Matt Birney

Anti cancer specialist drug developer Pharmaust, has successfully altered the taste of their promising new anti-cancer drug known as Monepantel to make it taste better on the eve of a new trial of the drug in dogs. The trial will commence immediately at The University of Cambridge who were responsible for inventing the jet engine and identifying the structure of DNA.

There’s nothing quite like confirmation that the drill rig has been booked for a maiden drilling campaign to get the gold bulls sniffing around. It becomes even more tempting for the bulls when the ground to be drill tested sits just 35km along trend from a nearby project that just produced a 63m intersection grading 2.2 grams per tonne gold and 0.19% copper.

After posting a stellar 242% year on year revenue increase in FY 16, ASX listed financial payments player Stargroup, has given its strongest hint yet that FY17 might be its maiden dividend year. The company’s growth seems unstoppable after it produced yet another record revenue result during the June quarter, its 10th record quarter in a row. 

With the Lithium boom well and truly captivating the market right now, Neometals have kicked the ball out of the park with a 160% upgrade to their Lithium resource at the Mt Marion project near Coolgardie. The resource is now the third biggest in the world at 60.5m tonnes grading 1.36% Lithium whereas it was previously sitting at just 23.24m tonnes grading 1.39%.

Terrain Minerals continue to make good use of historic exploration data to zero in on interesting targets. A recent review of historic data at the company’s Gimlet project, which adjoins Mt Ridley’s project in the Fraser Range, has unearthed an interesting gold target that looks to have never been properly tested which shows gold mineralization from 15PPB to 30PPB.

In the Lithium business it can be very profitable to own a mine, however, turning that Lithium into battery grade chemicals, commonly known as downstream processing, can be even more lucrative. Market darling Pilbara Minerals have given a hint of their medium term strategy after signing an MOU to move into the Lithium downstream processing business with the Chinese. 

Blackham Resources have identified a new source of high grade gold accessible from their existing underground infrastructure just 30m away at the Matilda Gold project in Wiluna. Latest results include 3.47 grams per tonne gold from 104m deep, 6m @ 8.99 g/t from 119m, 19m @ 6.71 g/t from 128m, 18m @ 4.88 g/t from 181m and 5m @ 10.8 g /t from the 134m mark.

MGC Pharmaceuticals have done what few other medical cannabis companies have managed to do – make money.The company received first revenues from its “MGC Derma” medical cannabis based line of anti-ageing cosmetics this week from their Californian distributor who has committed to buy 1.2m Euro's worth of product in the first year. 

ASX listed biotech PharmAust, is rapidly making its mark on the anti-cancer drug industry with its promising ant-cancer drug known as “MPL”. The company recently announced they would partner up with the same UK university that was first responsible for splitting the atom and the discovery of stem cells in their upcoming phase 2 trial of MPL in canines.

ASX listed Sky and Space Global have signed a deal with Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic to launch a “constellation” of up to 200 of its nano-satellites into space aboard Branson’s visionary space craft “Launcher One.” Virgin Galactic created LauncherOne specifically to focus on launching nano-satellites into space in an affordable way. 

It seems that Blackham Resources can walk and chew gum at the same time. Even though the company is furiously preparing for the commencement of mining in 3 weeks at the Matilda Gold Project in Wiluna, they have still managed to add another 106 000 ounces of gold to their mining inventory since the delivery of their Definitive Feasibility Study just 4 months ago.

Many companies that list on the ASX do so with the promise of “going global” once they are listed but don't manage to live up to that promise. One recent ASX listing that looks like it might be good for its word is Perth based Shark Mitigation Systems who have just secured a contract to protect the world's best surfers with their “Clever Buoy’ shark detection technology. 

Fresh from exploration success at their Ugandan base metals play, Sipa Resources are now about to drill their highly prospective new West Australian project in the Paterson region as the wet season takes hold in Uganda. The area is attracting the interest of the majors with Rio Tinto recently agreeing to spend $60m on neighbouring Antipa Mineral's ground to earn a 75% interest.

Junior explorer Hammer Metals has accessed a little known Federal Government program to give their shareholders a tax windfall worth nearly half a cent per share. Hammer successfully applied for inclusion in the federal Government’s “Exploration Development Incentive Scheme” which effectively allows exploration companies to pass on some tax losses to their shareholders. 

Perth based Pharmaust has received a $250k Federal grant to conduct a research program into a little known illness known as Leishmaniasis disease. They will work in partnership with a Swiss not for profit who will retain rights to any drugs produced for humans with Pharmaust retaining the rights to any drugs developed that cure Leishmaniasis in animals. 

Sipa Resources might be onto something at their Akelikongo Nickel/Copper prospect in Uganda. The company recently completed a 12 hole RC drilling program returning solid numbers across very wide intercepts at the project, many of which start from surface. With mineralized intersections up to 120m thick, if they find something at Akelikongo it is likely to be damn big. 

Perth based MGC Pharmaceuticals have planted their first medical cannabis crop at their licensed growing facility in Slovenia. The company’s first crop will be around 5000 square meters in area and will be used to evaluate the best soil, nutrients and growing conditions for the planting of future large scale crops. The harvest will be used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes. 

Red Mountain Mining have released the results from their much anticipated pre-feasibility study into the Batangas Gold Project just two hours drive south of Manila in the Philippines. The PFS shows the mine will churn out $46m in free cash over the initial 7 year mine life and produce gold at USD$735 an ounce from a maiden reserve of 128 000 ounces of gold. The project has plenty of upside from a further 320 000 ounces still sitting at inferred status.

Blackham Resources will make the leap from explorer to producer in September this year after the final approval to crank up the old Wiluna Gold plant was granted this week at the company’s Matilda Gold project in W.A. The company says the mine will churn out $234m in free cash over the initial 7 year mine life and will produce 100 000 ounces per annum. 

Sky and Space Global have passed a major milestone in their quest to catapult three miniature satellites, known as “nano-satellite’s” into space. European aerospace company GomSpace, who are contracted to manufacture the company's first three nano-satellites, recently announced that the Preliminary Design Review for the first three nano-satellites was complete.

Avid market followers will no doubt look to punt Legend Mining’s stock today at around .008c/.009c a share after the company announced they were commencing a 1050m drilling campaign to identify the source of three conductors at the Fraser Range. The ground is just 120km from Sirius Resources goliath Nova Bollinger nickel find and it is on a simular gravity tenor ridge.

Anti-Cancer drug hopeful Pharmaust will be fully funded to enter into Phase 2 human trials after well established New York investment bank Joseph Gunnar and Co agreed to underwrite the company’s next capital raise which will be done in the USA. Phase 2 trials are expected to start in a couple of months after their anti-Cancer drug is reformulated to make it more palatable.

Neometals have amassed an $80m war chest after banking another $19.65m paid by Mineral Resources, their partner in the Mt Marion Lithium project near Coolgardie in W.A.  The company has also formed a second 70:30 partnership with Mineral Resources for the purposes of creating the first Lithium downstream processing project in WA utilizing their proprietory process. 

ASX listed Sky and Space Global have wasted no time in achieving their first major milestone since being backdoor listed into Burleson Energy by Perth connections. In a sign that it is all systems go at Sky and Space Global, the company has now locked down a launch contract with a major European launch broker to catapult its first three “nano-satellites into space.

ASX listed Analytica’s unique medical device, known as the “AutoStart” burette, has now made the official approved list with QLD Health. Burette’s are disposed of approximately every 24 hours when a new one is inserted into an IV drip line making them a major consumable item in the health industry. Analytica are looking to secure a licensing deal with a major distributor.

Financial technologies company and ATM machine operator Stargroup will start to hit the radars of dividend seekers after their latest acquisition which will take the company’s estimated EBITDA from around $3.3m to $4.3m just 10 months after its back door listing. With a swag of tax losses from the original shell, Stargroup now looks set to start spitting out cash.

Sipa Resources systematic approach to their Akelikongo nickel-copper prospect in Uganda appears to be paying off with the discovery of a very encouraging 10m intersection grading 1% Nickel and another 4m intersection grading 1.8% Copper. With Cobalt fetching up to 3 times the price of Nickel, the company was also encouraged to see reasonable Cobalt numbers in the results.

Insatiable demand for Lithium in China has seen Neometals off take partner at the Mt Marion project in Coolgardie increase their contracted take or pay commitment for lower grade Lithium by 250%. Chinese company Ganfeng Lithium previously committed to take or pay for 100% of the 6% LIthium product and has now also commited to taking 200 000 tonnes a year of the 4%-6% product. 

Mid way through their Great Western project Scoping Study, Terrain Minerals have made the call to upgrade their project analysis to pre-feasibility quality. The current resource at Great Western, which is still open down plunge and along strike, sits at 322,500 tonnes @ 5.14 grams per tonne gold. The company is designing a 700m drill program to upgrade the resource to Indicated status. 

The Perth led backdoor listing of Israeli company Sky and Space Global into ASX listed shell Burleson Energy has delivered its backers a 45% profit on day one after it relisted on the ASX yesterday. The architects of the deal, led by Perth Corporate finance player Brett Mitchell, delivered their investors a 45% profit after the stock touched 2.9c yesterday with around 100m shares traded. 

Recently listed Perth shark deterrent and detection company Shark Mitigation Systems is now officially punching above its weight as an ASX junior after world surfing legend Taj Burrow agreed to lend his name to the brand as its world wide Ambassador. Burrow will draw global attention to the company's unique, scientifically inspired wetsuits and other products designed to deter shark attacks. 

Having successfully tipped Neometals share price to jump on three previous occasions, Euroz has again tipped the soon to be Lithium miner’s share price to move north, this time by 23%. Euroz say their most recent analysis of the Mt Marion Lithium mine near Coolgardie, which is 26.9% owned by Neometals, shows the company’s share price should be more like 53c instead of 43c.