Matt Birney

An independent clinical trial of MGC Pharma’s cannabis-based dermatological creams has produced spectacular results with the trials showing an 80% improvement in acne prone skin, 73% improvement in psoriatic plaques, 86% improvement of irritated skin and over 70% improvement in the visual appearance of redness, dryness, flaky and oily skin conditions.

PharmAust’s trials of its promising anti-cancer drug in dogs have produced encouraging early results, reducing the size of tumours in three out of four dogs with no other treatment. The early-stage trials have also shown it will be safe to give dogs significantly higher doses, which could lead to some spectacular results in the next stage of trials.

Stargroup and small tier bank, Goldfields Money, have doubled the size of their partnership, announcing that up to $30 million of Goldfields excess cash would now be made available for Stargroup ATM machines. Goldfields’ banking license coupled with Stargroup’s market penetration conjures up any number of future opportunities for the two ASX listed companies.

Perth listed biotech PharmAust, have determined that their promising anti-cancer drug known as MPL might also be useful in the treatment of diabetes, brain disease and age related disorders. The company announced this week they have secured a patent for MPL in Australia relating to the treatment of the three newly targeted illnesses. 

Auroch have begun drilling ahead of schedule in Portugal, just weeks after entering the country with a bold, deep-drilling exploration project targeting high-grade copper and zinc. The first diamond drill hole is expected to take between four and six weeks to test its target, which is just 20kms along strike from the “supergiant” Neves Corvo copper zinc mine.

Lithium Australia’s Sileach process has given its best indication yet of its breakthrough potential with the latest trials producing 99.8% Lithium Carbonate without the need to roast concentrate. The result was also achieved using a sub-economic grade of just 3.4% Li20 highlighting the potential of Sileach to bring low-grade Lithium deposits to market.

Pilbara Minerals have received WA Government approval for the Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalum project, clearing the way for construction of the world’s next major Lithium supplier near Port Hedland. The company also hinted that news about project financing was imminent, which was widely expected after last week’s announcement of a major off-take agreement being struck.

A large-scale pilot plant for Lithium Australia’s revolutionary Sileach Lithium processing technology might have a much lower cost than anticipated thanks to savings identified by building it overseas. Lithium Australia says an engineering cost study by CPC Project Design has identified big savings at a potential overseas site, which will be examined more closely.

"Internet of things” player Connected IO’s relationship with US telco giant Verizon continues to pay off, resulting in a follow-up order from the American Red Cross. Connected IO will work with Verizon to provide more dependable wireless communication solutions for the Red Cross via its innovative modem like devices that are capable of connecting almost anything to the internet.