• SerpentCoin is being built utilizing “Cardano,” the most advanced third generation public blockchain and cryptocurrency technology designed to support smart contracts and cryptocurrencies
• Development of SerpentCoin includes long-term core value, with 1.5 percent of every transaction deposited back into the platform’s Temple, or “treasury”
• SerpentCoin holders, known as Guardians, can vote on how the coin’s treasury funds are invested into specified health care projects and technologies slated to benefit humanity
• Guardians also receive a 0.5 percent bonus in token rewards on every transaction

Uneeqo Inc. (OTC: UNEQ) is a Nevada corporation that recently incorporated and registered a new subsidiary, Serpentcoin Limited (“SCL”), in the United Kingdom. Through this subsidiary, Uneeqo has a new focus – a peer-to-peer digital token called “SerpentCoin” built upon a distributed, decentralized public ledger that is viewable and easily audited by transacting parties through unbreakable, encrypted smart contracts.

Serpentcoin’s IT team has chosen Cardano, a technologically advanced blockchain platform developed from a scientific philosophy by a global team of leading academics and engineers, as the backbone of its technology. SerpentCoin has been designed to embrace a revolution still finding its feet in the world marketplace. Unique to SerpentCoin is the “Medusa App,” a multi-token wallet being engineered to be a major game changer, since it eliminates digital clutter and brings convenience, security and no added transaction fees to the user.

Medusa, which is expected to be available for download and released for free on both Android and iOS, will enable users to spend their SerpentCoin and other blockchain assets through their smartphones. Setting up an account on Medusa is simple, with a multi-token wallet created automatically and its private key secured by the platform’s blockchain technology.

Tokens do not need to be converted to fiat money until an actual transaction happens, which means conversion is conducted in real-time. Importantly, the user can choose between different blockchain assets as a source of payment within the app and can conveniently exchange those assets, such as bitcoin, Ether, SerpentCoin and many more, through the Medusa wallet. Users also earn a 0.5 percent reward for every purchase made, with the incentive transferred to the user’s wallet in the form of PAY tokens that gives users a potential value upside of the tokens.

Leading the company is Dr. Abel Haque, a business development professional with extensive experience in international business in the medical, technology and automotive sectors, as well as a leading consultant in regenerative medicine and cell therapy. SerpentCoin’s catch phrase – “Guardians of a monetary rebirth” – accurately describes the company’s “one team” attitude that engages its investors and those interested in a collaborative energy dedicated to creating repeatable results.

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

• First Cobalt is concentrating on building a North American portfolio of assets that are highly leveraged to the fast-growing EV market for cobalt, used in lithium-ion batteries
• First Cobalt’s acquisition of US Cobalt provides a potential feedstock for cobalt ore for processing at the First Cobalt Refinery, the only permitted cobalt extraction refinery in North America that can produce battery grade material
• The First Cobalt Refinery is a strategic asset fully permitted to process North American feedstock

An exploration stage corporation, First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQB: FTSSF) is working to build the largest global pure-play cobalt exploration and development company, with its North American portfolio of assets that are highly leveraged to the rapidly growing cobalt market being pushed by rising interest in electric vehicles. Established in early 2017, First Cobalt’s primary emphasis is on its Greater Cobalt Project located about 500 km north of Toronto, Ontario.

Cobalt is used in components for lithium-ion batteries, and the growing demand for electric vehicle power is fueling the market for the mineral, according to Transparency Market Research via MarketInsider (http://ibn.fm/qzacP). Over the next decade, global demand for cobalt is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 11.6 percent, according to Forbes (http://ibn.fm/flwFo). The Greater Cobalt Project consists of 10,000 hectares of prospective land, including more than 50 past producing mines. While not the only North American explorer focused on cobalt, First Cobalt is the largest. Its assets also include a mill and the only permitted cobalt extraction refinery in North America that can produce battery grade material.

The company is initiating a study of the First Cobalt Refinery in the Canadian Cobalt Camp. It’s a hydrometallurgical cobalt-silver-nickel refinery commissioned in 1996 and situated roughly five kilometers east of Cobalt, Ontario. First Cobalt is not currently producing at the refinery, although the facility ran as recently as three years ago.

The primary motivation of the study’s timing is First Cobalt’s recently announced friendly merger with US Cobalt and its primary asset, which is the Iron Creek cobalt project in Idaho. With US Cobalt anticipating a Mineral Resource Estimate in 2018, the Iron Creek asset could be in production in as few as three years and could provide feedstock to the refinery. The refinery could then produce cobalt sulphate for the North American battery market. This combination of resource and unique refining capabilities represents a huge opportunity for First Cobalt, positioning the refinery as a key focus for the company.

The intention of the study is to help First Cobalt estimate the capital needs for the future restart of the refinery. It will also estimate the increase in throughput of an expanded facility within the present building footprint. In addition, operating cost estimates will be provided for both scenarios.

In a news release, Trent Mell, president and CEO of First Cobalt, said, “As we move forward with [the] proposed acquisition of US Cobalt and ongoing studies of early cash flow opportunities in the Cobalt Camp from historic muckpile material, this Refinery study will drive us closer to our goal of being a vertically integrated North American cobalt company.”

Underpinning all of this is the fact that a substantial portion of the world’s cobalt sourcing has major challenges. This sourcing now depends on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where child labor is common. First Cobalt offers a significant ethical advantage because it is developing cobalt sources in Canada. Moreover, the company has the potential of greatly assisting in the renaissance of the nearby community of Cobalt, Ontario.

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

• Portfolio now covers cannabis production, distribution and new market research
• Two subsidiaries are late-stage applicants for cannabis licensing
• Partnerships include unique research into efficacy of CBD for pain management in canine osteoarthritis

Liberty Leaf Holdings Ltd. (CSE: LIB) (OTCQB: LIBFF) (FSE: HN3P) is putting together a portfolio of strategically positioned cannabis companies to create a vertically integrated seed-to-sale organization addressing all aspects of the burgeoning cannabis market. The company invests in cannabis-related businesses that fill a needed role in its vertical integration plan, offering its expertise, such as management, HR and marketing, to help them develop and complement overall goal. Liberty Leaf currently operates in Canada, but it is now actively seeking to enter multiple legal cannabis markets in North America.

Elements of the company’s growing portfolio include the following:

• North Road Ventures (http://ibn.fm/k7vk5) was acquired by Liberty Leaf in October 2016. An emerging distributor of cultivated and manufactured cannabis products to licensed legal retailers, North Road has an application pending with Health Canada for an ACMPR license.
• Liberty Leaf also acquired a majority interest in Just Kush (http://ibn.fm/1yBIv). Just Kush is a late-stage ACMPR applicant and is in control of a Medical Marijuana Access Regulations (MMAR) licensed production facility. Together with North Road Ventures, the Just Kush acquisition puts two ACMPR licenses in play, strengthening Liberty Leaf’s strategic position as a forward-thinking, vertically integrated cannabis company.
• Liberty Leaf, in a 2017 partnership collaboration with ESEV Genetics R&D, launched a scientific study to demonstrate the efficacy of CBD for pain management in canine osteoarthritis. ESEV Genetics is also developing the world’s first genomic platform for high value crop, and advancing medicine and food plant derived health solutions.

While Just Kush focuses on cannabis production and North Road on cannabis product distribution, the research of ESEV Genetics R&D represents creative new market potential for Liberty Leaf. These ventures, together with other alliances, already give Liberty Leaf powerful vertical positioning in the multi-billion dollar legal cannabis industry, with additional opportunities on the horizon.

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

• Advanced Netevia platform gets payments to merchants’ bank accounts faster
• Equity capital injection of cash bolsters balance sheet
• New board members to sit on audit and compensation committees

According to Statista, total payment revenues worldwide climbed to $1.6 trillion in 2016, and the market is projected to reach $2.2 trillion by 2021. Therefore, it’s no surprise that payment processors like Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE) are doing so well. The company recently reported 2017 full year revenues of $60.1 million, which represents an increase of approximately 11 percent over its 2016 revenues of $54.3 million. That top line seems set to rise even higher, as the company’s Fast Pass Funding, accessible through its proprietary Netevia platform, gets underway. The new Netevia multi-channel payments platform connects and collects payments across a number of channels, including point-of-sale and mobile devices, through a single integration point.

The revenue growth at Net Element in 2017 was boosted by strong performance in the company’s North America Transactions Solutions division, with both dollars and transactions increasing. Revenues in that business segment increased over 2016 by 21.3 percent, from $42.1 million to $51.1 million, while transaction volume increased by 14 percent to reach $2.8 billion in 2017, versus $2.45 billion during 2016. Transaction dollars processed in the North American markets grew by 18 percent and reached $2.3 billion.

There was also significant improvement in the company’s balance sheet. Cash on hand at year-end 2017 was $11.3 million, compared to $0.6 million on December 31, 2016. Current liabilities fell by $0.8 million, but an increase of $0.9 million in long-term liabilities contributed to a marginal increase in total liabilities. Total financial debt at year-end 2017 was $7 million. However, the company raised $7.6 million of new capital during 4Q17, with the funds being earmarked for new investments and organic growth initiatives.

In February 2018, the company launched its newest multi-channel payments platform, Netevia, which offers third parties API access to develop and integrate customized payment applications (http://ibn.fm/KBEfa). The Netevia product offering increases the range of solutions in the multi-channel marketplace, which is becoming increasingly fragmented. The platform offers fast, easy merchant account opening and integration, payment conversion optimization, more than 150 risk-monitoring filters and very competitive pricing for payment acceptance services. NETE is already building on it. The company recently announced the launch of its Fast Pass Funding, a service that will operate on the Netevia platform (http://ibn.fm/mOidW).

Fast Pass Funding allows eligible merchants to receive funding in as little as three hours during regular business days. This is a significant improvement over the previous average funding times of 12 to 24 hours. Fast Pass Funding is also available to merchants using Aptito, Net Element’s proprietary cloud-based restaurant point-of-sale and management system.

In addition to its expanded range of services and an improved financial position, NETE has strengthened its board of directors. It recently named CNBC host Jon Najarian and former Bank of America executive Jonathan Fichman to its board of directors, both of whom will serve on the company’s audit, nominating and corporate governance, and compensation committees. Industry observers are taking note. NETE was named as one of the fastest-growing companies in North America on Deloitte’s 2017 Technology Fast 500 (http://ibn.fm/TzeJ8). So, too, are analysts. In an April 2018 update, SeeThruEquity maintained its price target of $25.00 (http://ibn.fm/iWjbR). NETE stock currently trades around $8.00.

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

• Cricket is a billion dollar game played in over 50 countries
• Sports betting market continues to grow
• Cricket predictive analytics app increases enjoyment and engagement

Ever since Michael Lewis’ bestseller, “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game”, demonstrated how Billy Beane picked his winning baseball teams, statistics have become as much a part of the game as the lingo of bases and pitches. That analytical approach to selecting players can now be found in basketball, cricket, football, soccer and almost every other sport, a modus operandi made easier by the transition of data to digital forms. Now, sports analysis is undergoing further development as large data sets of sporting statistics are scoured for trends and insights. Consorteum Holdings (OTC: CSRH) is a pioneer in this field. The software development and mobile solutions company has announced plans to release its first sports-oriented global predictive analytics mobile product for all Android and iOS devices (http://ibn.fm/7cRjb).

People will play games, which is why the North American sports market is expected to reach $73.5 billion by 2019, according to Forbes (http://ibn.fm/iwWW7), and many sports lovers can’t help betting on the outcome of this or that game. Having some skin in the game, undoubtedly, adds to one’s involvement, enjoyment and, sometimes, detriment. For starters, Consorteum intends to focus on cricket, which bears some resemblance to baseball, the game that initiated the use of data analysis in sports.

If its cricket, then what better place to start than the Commonwealth, an association of nations, most of which are former British colonies. Spanning six continents, the Commonwealth comprises 53 nation-states and 2.5 billion people, many of whom are cricket fans. In India, they’re especially fond of the sport. In 2016, the Indian Premier League (IPL) was valued at over $4 billion. With introduction into this potential market, Consorteum’s app is likely to resonate well with cricket fans and score many runs.

The app is Consorteum’s first global predictive analytics mobile offering. It was developed under a joint business agreement between DevLex Ltd and Consorteum Holdings subsidiary 359 Mobile. This global offering will be the first product released under an exclusive distribution contract between 359 Mobile and DevLex Ltd, which creates an exclusive alliance for the distribution of the DevLex Predictive Analytics Platform (“DV-PA”) with 359’s Universal Mobile Interface™ (“UMI”).  The Cricket DV-PA will be offered in the app stores for all Android and iOS devices. Built by a dedicated team, the Cricket DV-PA encompasses a massive historical data set that is continuously updated on all relevant statistics on cricket teams and players. Consorteum expects to have the Cricket DV-PA available by the end of June 2018.

359 Mobile Inc. is one of Consorteum’s wholly owned subsidiaries, responsible for developing end-to-end fintech solutions for various vertical markets. Its key product is the flagship Universal Mobile Interface™ (UMI), which is a state-of-the-art platform for integrating any stream of data onto a mobile platform. The technology has the capacity to provide solutions in fintech, data analytics, secure payment processing, compliance lead transaction management and various digital social event sectors.

The UMI platform also allows cross operating system development to support all mobile devices while addressing the complex and highly regulated needs of the mobile fintech industry. 359 Mobile Inc. is using this advanced data analytics and automated management system to inch toward a more personalized mobile experience for millions of users. Its collaboration with DevLex is the first step in that direction.

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

• 100% ownership of lithium property portfolio in the heart of Chile’s lithium-rich district showing high grade lithium brines and excellent chemistry at shallow depths, all with good access to infrastructure
• Well-funded with $9 million working capital; targeting initial resource estimates in 2018
• Experienced top-tier management team has extensive Chilean connections with nearly 150 combined years in mineral exploration and development
• Chile’s mining friendly jurisdiction provides clear, streamlined permitting process, facilitating low-cost production
• Global lithium-ion battery market predicted to surpass US$53 billion by 2024 with a 9% CAGR

Lithium Chile Inc. (TSX.V: LITH) (OTC: LTMCF), headquartered in Canada, is advancing one of the largest lithium-rich exploration portfolios in Chile consisting of more than 148,000 hectares covering sections of 13 salars or mineral salt flats and one laguna complex. The company’s wholly owned premier properties include 66 square kilometers on the Salar de Atacama, Chile’s largest mineral salt flat which hosts the world’s highest concentration of lithium brine production and is currently the source of about 35 percent of the world’s lithium production. Lithium Chile also owns a significant copper/gold/silver property portfolio consisting of 28,184 hectares over six different properties.

Lithium Chile’s portfolio in the heart of Chile’s lithium-rich salars includes Salar de Coipasa, Salar de Helados, Salar de Atacama, Salar de Turi Salar de Ollague and Salar de Talar. Surface and near surface salt and brine sampling programs on all properties has been completed. To date, samples of high-grade, near-surface lithium brines at each of these projects are showing excellent chemistry of lithium to potassium and lithium to magnesium ratios. Good chemistry is important as it reduces your overall cost of production. Recent geophysical surveys including T.E.M have been completed on 5 of 6 priority targets and data collected to date has been extremely encouraging.

Lithium Chile has identified multiple high-priority brine target areas at its Atacama and Ollague lithium project areas. These areas display the same geophysical characteristics as the lithium-rich aquifers at Salar de Atacama, home to the world’s largest and highest-grade lithium brine producers. Spanning an area of 1,200 square miles, Salar de Atacama is the world’s third largest salt flat behind Salinas Grandes in Argentina and El Salar de Uyuni in neighboring Bolivia. Exploration drilling and resource definition drilling for these target areas are planned for 2018.

“We are delighted with the discovery of such impressive drill target areas at Atacama and Ollague. The results also follow the recent discovery of a 60km2 target area at another of our top Chilean projects – Helados – where we hope to drill in the second quarter of 2018,” stated President and CEO Steve Cochrane. “We have an aggressive multi-project drill program planned for this year, which includes all three of these exciting projects and we look forward to sharing drill results as they come through.”

Global demand for lithium-ion batteries is expected to surpass US$53 billion by 2024 as governments around the world aggressively seek to ban gas-powered vehicles and major automakers invest billions in new technology and electric vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries. Chile’s mining-friendly jurisdiction offers Lithium Chile a clear, streamlined permitting process that significantly lowers the cost of lithium production to around $1,800/ton as compared to Australia’s $5,000/ton.

Lithium Chile is led by an experienced team with strong Chilean connections. Cochrane’s 36 years of investment industry experience have primarily been focused on the mining sector. During this time, he raised more than US$500 million for a variety of small cap public companies in various businesses and industry sectors including mining.

Terry Walker, P.Geol., vice president of exploration and chief geologist, is a highly experienced geologist. He has spent over 25 years in Chile’s mining industry and is well connected throughout the sector. Walker is co-founder of GeoServicios Piedra Dorada, an exploration and development services company focused on Latin America. He is a Qualified Person for the North American and Australian stock exchanges.

Lithium Chile is well funded and driven by a top-tier team with more than 100 years of combined experience in financing, mining exploration and development in the natural resources sector.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LithiumChile.ca

• Netevia offers full integration with all major platforms, with the possibility of expanding compatibility in the future
• Instant onboarding, three-hour funding time, enhanced security and payment conversion optimization are among platform’s main features
• Platform further solidifies Net Element’s position as a leading provider of innovative and disruptive payment solutions

Currently at the strongest financial position in its history after a highly successful 2017, global technology and value-added solutions group Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE) is moving forward with its goal of simplifying global commerce and payments through proprietary multi-channel platform Netevia (http://ibn.fm/Re8ea).

Launched earlier this year, Netevia is a future-ready multi-channel platform designed to serve as blueprint and set of tools for global commerce and monetization by simplifying and connecting payment across different sales channels via a single integration point. Offering end-to-end payment processing services through easy APIs, the platform was designed by developers with developers in mind, according to Net Element Chief Technology Officer Andrey Krotov, and includes SDKs and sandbox for testing, offering all the building blocks and features needed to integrate payment acceptance into virtually any e-commerce solution.

Netevia is fully integrated with all major platforms, allowing vendors to accept a wide range of payment methods in multiple currencies on any device. The platform is highly flexible, being continuously adjusted and expanded so as to enable the addition of new features and services as payment needs change. Recent or still in development features include free processing in exchange for data, integration with smart terminals for card present sales, gift card solutions to drive increased sales and repeat business and, last but not least, cryptocurrency payment processing for multi-channel transactions.

In addition to flexibility and vast platform compatibility, Netevia offers merchants multiple valuable features, including instant onboarding, same day settlement and funding and payment conversion optimization that can help vendors reach 99.2 percent conversion rates and higher revenues – everything available for a highly competitive price. The latest service, added to the platform in early April 2018, was Fast Pass Funding, which allows eligible merchants to receive funding in as little as three hours during business days, a massive improvement to the previous 12- to 24- hour waiting period. Netevia also provides state-of-the-art security and fraud prevention services via more than 150 risk monitoring filters, vaulting, tokenization and point-to-point encryption.

With a focus on supporting electronic payments acceptance in a multi-channel environment, including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile devices, Net Element is uniquely positioned to disrupt the payment processing industry. The group is currently in its best financial situation in history, after a successful year 2017 marked by an increase in revenues ($60.1 million from $54.3 million in 2016), an improved balance sheet of $11.3 million cash in hand and financial debt of $7 million at the end of the year, and a wide array of partnerships geared toward simplifying payments across multiple sales channels worldwide.

Net Element will continue to embrace and develop innovative payment processing technologies in its efforts to capitalize on the fast-growing e-commerce market, which is expected to more than double its value over the next three years and reach $4.88 trillion by 2021, from $2.3 trillion in 2017 (http://ibn.fm/ad8hh).

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

• Petroteq is in the final stages of Phase 2 – 1,000 BOE/D expansion at its Asphalt Ridge facility in Utah
• Commissioning and start up for the Asphalt Ridge project is slated to begin in May
• Company’s patented heavy oil processing and extraction technologies are environmentally safe and sustainable

Petroteq Energy Inc. (TSX.V: PQE) (OTCQX: PQEFF) is forging new roads in the oil and gas space with its patented heavy oil processing and extraction technologies. The company recently announced expansion progress at its Asphalt Ridge heavy oil extraction facility, which is located near Vernal, Utah, and which will implement the company’s proprietary extraction technology in converting Utah’s oil-rich resources into energy (http://ibn.fm/pjWlv0).

Since its appointment of new CEO David Sealock, Petroteq has focused on final engineering, procurement and construction at the Asphalt Ridge facility in preparation for commissioning and startup procedures. Commercial operations related to its Phase 2 – 1,000 BOE/D expansion are expected to commence in May. In March, Petroteq announced that all of the plant’s systems were operational, and the company’s focus during these final engineering and construction phases is to integrate all of the facility’s operating functions to work in simultaneous progression.

The company has made significant progress in developing proprietary technology in order to convert the oil-rich resources of Utah into energy. It is anticipated that the Phase 2 expansion at Asphalt Ridge will demonstrate the multi-decade production and commercial capability of Petroteq’s patented technology. As construction work packages are finalized, and a five-stage commissioning and startup process is implemented, the company is on track to transfer commissioning processes to production operations.

The company’s groundbreaking oil extraction technology presents an environmentally safe and sustainable means of extracting heavy oils from oil sands, oil shale deposits and shallow oil deposits. This process produces zero greenhouse gas emissions, creates no waste, utilizes no water and does not require high temperatures or pressures. This continuous-flow, closed-loop technology enables the environment and the oil sands industry to work in harmony rather than opposition.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Petroteq.energy

• Energy-efficient devices market is expected to reach $908 billion by 2022
• Residential and commercial buildings account for up to 45 percent of total energy consumption
• Regulatory targets for reduction in energy consumption and concerns over climate change are major factors driving overall market growth
• Zero Cost Energy Savings Program offers savings with no upfront customer expenditures

Temperatures are warming up, and the cost of electricity is a concern for residential and commercial customers seeking a more efficient, cost-effective way to power their homes and businesses. Zenergy Brands, Inc. (OTC: ZNGY), the nation’s leading next-generation utility headquartered in Plano, Texas, is primed with an answer to those skyrocketing energy prices through its Zero Cost Energy Savings Program that reduces utility expenses by 20 to 60 percent.

On a global scale, residential and commercial buildings account for up to 45 percent of the total energy consumed through heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, water heating, plug loads and various other energy-consuming functions, according to a report by Navigant Research (http://ibn.fm/OfkjF). As both individuals and countries around the world begin to take action to combat rising energy costs and global warming, some of the first lines of defense are installing energy-efficient devices and embracing conservation methods.

Zenergy’s Zero Cost Energy Savings Program (http://ibn.fm/sAfcS) is a financing mechanism designed to allows customers to reduce water, natural gas and electricity expenses through the use of smart controls, building automation, LED lighting solutions, refrigeration optimization, efficient water systems, EC motor controls, demand-size management and load factor correction – all with no out-of-pocket cost to the client. A unique Managed Energy Services Agreement (MESA) allows the partner who is financing the upgraded retrofit equipment and installation costs to retain a portion of these utility savings until a specified repayment period ends. After that, the client reaps all of the financial rewards of the technologies implemented.

Zenergy Brands’ dedication to delivering comprehensive smart energy service to its customers is being augmented with a new business development initiative called the Zenergy Associate Program. Operating under the umbrella of Zenergy’s new marketing and business development subsidiary, Zenergy & Associates, Inc. (Z&A), this associate program will certify qualified individuals to build a portfolio of income by working individually or as an organized team to originate new customers, projects and, ultimately, sales.

Zenergy CEO Alex Rodriguez said that the new associate program was created to support sales of the company’s full suite of products and services. “We firmly believe in a direct sales or relationship-based model where well-connected individuals can leverage their relationships to produce sales, and this program allows us to tap into such a similar powerful distribution channel, so I am excited about the opportunity that is the Zenergy Associate Program,” Rodriguez said in announcing the initiative (http://ibn.fm/aeoP2).

The global forecast for the energy-efficient devices market calls for growth to more than $908 billion by 2022, according to a report by Research and Markets (http://ibn.fm/1uo4G). The development of smart cities and green technologies, along with rising consumer interest in becoming more tech-savvy when it comes to energy conservation, are projected to be driving factors in the market’s growth.

For more information, visit the company’s websites at www.ZenergyBrands.com and www.WhatisZenergy.com

• Every 43 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a heart attack
• Over six million patients visit U.S. emergency rooms reporting chest pain each year
• Chest pain symptoms can be hard to diagnose in emergencies but are vital to assessing for heart attack
• Zenosense’s handheld device aims to give first responders rapid, highly sensitive analysis of heart biomarkers

Each year, well over six million patients visit emergency rooms across the United States reporting chest pain. Most of these patients are not suffering from an acute myocardial infarction (AMI/heart attack), but they are a major burden on emergency departments, with billions of dollars spent on unnecessary admissions annually. When a suspected heart incident occurs, usually after a chest pain complaint, emergency responders turn to an immediate ECG, complemented by blood tests for the cardiac markers troponin I or T, to diagnose AMI.

The troponin element of diagnosis is problematic. When troponin levels from damaged heart muscle rise rapidly after AMI, the challenge is early detection when levels are very low. High sensitivity tests are required. These high sensitivity troponin tests have been in use in other parts of the world for over seven years, and, in 2017, the first next generation troponin assay was approved for use in the U.S. by the FDA. These tests are performed on state-of-the-art central laboratory analyzers, but they are expensive and also typically take at least an hour to turn around results, when minutes are vital. The market requires a device that can conduct high sensitivity troponin tests, at the point of care (“POC”), rapidly, cost effectively and easily.

Through its joint venture ownership of MIDS Medical Limited (MML) (www.MIDSMed.com), located at the United Kingdom’s prestigious Sci-Tech Daresbury campus, Zenosense, Inc. (OTC: ZENO) is developing MIDS Cardiac™. This handheld device aims to deliver accuracy equal or superior to these ‘gold standard’ central laboratory analyzers at the POC – taking lab testing to the patient. MIDS Cardiac aims to deliver high sensitivity results that are available within minutes. This would provide first responders with a new level of point of care device analysis. It will save valuable time during the so-called ‘golden hour’, when critical treatment is crucial to positive outcomes, and could also quickly rule out the majority of patients presenting with chest pain who are not suffering a heart attack, resulting in enormous hospital savings.

High sensitivity troponin assays (hs-cTn) have been used by thousands of clinicians around the world for many years, enabling better diagnosis in emergency departments. They have substantially assisted the safe rule-in or rule-out of AMI. The U.S. has been slow to adopt the assays, with the first next generation troponin T test approved by the FDA in early 2017. More are expected to follow from other manufacturers. Several studies have indicated that between two-thirds and three-quarters of patients could be ruled out, solely based on assay results, and safely discharged.

Frank Peacock MD, associate chief of emergency research at Baytor College of Medicine in Houston, stated that this recently FDA approved next generation assay “….is easily the best news in the last decade for emergency medicine patients presenting with chest pain” but added that centers without the right laboratory analyzers to perform the high sensitivity lab testing would be unlikely to switch, because installing those expensive analyzers would be a “multimillion-dollar endeavor.”

MIDS Cardiac is being developed to not only support these hs-cTn assays with accuracy that’s equal or superior to the latest state-of-the-art laboratory analyzers, but to do so at the POC, in the emergency room or even by paramedics in emergency situations such as in the back of an ambulance. MIDS Cardiac aims to provide a single troponin I or troponin T test within three minutes and a three-panel assay of additional cardiac biomarkers within eight minutes, providing a triage capability in emergency situations that is not only rapid but on a device which is a fraction of the cost of a laboratory analyzer. The device would only require a single pinprick of blood for a single assay test carried out on an easy-to-use, disposable microfluidic test strip.

Unlike existing laboratory analyzers and POC devices which generally rely on optical detection technology, the groundbreaking MIDS technology can detect and measure commonly used paramagnetic assay beads by their total aggregated nanomagnetic signal. This makes MIDS suitable to be incorporated into a miniaturized, cost-effective handheld device that could fill the hs-cTn gap identified by Frank Peacock.

In late 2017, Zenosense reported that initial testing had been completed on the MIDS device’s ‘Hybrid System’. Incorporating the patented MIDS technology platform, the Hybrid Strip, for initial testing purposes, aims to replicate as far as possible the planned MIDS ‘Lab on Chip’ technology. This is expected to give the very highest level of accuracy. It is anticipated to be equal to or better than laboratory analyzers, with capability of performing true ‘high sensitivity’ tests directly at the POC. The Hybrid Strip testing results (using packaged sensors) indicate that MIDS can already detect and measure very low numbers of commercial assay beads (as used in existing laboratory-based hs-cTn tests) to support hs-cTn tests which need to reliably measure down to five or six nanograms per liter of troponin at the 99th percentile. A final Lab-on-Chip MIDS test strip, using unpackaged sensors, is expected to be able to detect and measure even lower numbers of assay beads, by bringing the sensors much closer to the detected beads.

Carlos Gil, CEO of Zenosense, said November’s initial testing of the MIDS device was “an exciting phase of our development, designed to definitively prove this remarkable, novel method of detection.”

“These results come in at the very high end of detection expectations, even at this Hybrid Strip stage. As we move forward into true Lab on Chip construction, I expect detection levels to improve further still,” MIDS Medical Managing Director and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Nasser Djennati added (http://ibn.fm/PJ1Aj).

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