• BriaCell is set to present clinical and scientific data on its findings in biomarker analyses from the clinical trials it has so far conducted; the presentations will take place at the upcoming conferences in New York
• The clinical efficacy data, which will be made public in advance of these conferences, is crucial to BriaCell, because it helps advance the company’s BriaDX diagnostic test solution; BriaDX is used in determining the kind of patients with a high likelihood of responding to advanced breast cancer treatment

BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (OTCQB: BCTXF) (TSX.V: BCT) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Berkeley, California. The company is in the process of developing off-the-shelf personalized cancer treatment options, targeting advanced breast cancer patients.

Having seen the unmet need, the company embarked on the development of Bria-IMT and is now testing its immunotherapy, through clinical trials, for commercialization.

At the first of two upcoming conferences, the Fourth International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference, slated to take place September 30-October 3, 2018, BriaCell will be presenting a poster on its whole-cell targeted immunotherapy approach to treating advanced breast cancer. The focus of this poster is on circulating tumor cells and cancer-associated cells as biomarkers of treatment response.

The data to be discussed is drawn from the Phase I/IIa findings in the ongoing clinical trials being conducted by BriaCell. The presentation will include, among other things, potential correlation relationship between circulating tumor cells and tumor response to the treatment.

Part of the findings already shows signs of tumor regression, as seen in large tumor-associated cells in patients. These findings go a long way in validating the application of Bria-IMT and in advancing the BriaDX diagnostic test.

Over 50 leaders in the oncology field are expected to make presentations at this conference. Areas of discussion include but are not limited to T cell regulation and their response to cancer, maintenance of immune balance, the convergence of immunotherapy and technology.

The second conference, The MicroCap Conference, will take place on October 1-2, 2018. This is an investor presentation event at which BriaCell will present its key achievements so far, especially the progress on Phase I/IIa, safety and efficacy data from the trials and any discoveries it has made on tumor shrinkage.

The MicroCap Conference brings together investors whose current and target portfolio is in microcap stocks. Here, participants get to interact with one another and, more so, the management teams of companies.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.BriaCell.com

• Marifil exploring for gold, lithium and cobalt in metals-rich South American zone
• Argentina aims to capture as much as 45 percent of lithium market; investments in country’s lithium resource have grown tenfold since 2011
• Marifil’s recent drilling at San Roque property yields good results, with a 19-meter intersection of 1.89 grams per tonne gold

As a metal exploration boom elevates the prospects of Argentina’s mining industry, Canada-based Marifil Mines Ltd. (TSX.V: MFM) (OTCQB: MFMLF) continues to examine the prospects of its properties through drilling and sampling techniques. The company is focused on exploring for gold, lithium and cobalt because of their significant commercial potential, and on September 11, it published the results of its most recent round of exploration drilling on its San Roque property within the Province of Rio Negro, near the Atlantic coast, that significantly add to the advancement of the property (http://ibn.fm/fLouD).

The San Roque property is held by Minas San Roque S.A., which is jointly owned by Marifil Mines (51 percent) and NovaGold Resources Inc. (TSX: NG) subsidiary NovaGold Argentina Inc. (49 percent). Marifil is the project operator. It is an advanced-stage exploration project that encompasses some 42,320 hectares (104,575 acres) of mineral rights wherein significant gold-silver-indium-lead-zinc epithermal sulphide mineralization (http://ibn.fm/tYjHS) has now been drilled by 112 holes.

Results from the latest four drill holes are highlighted by a 19.8 meter intersection of 1.86 g/t Au near the surface, adding substantially to the extent of a gold mineralized area known as Zone 34. The company believes that Zone 34 holds potential for discovery of a heap leachable gold deposit similar to those found in Nevada. In another hole more than a kilometer away on Zone 33, a drill hole hit a composited intersection of 83 meters at 0.50 g/t Au, which also contains significant lead and zinc sulfide mineralization.

An NI 43-101 resource report has not been completed on the San Roque site, but, in the company’s judgment, there exists large volumes of mineralized earth within six distinct zones scattered across four square kilometers of its land holdings. All of these zones are open to expansion by further drilling.

Although the gold mining sector has seen little interest from investors this year because of a lackluster price for the precious metal and a dearth of new mining projects, recent M&A activity has increased market optimism (http://ibn.fm/u93j7), and Marifil has been undaunted about its exploration, noting in its news release that it has arranged a round of private placement financing for gross proceeds of $1 million, subject to regulatory approval.

Marifil’s Las Aguilas property in central Argentina is currently the country’s largest known nickel and cobalt-producing site, and the company’s 15,267-plus hectares (37,726 acres) of Puna grasslands are located within the famed ‘Lithium Triangle’, where that metal has been found in abundance to form a zone crossing national boundaries between Argentina, Chile and Bolivia.

Lithium, cobalt and nickel have become particularly attractive to junior miners in recent years because of their vital importance in the low-heat, high-efficiency lithium-ion batteries that power most of the world’s computer technology. The worldwide growth of interest in environmentally friendly electric vehicles has drawn attention to the limited supplies of cobalt and lithium, in particular, as automakers and national governments have raced to ensure a secure pipeline for their concerns.

Argentina expects to become a lithium superpower by increasing its share of the world’s supply from about 16 percent of the market now to as much as 45 percent by extracting the metal from brines in the Puna, described as the “Saudi Arabia of lithium” (http://ibn.fm/JLnzd).

Mining Secretary Mariano Lamothe told Chile’s Strategic Excellence in Mining conference last month that Argentina could be producing 290,000 metric tons per year of lithium by 2023 (http://ibn.fm/FDCY0). Until Argentina’s government switched from a mining-averse stance to economic development friendliness two years ago, only one company was producing lithium on a commercial scale from Argentina’s brine deposits. Since then, lithium production has increased by nearly 60 percent (http://ibn.fm/qfqcm).

Lamothe told the conference that Argentina is pushing Chile and Bolivia to organize a price index for lithium in order to stabilize market volatility, advancing the possibility that the price could be based on the metal’s carbonate quality, hydroxides, or other technical specifications, according to local media (http://ibn.fm/b0xxK). According to Lamothe, a metric ton of lithium currently can go for anywhere between $14,000 and $25,000, depending on the producer.

According to Lamothe, investment in the country’s lithium mining potential has grown to 10 times its level in 2011, evidence of booming interest and the country’s potential.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.MarifilMines.com

• Strong financial results reported for Q2 2018, with $32.45 million in revenue, up nine percent over same quarter of previous year
• Net Element subsidiary Unified Payments and Payment Club, Inc. raise $7 million to expand subscription-based payment processing service
• Company delivers flexible offerings to emerging global markets with diverse banking, regulatory and demographic conditions
• Ranked as one of North America’s fastest growing companies on Deloitte’s 2017 Technology Fast 500

Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE), a global technology-driven group that specializes in mobile payments and value-added transactional services, continues to add flexible, convenient options to its array of electronic payment solutions. The company’s growth in revenue supports its strategic approach in providing yet another avenue for small and mid-sized businesses to accept cashless payments. News that Net Element subsidiary Unified Payments is launching a subscription-based payment processing service through a partnership with Payment Club, Inc. is a value-added case in point, with $7 million raised to finance related expansion plans (http://ibn.fm/APf3n).

“Utilizing a transparent subscription-based pricing model combined with the latest technology solutions, Payment Club can provide positive options to frustrated merchants and streamline their payment processes,” Anthony Kutscher, president and co-founder of Payment Club, stated in a news release.

For business owners who are often stymied by rising or hidden costs, this subscription-based cashless payment operating model makes sense in more ways than one by providing access, efficiency and a cost effective service through a subscription-based economy, as detailed in a recent Forbes article (http://ibn.fm/SAU6b). Businesses of all stripes are entering a phase where, through subscriptions, cost-effective access to virtually unlimited resources is the new reality, the article asserts. In other words, “businesses don’t have to own the resources they need to enable their business, but rather can pay for efficient access to only the resources they need when they need them.”

Unified Payments’ newly created subscription-based billing engine allows Payment Club and many Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), Value Added Resellers (VARS) and Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs) to bill and manage any payment services and software licenses in a convenient and transparent way, according to an earlier news release (http://ibn.fm/kdPMZ). The turn-key solution includes everything needed for businesses to accept payments in a multi-channel environment, including smart point-of-sale devices for card present transactions and fully integrated point-of-sale systems, as well as online and mobile solutions developed exclusively for Payment Club by Net Element.

“Small businesses often complain about the fees they pay for accepting cashless transactions and the burden it places on their business,” Vlad Sadovskiy, president of integrated payments for Net Element, explained in a news release. “At Unified Payments, we make it fast, easy and affordable to accept cashless payments using the newly introduced subscription-based processing.”

A new independent research report, now available from Fundamental Markets (accessible through registration), highlights Net Element’s progress in building revenue and expanding its roster of electronic payment services (http://ibn.fm/pDgue). In the report, Net Element’s reported revenue for the first quarter of 2018 increased by 17.85 percent, coming in at $15.98 million versus $13.56 million over the same period last year.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.NetElement.com

• Institute of Food Technologists meeting draws 20,000 participants in food industry, academia and policymaking – IFT is the world’s largest annual meeting of the food industry
• Researchers discussed using Pressure BioSciences’ laboratory tools in innovative projects
• The company’s current high pressure instruments can be used in studies whose results could help scientists better understand and kill food-borne pathogens, such as E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella
• The company’s future Ultra Shear Technology could result in safer, better-tasting, longer shelf-life and chemical-free food products

Pressure BioSciences Inc.’s (OTCQB: PBIO) high pressure instruments, processing methods and platform technologies were prominently featured at the recent annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in Chicago, Illinois. IFT is the world’s largest annual meeting of food industry professionals. Both in scheduled sessions and in the company’s exhibit booth, attendees at IFT2018 were able to hear of groundbreaking progress the company has made in the continuing development of its Ultra Shear Technology (UST) platform.  In particular, attendees learned of PBI’s collaborative program with the Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, a program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (http://ibn.fm/nME7M).

The IFT’s annual meeting, which drew over 20,000 attendees worldwide from across the food industry, academia and government, is the industry’s largest annual event. The IFT seeks to provide a forum where industry professionals, academics and government representatives can work together to leverage their technical knowledge into applications that will benefit the wider population, particularly in food safety.

Dr. Aliyar Fouladkhah, director of the Public Health Microbiology Laboratory at Tennessee State University (TSU), spoke at the event about his team’s research into developing ways to eliminate pathogens from food. Of interest in this field is the development of a commercially viable way to make food safer with longer shelf-life and with no added chemicals, while retaining its taste, smell, texture, and quality.

In a news release, Fouladkhah said, “I was the co-chair of a special session on the adoption and validation of high pressure-based technologies by the food industry at the recent IFT annual meeting. My research group presented on the effects of high hydrostatic pressure on the inactivation of foodborne pathogens of major public health concern, such as E. coli, Salmonella, Cronobacter, and Listeria. We believe the data we presented, much of it generated with PBI’s high pressure-based instruments, will assist food safety researchers and stakeholders worldwide as they consider the use of pressure-based interventions for their microbiological studies.”

Fouladkhah also voiced confidence that the food science community will require and embrace a continued flow of next-generation equipment, technologies and methods for years to come, and that Pressure BioSciences’ Ultra Shear Technology platform may be one such technology. Currently in development, UST is expected to greatly benefit the food and many other industries, as it is designed to inactivate the most resistant pathogenic organisms in food matrix, resulting in safer and more stable products, Fouladkhah noted.

Pressure BioSciences’ President and CEO Richard T. Schumacher added that his company achieved a number of key goals at the IFT conference. “Our assessment was that IFT 2018 was a highly successful meeting for PBI,” he said in a news release. “Related to our first major goal, we came back from the meeting with a list of food science researchers interested in learning more about how our products could better enable their research programs. Related to our second major goal, we had the opportunity to discuss the power and potential of the UST platform with Key Opinion Leaders in industry, government, and academia worldwide. We learned a lot, met many important and knowledgeable leaders and food industry stakeholders, and had the opportunity to deeply examine current competitive technology platforms.”

Schumacher continued, “Based on what we learned, we made several very important decisions concerning the opportunity for and future path of our UST Program.  As our action path unfolds, further highlights of these decisions will be made public over the coming weeks.”

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.PressureBioSciences.com

• Global demand for electric vehicles expected to grow at annual rate of 15.6 percent over next five years, presenting huge opportunities for lithium producers
• Demand for lithium, key ingredient in lithium-ion batteries powering EVs, projected to more than double by 2022
• Promising results from original exploration holes on Ollague Property are basis of additional, deeper drilling efforts
• Lithium Chile owns 15 projects in heart of world’s highest-grade lithium district
• Global lithium-ion battery market expected to reach $93.1 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 17 percent

Lithium Chile Inc. (TSX.V: LITH) (OTCQB: LTMCF), the largest private owner of lithium-rich land in Chile, is deep into an aggressive multi-project drill program that, to date, has provided encouraging results from sampling tests. The company’s efforts at its wholly owned Ollague project, located in the Antofagasta Region of Chile, are being rewarded, according to a recent news release (http://ibn.fm/kWA9d).

Of the first four exploration holes that are now completed, results indicated grades in the brine ranging up to 480 mg/l of lithium, with the grades steadily increasing from 120 meters to the final depth of 300 meters. Based on this preliminary information, Lithium Chile is pursuing a fifth hole in the center of the basin, just north of the third and fourth holes, and has scheduled a deeper target depth of 500 meters.

“Drilling a fifth hole at Ollague not only reflects the encouraging data we have collected on our first four holes but also reflects our belief that Ollague has the potential to be an exciting new lithium discovery,” Lithium Chile’s president and CEO Steve Cochrane said in the release.

Global demand for lithium is expected to more than double from 26,700 tonnes in 2018 to 58,300 tonnes in 2022, according to data and analytics company GlobalData, as reported in an article published by Proactive Investors Australia (http://ibn.fm/XxUcM). Most of that demand is tied to the future of electric vehicles as nations begin to wean their citizens off of vehicles powered by the combustion engine and on to EVs energized by lithium-ion batteries and similar rechargeable battery components.

According to McKinsey’s Electric Vehicle Index, global sales of new electric vehicles passed one million units in 2017, with EV producers expecting a surge in the appetite for their products (http://ibn.fm/O1Ejz). An article in Forbes (http://ibn.fm/KihsC) points out that China leads market share in this space by purchasing 48 percent of the EVs sold today, followed by European customers at 26 percent.

Lithium Chile’s own analysis of the market agrees that EVs are driving lithium growth, which underpins the reason for the company’s accelerated exploration program. Grand View Research projects that the global lithium-ion battery market will reach $93.1 billion by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 17 percent (http://ibn.fm/LGEKZ). Increased usage of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, portable consumer electronics and grid storage systems owing to its high energy density and high safety level is expected to drive market demand.

Increased consumption of lithium and support investment in mine expansions across Chile and Australia, as well as new mine development such as that underway in Lithium Chile’s Ollague project area, could eventually help meet the demands of green technology as global leaders continue efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and affect climate change.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://ibn.fm/LTMCF

• Functional beverage market estimated at $14 billion worldwide currently; CBD hemp extract market expected to hit $22 billion by 2022
• Phivida Holdings’ recent announcement of new Oki brand heralds introduction of full spectrum hemp extract-infused iced teas, flavored waters
• Company also has joint venture with WeedMD Inc. to produce cannabis-infused beverages under Cannabis Beverages, Inc. label

The concept that beverages may serve a “functional” purpose has developed within the health and wellness industry as cannabis producers examine ever-expanding options for putting the plant’s properties to use. Hemp-cultivated cannabinoid innovator Phivida Holdings Inc. (CSE: VIDA) (OTCQX: PHVAF) is pursuing the beneficial possibilities of new drink products infused with active hemp extract while marketing its existing line of Vida+ brand hemp oil extracts and capsules.

With less than a month remaining until Canada approves a full range of medical and recreational drug uses of the cannabis plant nationwide, cannabis industry companies and their ancillaries are preparing for an onslaught of consumers interested in mining cannabis’ therapeutic potential.

Phivida’s core purpose of using whole plant nutrition and natural ingredients as the best way to maintain overall physical health and balance has led to the creation of its premium, full spectrum cannabinoid line of extract and capsule products designed to help people feel their best. The company’s recent announcement of a joint venture with licensed Canadian medical marijuana producer WeedMD Inc. (TSX.V: WMD) (OTC: WDDMF) (FSE: 4WE) to create a line of cannabis-infused drinks under the Cannabis Beverages, Inc. (“CanBev”) label will take Phivida’s product line to a new retail audience with its expected rollout in 2019 (http://ibn.fm/CdoDo). Phivida also recently announced a distribution plan for its new Oki brand iced tea and flavored water products through an exclusive agreement with Natural Specialty Sales to utilize that company’s network of up to 2,400 retail outlets across the United States (http://ibn.fm/yJVdU).

Natural Specialty Sales’ network includes Whole Foods, Sprouts Farmers Market and national co-op grocers. The Oki beverages will be sold in recyclable 16-ounce glass bottles and contain 10 mg of hemp extract. The initial production run included 100,000 bottles, with 150,000 more scheduled for distribution exclusively in the United States. Supplements are also available in tinctures or capsules ranging in dosage from 600 to 1,800 mg of active hemp extract.

The CanBev products will be distributed throughout Canada and online, with legalized international market outlets expected to follow. WeedMD will supply the cannabinoid extracts for the drinks while Phivida will lead new product innovation, research and development, formulation, packaging and branding, and will sublicense its current and future trademarks, intellectual property, branding and packaging to CanBev.

“The size of the functional beverage market is estimated to be approximately $14 billion and the hemp extract market is poised to explode to $22 billion by 2022,” Chief Marketing Officer Mike Cornwell said in a news release. “We’re proud to be able to offer consumers a new line of products that could benefit them, using formats like beverages and supplements, which are relatively unchartered by other companies in our category. We truly are in the midst of very exciting times.”

While the idea of drinkable cannabis was once considered unthinkable among marijuana’s recreational smokers, recent studies have shown that beer consumption has decreased significantly in the United States where cannabis has been legalized (http://ibn.fm/YWiBc), prompting industry efforts to combine the two products and retain the consumer base, or even increase it.

Cannabis’ reputation has transformed from that of a silly, intoxicating “weed” to a respected and in-demand medicinal herb for treating select nervous system disorders. Cannabis-infused beverages and other consumables are now poised to also gain a recreational use following among people who want to enjoy its relaxing properties but are offended by stinky and unhealthful smoke, as well as the hangover that alcohol can leave with drinkers who otherwise enjoy its recreational use.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Phivida.com

• Four-hole drill project in famed Lithium Triangle nearing completion
• First assay of Lithium Chile’s underway drill project shows results on par with average grades in neighboring Argentina exploration
• Lithium Chile may alter drill plan to probe to greater depths and add fifth hole to project as a result of first hole analysis

Test results have identified important lithium-bearing brines in the first hole drilled as part of a four-hole lithium-seeking project in Chile’s Salar de Ollague, fueling excitement about the project and expectations that the other three holes could further identify the zone as a potentially significant mineralization discovery for Lithium Chile Inc. (TSX.V: LITH) (OTCQB: LTMCF).

Lithium Chile announced on August 23 that the drill project is validating the results of a transient electromagnetic survey (“TEM”) completed in March that revealed the zone’s potential as a source for the lightweight metal regarded as so critical for modern computerized devices worldwide — especially for powering electric vehicles now that a major upturn in that industry is expected during the coming decade (http://ibn.fm/uahOP).

Initial drill site testing of the core and liquid samples retrieved from Hole DDH-OLL-01-18 showed that the project had struck a continuous 180-meter salinity zone beginning at a depth of 110 meters. The August 23 news release states that the assay of the drill hole at internationally accredited laboratory ALS Patagonia’s nearby facilities returned results of up to 480 mg/L of lithium, with an average grade over the last 60 meters of 470 mg/L lithium.

In the news release, Lithium Chile President and CEO Steve Cochrane noted that the assays “rival the average grades in Argentina” and that he is “delighted” the first results of the company’s drilling activity are already showing promise. The company also believes that the results may have been diluted by drilling fluids and fresher water uphole from the salinity zone, leaving open the possibility of higher grades with actual production at the site.

Assay results are expressed in measurements of milligrams per liter (mg/L) or parts per million (ppm) equivalents showing the amount of lithium found at brine-friendly salars (dry lake beds). Economically productive lithium finds may result from brines with concentrations beginning at a few hundred mg/L. Albermarle’s huge lithium brine mine in the United States is founded over finds between 190 and 200 mg/L (http://ibn.fm/7FUTi). A test well less than a mile from DDH-OLL-01-18 returned fluid results assayed at 1,220 mg/L of lithium.

Lithium has become an in-demand metal because of the critical heat-reducing function it plays in the modern lithium-ion batteries that power everything from smartphones to environmentally friendly automobiles. Demand for lithium is expected to triple during the coming decade, with most of the new growth occurring in the electronics industry, according to minerals research agency Roskill (http://ibn.fm/jgdTJ).

Chile is a significant area for mineral exploration in the famed “Lithium Triangle” that also encompasses Argentina and Bolivia. The second hole in Lithium Chile’s four-hole project was drilled in what the TEM identified as the shallower southwestern edge of the Ollague salar, near DDH-OLL-01-18. The third and fourth holes are nearer the center of the salar, where the company expects to find the mineralization continuous to deeper regions.

Core and liquid samples from the second site are being assayed, the drilling for the third hole has been completed and the fourth drill hole is in progress. Because the first hole showed increasing grades of lithium as the drill reached lower depths, Lithium Chile is evaluating the feasibility of going deeper than planned with the fourth hole and even adding a new, deeper drill hole to the project, according to the news release.

The company’s portfolio includes sections of 14 salars and one laguna (surface water) complex in Chile, covering some 377,824 acres (152,900 hectares). Once the current four-hole exploration is completed, it plans to start similar projects at four other advanced-stage sites, potentially wrapping up before the end of Q3.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://ibn.fm/LTMCF

• CytoDyn signs definitive agreement to acquire privately held ProstaGene
• Gets access to CCR5 technologies related to cancer
• Lead candidate PRO 140 set for Investigational New Drug (IND) application in first cancer indication, expanding CytoDyn’s focus beyond HIV

With its planned acquisition of ProstaGene, LLC, CytoDyn Inc. (OTCQB: CYDY) is expanding its focus beyond HIV and graft-versus-host disease to open up a new front in the fight against cancer. ProstaGene is developing metastasis control technology that targets the chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5), a protein on the surface of white blood cells. Metastasis is the spread of cancer beyond the original tumor, a phenomenon that contributes to the disease’s deadliness. Studies have suggested that the use of CCR5 antagonists as adjuvants may bolster anti-tumor immune responses.

CytoDyn recently announced signing a definitive agreement to acquire privately held ProstaGene, expected to be finalized in November. CytoDyn also confirmed that Richard G. Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.P., F.R.A.C.P., founder and CEO of ProstaGene, will join CytoDyn as its future chief medical officer (http://ibn.fm/QOBNu). The deal transfers or assigns certain intellectual property rights held by ProstaGene and Pestell to CytoDyn. Of particular interest to CytoDyn is the metastasis control technology and the work done in this area by ProstaGene aimed at developing a therapy that prevents metastasis in prostate, breast and other cancers. ProstaGene is also developing a companion test to identify those patients who will respond to the therapy, estimated at around 50 percent of prostate and breast cancer cases, resulting in the potential for an extensive market. Both the metastasis technology and IP are based on blocking the CCR5 receptor from antigens.

CCR5 is also thought to act as a portal for many forms of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS, which is why it has been of interest as a drug target to CytoDyn. The normal function of CCR5 is to bind chemokines, molecules that regulate inflammation. However, the receptor can also provide a gateway to HIV; the GP120 protein of HIV first attaches to the CD4 receptor on the cell membrane and then is able to bind to the co-receptor CCR5. Fusing of the membranes of the virus and the immune cell then occurs and genetic material from HIV enters the cell, infecting the cell.

CytoDyn’s lead product candidate, PRO 140 (leronlimab), targets CCR5. PRO 140 is a viral-entry inhibitor, a new class of HIV/AIDS therapies that works by blocking the entry of the virus to healthy cells. PRO 140 works by attaching to the same portion of the CCR5 co-receptor to which HIV normally binds. The PRO 140 antibody physically blocks HIV from attaching to the CCR5 co-receptor and arrests the completion of the second step in the entry process. The HIV is, consequently, rendered ineffective.

CytoDyn has completed a Phase 3 study of PRO 140 in combination with current highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) regimens, and it plans to file a Biological License Application for that usage. The company is also conducting a Phase 3 study of PRO 140 as a potential single-agent treatment for HIV.

The company recently received approval to increase the dosage in its Phase 3 monotherapy trials of PRO 140. Due for completion by year-end (http://ibn.fm/pMGdn), “patients who finish the study will move into a FDA-cleared rollover study.”

The approach taken by PRO 140 has a distinct advantage over other therapies. Other HIV drugs that target CCR5 interact with the pocket of the receptor and thereby inhibit binding of not only the HIV, but chemokines, which may have a number of adverse consequences because of the disruption of the chemokine inflammatory response. However, PRO140 blocks entry of the HIV and yet permits normal chemokine binding, leading to potentially fewer side effects.

CytoDyn is now preparing to move PRO 140 into clinical trials in cancer. In August, CytoDyn announced that PRO140 had been shown effective at inhibiting the growth of a human colon carcinoma cell line (SW480) in a prominent mouse model. The results were statistically significant and provide the basis for filing an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a clinical trial in colon carcinoma patients (http://ibn.fm/tIEYt).

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.CytoDyn.com

• The new HUB880 Explorer ultra-high pressure based system will be used by research laboratories worldwide in food-borne pathogen research to potentially maximize food safety
• Pressure BioSciences has sold a second system to Tennessee State University’s Public Health Microbiology Laboratory
• The development of laboratory-scale high pressure research instruments is one of the major product areas upon which the company is focusing, the other being its novel Ultra Shear Technology (UST) platform
• UST, the centerpiece of the company’s recently announced, USDA-funded ($891,000) development program with The Ohio State University, is a scalable food processing method with the potential to make healthy, nutritious, great tasting beverages and liquid foods with extended shelf-lives without requiring chemical additives
• Feedback from early users of the HUB880 Explorer are expected to help guide the development of the company’s first UST commercial instrument

Pressure BioSciences Inc. (OTCQB: PBIO) announced recently the sale of the first two instruments from its newest line of high-pressure instrument systems. The HUB880 Explorer is a high-pressure based system that will enable public health, microbiology, food science, agriculture and other research scientists to study the manner in which pressure can kill food pathogens.

The first customer of the new system is a leading Japanese research institute that’s conducting trials in the fields of food and agricultural development. The aim is to maximize safety while also reducing production costs. The Japanese researchers will rely on the HUB880 Explorer to study the effects of high pressure on food manufacturing and the destruction of food-borne pathogens during the process, according to a company press release (http://ibn.fm/FNSWY).

Pressure BioSciences Vice President of Marketing and Sales Dr. Nate Lawrence revealed that the second customer is the Public Health Microbiology Laboratory at Tennessee State University. The laboratory will use the newly-released pressure instrument to acquire a better understanding of enteric pathogens, such as E. coli, salmonella and listeria.

Every year, foodborne pathogens like the ones mentioned above contribute to 420,000 deaths worldwide. They also cause the cumulative loss of 33 million years of healthy living on an annual basis, according to the Public Health Microbiology Laboratory.

The Public Health Microbiology Laboratory has been relying on Pressure BioSciences’ pressure-based instruments for years, which has enabled the publication of multiple scientific articles on food quality, as well as safety and handling of foodborne pathogens. According to Dr. Lawrence, these publications have been well-received in the scientific community.

Through the use of the new HUB880 Explorer, researchers will become capable of reaching higher pressure levels and working with larger sample sizes. This way, the manner in which pathogens contribute to spoilage and safety hazards will be studied more thoroughly. Because of this enhancement, the HUB880 Explorer could potentially lead to higher revenue levels in the foreseeable future, Dr. Lawrence noted.

Pressure BioSciences President and CEO Richard T. Schumacher said that the company is concentrating its efforts in two fields – pressure-based research instruments for use in scientific research settings and the Ultra Shear Technology, which is a scalable food processing method. The aim of UST is to address the limitations of using standard high-pressure processing and other food processing technologies in the quest to develop a scalable, enabling food processing method that can result in safer, great tasting, longer shelf-life, clean label (no chemical additives) food.

The Ultra Shear Technology combines high-pressure with intense shear forces while simultaneously limiting the exposure to high temperature. Recently, an $891,000 grant was awarded to Ohio State University for the development of the technological platform in collaboration with Pressure BioSciences. A significant portion of the funds will be allocated to the design, development and manufacturing of two prototype instruments (a bench-top and a floor model). According to Schumacher, the company believes that once the prototype instruments have been made, UST processing will result in the ability to process beverages and liquid foods that will have excellent taste and extended shelf life, but will not require chemical additives.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.PressureBioSciences.com

• Search engine features focused on cannabis commerce
• “Business media” platform that makes networking easier
• One-stop shop for both consumers and commercial operators

There’s a good chance that, very soon, someone who wants information on cannabis commerce will “NUG-L” with an application developed by NUGL Inc. (OTC: NUGL), in much the same way that they “Google” a topic. The tech company, located in Chino Hills, California, is aiming to become a leader in fostering communication and business relations in the cannabis space. To do so, it has developed a distinct platform that is part Google, part LinkedIn, which will allows users to not only find information on products, services and much more related to cannabis, but also facilitate networking and alliances between brands and service providers. NUGL’s leading edge, first-of-its-kind search app and online directory for the marijuana industry may soon be a one-stop shop for dispensaries, hydro stores, vape shops, brands and strains, as well as doctors, lawyers and other service professionals.

As Technical Engineer CJ Melone of NUGL explained in a recent interview (http://ibn.fm/zkWYZ), “We basically built an application that addresses every type of business in the 420 sector… and the businesses range from services, such as a CPA, a real estate agent… we cover all the storefronts, such as dispensaries and hydro stores, and we really are focusing on brands. And a brand could range from a vape pen coming out or a certain strain of marijuana, and what we’re seeing is that as the industry is becoming more sophisticated and it’s evolving, people and users are looking for that level of sophistication. They don’t want to just find marijuana or a store that sells it, they want to find a certain strain or brand of marijuana, and it’s just a natural step in evolution.”

“So we built profiles that address all these types of companies and it’s good, because it gives brands and services the ability to network ‘on the back end’, and a brand could start setting up distribution, and start making connections with dispensaries; a type of nutrient could start making connections with hydro stores or grow houses; and services can start making connections to people that need it. And what’s even more important is that this is a ‘value-add’ to the user, since they can find more things online and in a more detailed way, so it’s a win-win on both sides,” he continued.

The “profiles” are a feature that is proving to be especially favored. The wealth of information a profile provides “almost alleviates the need for a company to have a web site.” They will undoubtedly play an important role as dispensaries and other cannabis retail establishments search for suppliers and service providers. Indeed, this B2B capability of the application gives NUGL a unique position in the cannabis sector, making the company not simply a search platform but a “business media” portal. NUGL expects that as businesses and professionals become more familiar with the platform, this B2B characteristic will take on increasing importance. It is presently engaging in a variety of educational outreaches to teach the community how to use the back end of the software.

The company continues to enhance the application – it is rolling out new features every week – based on feedback received from the ecosystem of cannabis businesses, service providers and consumers, and it expects to start charging for some services in the very near future.

“We are going to start monetizing soon,” explained Melone. “You know software is a funny thing. Sometimes it’s better to start charging 5 million eyeballs later, than 500 hundred eyeballs today… We are getting into the market very methodically. We are gaining users and brands. We are putting together some strategic alliances. It’s going good. We are growing every day. We are not trying to do things on a whim. We are in this for the long haul.”

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://ibn.fm/NUGL