Drug Products grants orphan status to support development of medicines for rare disorders, defined as diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. Orphan drug designation provides Rexahn with certain benefits, including limited market exclusivity upon regulatory approval if received, exemption of FDA application fees and tax credits for qualified clinical trials.

Preclinical studies have shown that RX-3117 maintains its anti-tumor activity in human cancer cell lines that are resistant to gemcitabine, a chemotherapy drug used to treat pancreatic cancer. Gemcitabine resistance represents a major problem in the treatment of cancer patients. In pancreatic cancer patients who have been treated with gemcitabine, up to 40% of patients became resistant to gemcitabine after 30 days.

“Receiving Orphan Drug Designation for RX-3117 in the treatment of pancreatic cancer is an important milestone for this clinical development program,” commented Rexahn’s Chief Executive Officer Peter D. Suzdak, PhD. “RX-3117 has shown to be effective in treating cancer cells that have become gemcitabine resistant. If the results of our Phase Ib trial and future trials show similar results in gemcitabine resistant patients, this would represent a major breakthrough in the treatment of pancreatic cancer patients.”