• Significant mineralization located
• Near-term production potential
• This advantage puts Quantum Minerals in an excellent position to compete with industry leaders and push forward Canadian efforts to reduce reliance on China and Chile as top global suppliers

Vancouver-based lithium exploration and development company QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) has identified additional spodumene-bearing pegmatite dikes at its 100 percent-owned Irgon Lithium Mine Project within the Cat Lake-Winnipeg River rare element pegmatite field (http://ibn.fm/5G7QH).

On October 17, Quantum Minerals announced a significant visual spodumene mineralization in the Mapetre Pegmatite Dike had been confirmed. The Mapetre Dike, located south of the Irgon Dike, hosts two historic pits. In them, Quantum Minerals experts have identified large spodumene crystals, a discovery that will lead to extensive sampling after overburden is cleared from the entire strike length of the Mapetre Dike.

Representative samples have already been collected from the Mapetre pits, which have the same mineralogical characteristics as the 4.16 percent high grade samples obtained at QMC’s nearby Central Dike (QMC NR October 10, 2018). Quantum Minerals expects the Mapetre samples to produce similar elevated lithium results.

The Quantum Minerals assets are considered of particularly high importance given Canada’s emergence as a potentially significant lithium producer. Currently, China and Chile rank as the world’s top lithium producers. China is in control of 30 percent of the production market, and industrial acquisitions are expected to give the country an even larger share (http://ibn.fm/RT0sq).

Manitoba, the Canadian Province in which Quantum Minerals is focusing its activities, is rich with potential for lithium exploration and is already labelled as one of the world’s best mining districts. Many deposits, including those on the Quantum Minerals Irgon Property, were discovered decades ago but were never fully explored. At the time, lithium was far from a profitable resource, and interest in mining the lithium resources was low. Through the renewed efforts in Manitoba, Quantum Minerals is showing how companies outside of China and Chile can compete with some of the big players.

Quantum Minerals is benefitting from the past surveys that map out the available resource, as well as having the infrastructure for power access nearby that can be quickly refurbished. Roads also enable easy logistical access to the area.

The company intends to extract the spodumene mineralization from the dike, which can easily and quickly be reduced to either lithium hydroxide or lithium carbonate. This process contrasts with the much slower process used in the Chinese and Chilean mining efforts. With this process, lithium is extracted from brines as the water in the solution slowly evaporates. In Manitoba, Quantum Minerals can simply mine and process the rock, which leads to a faster turnaround time to set up extraction and produce a saleable product.

The hard rock method and the existing infrastructure put Quantum Minerals in an enviable position from which it can quickly begin extracting large quantities of high-quality lithium ore, with the potential to help the company secure a leading position on the lithium production market.

Over the past 20 years, lithium has become one of the most demanded resources, as Li-ion batteries are now used to power a wide range of devices, including electric vehicles.  The global lithium production is at a level of 600,000 tons per year. The demand is expected to increase by anywhere between 600,000 and 800,000 tons in the coming decade (http://ibn.fm/Bn5Ru). Lithium prices have increased by approximately 30 percent in recent years, and experts predict a further hike in the future.

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

• Earth Science Tech plans to enter the CBD beverages market through the development of its own full-spectrum CBD drink
• The product is developed on the basis of a University of Central Oklahoma Provisional Patent
• Industry experts predict rapid growth of the CBD beverages market, which is still in the early stages of development and offers excellent opportunities

Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTCQB: ETST) announced that it has started work on the formulation of a full-spectrum CBD beverage. The biotech company that focuses on CBD, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products will be utilizing its University of Central Oklahoma Provisional Patent to develop the formulation, aimed at enhancing immune system function (http://ibn.fm/ky2sR).

The High Grade Full Spectrum Cannabinoids beverage is the result of positive results derived from clinical trials in 2015 run jointly with the University of Central Oklahoma. The studies focused on the positive effects CBD can have on strengthening immune response.

Currently, Earth Science Tech is putting effort in the development of the right beverage formula and in the selection of a bottling option.

According to Earth Science Tech CEO and CSO Michael Aube, the beverage taps into the immune-stimulating, antioxidant and anti-psychotic effects of CBD. It has the exact opposite effect to THC, which is psychoactive and addictive.

“At Earth Science Tech we focused on full spectrum cannabinoids derived from industrial hemp that contains extremely low to no THC since THC is psychoactive causing dependency and mental illness in young individuals,” Aube said in a news release. “This means that all our products are beneficial for recreational marijuana consumers because it helps them to balance their intake of psychoactive and anti-psychotic cannabinoids. Our cannabinoid products help counter the side effects of THC in addition of having itself other interesting biological activities like anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirms the wide array of CBD benefits. After reviewing numerous studies, WHO’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence concluded that CBD does not have effects indicative of abuse potential (http://ibn.fm/5XKVe). In addition, it could be a suitable treatment for epilepsy, depression, anxiety, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Its well-established anti-inflammatory properties could contribute to several additional health advantages.

Forecasts suggest that the CBD beverages market could reach $260 million by 2022 (http://ibn.fm/dkNYC). This is one of the reasons why numerous large beverage manufacturers are currently looking into opportunities to begin the development of drinks that feature CBD as one of the main ingredients.

The overall CBD market is on the road to rapid expansion, as well. Hemp-derived CBD sales are expected to reach $591 million this year and may grow exponentially, to $22 billion by 2022, if the 2018 Farm Bill passes, according to Brightfield Group research cited by Cannabis Business Times (http://ibn.fm/yOVhY). The 2018 Farm Bill would remove hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, which would allow CBD to be legally sold in all states.

The cannabis beverages market is still in the initial stages of development, ETST President, Director and Chairman Nickolas S. Tabraue noted in a news release. With forecasts for exponential growth, Earth Science Tech is positioned for success in the years to come.

Earth Science Tech is a Florida-based biotechnology company that focuses on cannabis, CBD research, product development and the creation of medical devices. Currently, the company offers high purity full spectrum CBD oil. Through its partnership with the University of Central Oklahoma, the company has established the immune stimulating effects of CBD, as well as its potential for the provision of positive results in breast cancer cases.

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

• Retail cannabis ecommerce traffic on the rise
• Four more states have cannabis on November 2018 ballot
• Branded Pura Vida products include CBD-based tinctures, soft gels and vapes

Texas-based Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP) is heading for a win-win situation as the tide of cannabis approval swells. Demand for cannabis is climbing as consumers flock to market; as a result of which, traffic to online pot shops, like the one operated by DVLP, is increasing. Presently, excess demand is driving traffic. As the market matures, that is likely to change. Supply will undoubtedly increase and prices may fall, which is also good for DVLP, since lower prices increase quantity demanded. Regardless of market conditions in the near future, DVLP seems headed for a win-win situation.

On October 17, 2018, Canada became the second country in the world to legalize cannabis for recreational use. Uruguay was the first, in 2013. In addition, presently, the District of Columbia and nine U.S. states – Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington – have legalized recreational marijuana. Four more states – North Dakota, Michigan, Missouri and Utah – will give voters a chance, on November 6, 2018, to further legalize cannabis. In North Dakota and Michigan, the ballot measures will determine the legal future of recreational cannabis. In Missouri and Utah, the propositions will be about medical marijuana. Yet, the demand dam is still filled with the millions living in the 19 states that, in the future, may make medical marijuana legal and the 39 others that could legalize cannabis for general adult use, as well. When the dam bursts, DVLP looks set to benefit further.

The company is operating an online retail business that markets and distributes cannabidiol (CBD), hemp oil and health and lifestyle products. Through the ecommerce portal set up by wholly owned subsidiary Pura Vida Vitamins (www.PuraVidaVitamins.com), and through wholesale and distribution channels, DVLP offers a broad range of high-quality, price-competitive products, including traditional vitamins, supplements and CBD-based tinctures, vapes and soft gels, as well as other products. The company is also planning a line of CBD pet supplements.

DVLP recently acquired Layer Six Media, LLC, which trades under the name, Where’s Weed (www.WheresWeed.com). Where’s Weed provides a directory of cannabis establishments in 49 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, DC. There is no listing for Mississippi, where neither medical nor recreational cannabis use is legally permitted. The site offers the rapidly growing body of cannabis consumers a way to connect to trusted marijuana businesses in their communities. Access to Where’s Weed is available through a sophisticated mobile app, which is offered on both the iOS and Android platforms. To date, the app has been downloaded over 80,000 times. The Where’s Weed site enjoys wide exposure, with page views currently running at three million per month.

For more information, visit the company’s websites at www.PuraVidaVitamins.com and www.WheresWeed.com

• Canada-based Marifil Mines is preparing to commission an NI 43-101 report by the end of the year on its Argentina exploration
• San Roque site has a total of 112 drill holes, all of which have intercepted some degree of mineralization
• Finalized assay reports indicate that San Roque site “continues to be a first class gold exploration project”

Canadian metals explorer Marifil Mines Ltd. (TSX.V: MFM) (OTCQB: MFMLF) has received the final assay results for diamond drill core-sampling test holes explored this summer at its flagship Argentina site in the Province of Rio Negro, known as the San Roque property, which is held in a partnership by Marifil Mines (51 percent) and NovaGold Resources Inc. (NYSE: NG) (TSX: NG), a subsidiary of NovaGold Argentina Inc. (49 percent).

Marifil’s recent announcement (http://ibn.fm/ivtyY) reinforces its statement last month (http://ibn.fm/tcVNK) about the initial results of its search for an expanded zone of base metals in an advanced-stage exploration property, where significant finds for gold and silver have been made by the partnership, adding that the partnership intends to commission an NI 43-101 report on the site before the end of the year.

“San Roque continues to be a first class gold exploration project,” Marifil CEO Robert Abenante stated in the company’s news release about the final assay reports.

Drilling in 2011 returned findings of 35 meters of 2.27 grams-per-metric-ton of gold and 42.6 grams-per-metric-ton of silver. This year’s return to drilling exploration was conducted as step-outs from that and other previous drill holes, and also as an initial test of a kilometer long linear geophysical anomaly far afield from any previous drill holes. The gold mineralization found in holes 56, 58 and 59 is correlative with that of the older holes about 50 meters (164 feet) away. The assay for hole 58, in particular, shows six intercepts with a combined weighted average of 83 meters (272.3 feet) at 0.49 grams-per-metric-ton of gold and 5.0 grams-per-metric-ton of silver, with 0.22 percent concentrations of lead and 0.46 percent concentrations of zinc, based on a cut-off grade of 1.5 meters at 0.30 grams-per-metric-ton of gold.

Holes 56 and 59 are in a different zone nearly a kilometer away from hole 58, and were successful in expanding the range of the aforementioned 2011 mineralization. Hole 56 has eight mineralized intervals with a combined weighted average of 53.6 meters (175.9 feet) of 0.68 grams-per-metric-ton of gold and 5.0 grams-per-metric-ton of silver, with just traces of lead and zinc mineralization, which is a characteristic of this gold zone. The company noted that this combined weighted average includes a highlight of 9.6 meters (31.5 feet) of 1.58 grams-per-metric-ton, and that all calculations are based on a strict inclusion cut-off of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) at 0.30 grams-per-metric-ton. On the same basis, hole 59 delivered five intercepts aggregating 29.3 meters (96.1 feet) with a weighted average of 1.92 grams-per-metric-ton of gold, most of it near the surface, and 5.0 grams-per-metric-ton of silver, and, again, traces of base metals.

As announced in September, the geophysical anomaly probed by hole 57 was found to be caused by pyrite-rich rock of no economic value, although drilling did return two intervals with a weighted average of 4.5 meters (14.8 feet) at 0.3 grams-per-metric-ton of gold and 3.0 grams-per-metric-ton of silver with a trace of lead and 0.14 percent concentration of zinc. However, Marifil Vice President Richard Walters noted that the absence of normally present lead bears further exploration.

“The first 45 meters of this hole assays 0.3% zinc with abnormally absent lead. The drill core contains oxidized rock near the surface, and it is plausible this zinc mineralization has been selectively leached from a nearby source stratigraphically higher in the volcanic section leaving the insoluble lead behind, and geochemically transported and redeposited in the area of our drilling as zinc oxides,” Walters stated in the release. “We are keen to identify the source, and think a step back hole about a hundred meters to the west could be rewarding.”

A total of 112 holes have been drilled on the property, all of which have intercepted some degree of mineralization, indicating an extensive and largely unexplored system of hydrothermal mineralization over several square kilometers, according to company data. Mineralization begins near the surface and continues to the bottom of the deepest holes (200 meters, or 656 feet), with all zones open to continued expansion.

Marifil also announced recently that it has engaged UnityWest Capital Markets Ltd. to provide certain consulting services, such as marketing and branding. Marifil paid UnityWest a signing bonus of C$25,000 and has agreed to pay monthly consulting fees of C$6,000 per month during the 12-month term of the agreement. Marifil also granted UnityWest 300,000 stock options under the terms of the agreement at an exercise price equal to the closing price of the common shares on the date prior to the date of grant (http://ibn.fm/0Li5A).

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

• Sharing insights into how crypto and blockchain are redefining the everyday
• Joel Comm and Travis Wright from The Bad Crypto Podcast will host the conference, with more than 75 speakers expected
• Taking place at the smartest hotel on The Strip from October 31 through November 2

Over 5,000 attendees and 150+ exhibitors will come together October 31 through November 2 at the Aria Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for World Crypto Con (WCC) 2018. Industry leaders will share insights into how cryptocurrency and blockchain are redefining the everyday.

For two days, over 75 speakers will present projects, technology and discussion surrounding the world of crypto. Topics will include blockchain’s role in entertainment, ecommerce, education, travel, charity, lifestyle, health & wellness, world government and much more.

Joel Comm and Travis Wright from The Bad Crypto Podcast will be hosting WCC and introducing some of the top names in the industry to the stage.  Here are just a few of the speakers who attendees will have the opportunity to hear:

• Stewart Rogers, Analyst-at-Large at Venture Beat;
• Lyn Ulbricht, Founder and CEO of Ross Ulbricht Defense;
• Carlos Domingo, CEO of Securitize;
• Tim Draper, Headmaster of Draper University;
• Paul Puey, Co-founder and CEO of Edge;
• Tammy Camp, Co-founder and CEO of Stronghold;
• Brock Pierce, Chairman of Bitcoin Foundation;
• Steve Dryall, Founding Director of Nikola Tesla United;
• Sterlin Lujan, Communications Ambassador at Buy the Boots;
• Ari Smith, CTO at Fincross International;
• And many more!

Aria Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is the perfect place to discuss and learn about the advances in crypto and blockchain. Known as the smartest hotel on The Strip, the Aria boasts technologically advanced rooms and suites, five-star service, 16 world-class restaurants and much more! This is the perfect place to network with the industry’s thought leaders, sit at a poker table with big names like Charlie Lee and Joel Comm, enjoy Vegas’ nightlife and discover how this technology is changing the world at this exact moment in time! Don’t miss your opportunity.

For more information, visit the event’s website at www.WorldCryptoCon.com

• GRBX expects to ship enough new integrated hardware and software units to bring $750,000 in monthly net income by year-end
• GreenBox has a goal of processing $1 billion of transactional volume in FY2019
• The company recently acquired Sky Mids Technologies, boosting its volume capacity
• GRBX is well positioned in multiple rapidly growing sectors, including payments processing, fintech and secure point of sale terminals

Fresh off deployment of its latest blockchain-based hardware and software to payments solutions clients, GreenBox POS, LLC (OTC: GRBX) is focused on ramping up transaction volume. GreenBox plans to ship enough of its newest TrustGateway units pre-installed with the company’s software by year-end to generate transaction volume that’s projected to contribute $750,000 per month to net income.

“We continue to work on increasing bandwidth and speed of transactional volumes,” Ben Errez, executive vice president of GreenBox, stated in a news release. “The demand for our services far exceeds our initial projections. We owe it to our clients to accommodate their growing needs safely, securely and efficiently.”

The company has even bigger ambitions for next year, when its expects to process more than $1 billion of transactional volume (http://ibn.fm/mdgQN).

Integral to the GreenBox effort to reach that milestone is the company’s recent acquisition of Sky Mids Technologies. The deal allowed GRBX to absorb Sky’s engineers, technology and book of transactional business. “Following the Sky acquisition, we will be able to accelerate the pace by which the thousands of new business applications are processed, and the best selected to join our ecosystem and enjoy the benefits of our technology,” Errez noted in a news release (http://ibn.fm/MTolz).

GreenBox’s TrustGateway technology is highly effective in preventing fraud for all transactions processed on the company’s payment platform. Because it owns the blockchain payment system in its entirety, GRBX has a competitive advantage in fraud prevention. To date, there have been no successful penetrations of the GreenBox platform’s defensive walls. Nor have any of the company’s customers lost money or been otherwise harmed through secure transactions across the platform.

GRBX’s technology and growth have it well positioned in multiple rapidly growing industries, including the global payments sector, projected to reach $2.2 trillion by 2020; the financial technology sector, forecast to grow at nearly 55 percent CAGR through 2020; and the global point of sale terminals market, estimated to have a value of $116 billion by 2025 (http://ibn.fm/4fmtv).

GreenBox POS uses the company’s proprietary technology to build customized payment solutions for a multitude of industries. GreenBox POS has developed the fastest and safest way to send and process money using blockchain technology and has been awarded five provisional patents. The company develops the following main products: POS (point of sale software and hardware solutions); DEL (delivery app, APIs to POS and PAY); PAY (payment app, providing financial APIs to all other components); and KIOSK (deposit, cash and E-wallet management). GRBX is based in San Diego with offices in Seattle, Las Vegas, and Vancouver, BC.

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

• Marifil Mines recently closed a private placement financing
• Marifil has hired UnityWest Capital Markets to provide marketing services
• Canada One Communication has been engaged to provide Marifil’s investor relations

Mining exploration company Marifil Mines Ltd. (TSX.V: MFM) (OTCQB: MFMLF) has announced closings of multiple private placement financings, as well as the engagement of firms to provide marketing and investor relations services to the company. The Vancouver-based company is focused on exploration for cobalt, lithium and gold, as well as other metals, on its mining property holdings in Argentina.

Marifil recently closed a non-brokered private placement with proceeds of C$565,000, with funding to be used for repayment of existing liabilities, exploration and development activities and general working capital (http://ibn.fm/T1xqR). This followed an earlier announcement this year of a private placement with gross proceeds of $2 million. Those financing proceeds have been used to fund acquisitions and for mining exploration and development activities, including another round of drilling on the company’s San Roque gold claim in the province of Rio Negro, near the Atlantic coast of Argentina.

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. (NYSE: NG) (TSX: NG), a subsidiary of NovaGold Argentina Inc. (49 percent). Marifil is currently the project operator. The partnership has so far invested about $8 million in assessing the expansive precious and base metals property. Preliminary results for its diamond core drilling program at the San Roque property indicate significant mineralization in the four holes that were tested (http://ibn.fm/B7QfT).

The company in August engaged business consulting firm UnityWest Capital Markets Ltd. to provide marketing services for Marifil (http://ibn.fm/YPkcF). In addition, Marifil has engaged Canada One Communication Inc. to manage the company’s investor relations activities. Canada One is a leading investor relations and communications provider, serving public companies across all industries (http://ibn.fm/1alSq).

“The company is always striving to improve its communications with shareholders and stakeholders,” Rob Abenante, president and CEO of Marifil, stated in a news release. “Canada One gives us access to a top tier team of communications experts to manage communications with our growing shareholder base. Communication with our shareholders is a top priority at Marifil.”

In addition to the San Roque property, the company currently holds mining claims to 15,250 hectares (37,700 acres) of land in the Argentine Puna, within the famed ‘Lithium Triangle’, where it has revived its lithium exploration program, which was halted in 2009. The company also owns the Las Aguilas property in central Argentina, which is currently the country’s largest known nickel/cobalt property. Marifil Mines Ltd., based in Vancouver, Canada, is a junior exploration company dedicated to acquiring, exploring and evaluating mineral properties in Argentina.

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

• Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions serves the legal cannabis industry with an end-to-end payment processing solution
• The company serves medical and recreational-related businesses and dispensaries
• Its payment solution card is unique for purchasing cannabis-related products from state-sanctioned merchants

Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions (OTC: REFG) is a first-tier merchant processing cannabis industry innovator. The company serves the legal cannabis industry with a premier end-to-end payment processing solution that is FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network) compliant. Its proprietary payment system goes by the name ‘Green’. Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions is headquartered in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The company offers one of the first and only comprehensive card processing operations of its type. This is to serve the state-sanctioned medical marijuana industry. Its state-of-the-art solution provides businesses with an advanced client management system, security, convenience and sector-specific tools. Furthermore, it tracks sales and tax collection and eliminates the need to deal in cash-only transactions.

Cannabis Dispensary recently noted (http://ibn.fm/2KMBH), “The cannabis retail sector is going beyond cash with new, fully transparent technologies.” It further said that cash-only transactions affect how businesses operate and also affect customers’ and patients’ convenience in making purchases. As such, cannabis consumers are demanding the same effortless transaction options that they enjoy when buying other products.

Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions serves medical and recreational-related businesses and dispensaries. The company’s payment solution card permits patients and customers to link a checking account from any U.S. bank to their ‘Green’ accounts (http://ibn.fm/PfJx1). This card is distinctive for buying cannabis-related products from state-sanctioned merchants. In essence, Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions is the link between a bank and a dispensary.

‘Green’ provides for cash transactions for businesses as well. A business can accept cash with an understanding that it has a safe and user-friendly way to manage cash with deposits, withdrawals, spending and transfers, all out of one easy system. Therefore, Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions makes it possible to serve the varied needs of medical and recreational cannabis consumers.

The company allows the online signup of vendor clients on its website. It additionally provides online bank accounts. Therefore, this helps cannabis providers deal with the problem of limited or no bank support because of federal regulations still in place. Moreover, almost all point-of-sale systems can be setup with the company’s gateway.

Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions is also working together with First Bitcoin Capital Corporation. The aim of the collaboration is to enable cryptocurrency payments. First Bitcoin’s cryptocurrency will integrate within the gateway. The result will be cash-alternative options such as bitcoin and Weedcoin, which are approved cryptocurrencies. The emphasis here is convenience and choice for consumers and state-licensed dispensaries.

Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions provides end-to-end management, across manifold systems, for medicinal marijuana operations. Its processing solution provides first-rate security and has the capacity to abide by all regulatory frameworks. The company is on track for greater growth as it serves the needs of cannabis businesses and their customers.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Take.Green

• PCaTest has already proven a superior predictive ability in comparison with other genetic prognostic tests
• Cytodyn in the process of acquiring PCaTest developer ProstaGene and will launch a clinical study once the transaction is complete
• Prostate cancer is the second-most common type of cancer among American men, with almost 165,000 new cases expected this year

Biotechnology company CytoDyn Inc. (OTCQB: CYDY) has unveiled a comprehensive strategy for the development of a genetic prostate cancer prognostic test (http://ibn.fm/GSEfb). Developed by ProstaGene, an entity that CytoDyn is in the process of acquiring, PCaTest has already demonstrated superior predictive ability in comparison to other genetic prostate cancer tests. The PCaTest employs 14 genetic biomarkers to provide an accurate prognosis of prostate cancer, with the help of a complex proprietary artificial intelligence algorithm.

Following the completion of the ProstaGene acquisition, which is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2018, CytoDyn will initiate a clinical study aimed at establishing the superior qualities of the PCaTest compared with current genetic tests. CytoDyn expects research results within four months from the start of the clinical trial.

CytoDyn interim Chief Medical Officer Richard Pestell, developer of the PCaTest, said in a news release that, so far, this test has shown three to four times superior hazards ratio (a predictor of outcome) in comparison to other prognostic tests for prostate cancer. The statement is based on results from three studies (featuring a total of 348 patient samples).

Recent evidence raises concerns about the ability of current prognostic tests to distinguish whether prostate cancer will be aggressive or slowly growing, Pestell said. Such vital information about the makeup of the malignancy can be used by physicians to make adequate decisions about the treatment of a patient.

Tests available now rely on the detection of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Elevated PSA in the blood provides a warning, but it is not 100 percent indicative of cancer. Patients who have high PSA levels detected multiple times need to undergo a prostate biopsy to confirm the existence of cancer. During the biopsy, 12 extracted tissue samples are used for standard testing. In the case of the PCaTest, a single sample will be sufficient.

CytoDyn President and CEO Nader Pourhassan said that his company plans to complete development of the PCaTest soon and with minimal cost to CytoDyn, so as to file for Food and Drug Administration approval in 2019.

Prostate cancer is a common ailment in older men, and, as the Western population ages, the incidence of this malignancy is expected to increase. According to a forecast presented in the European Urology journal, the incidence of prostate cancer will double by 2030 (http://ibn.fm/Khd2L).

Early screening is effective for certain types of cancer, including prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (http://ibn.fm/THygV). Frequent PSA screening every four years can significantly lower the risk of death from prostate cancer. This type of cancer typically grows very slowly, which helps with early detection and allows urologists to administer an adequate treatment.

Currently, apart from skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in American men (http://ibn.fm/pkFk1). In 2018, some 164,690 new cases of prostate cancer are expected to be diagnosed. The number of deaths from this malignancy is forecast to reach 29,430 during the year. At the same time, the five-year survival rate for patients diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer is 100 percent.

CytoDyn is a biotech company that develops a novel humanized CCR5 monoclonal antibody, PRO 140, for multiple therapeutic indications. The CCR5 receptor plays a vital role in the ability of HIV to enter and infect T-cells. It is also implicated in the metastasis of tumors, as well as immune-mediated illnesses. CytoDyn’s lead product candidate, PRO 140, is in advanced clinical development for the treatment of HIV in combination with other anti-retroviral therapeutics and also as a potential single-agent treatment for HIV. The company is also conducting a Phase 2 clinical study of PRO 140 as a potential treatment to prevent graft-versus-host disease following bone marrow transplantation. CytoDyn further plans to conduct clinical investigations with PRO 140 in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, following the completion of its acquisition of ProstaGene.

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

• Lead product candidate, PRO 140, is a viral-entry inhibitor that works by blocking the entry of HIV/AIDS to healthy cells by masking CCR5 receptor
• Completion of Biological License Application (BLA) for potential approval in combination HIV therapy expected in Q1 2019
• CytoDyn received approval to increase dosing of PRO 140 in its phase 3 adaptive clinical trial for enrolled HIV/AIDS patients
• Market potential for PRO 140 as an anti-viral agent in combination with HAART is $1.2 billion; as a monotherapy maintenance/single-drug therapy, the market is estimated at $3.8 billion
• Acquisition of privately held ProstaGene expected to complete in November, giving CytoDyn access to CCR5 technologies related to cancer
• PRO 140 set for Investigational New Drug (IND) application in first cancer indication

Biotechnology company CytoDyn Inc. (OTCQB: CYDY) is focused on providing real hope and help to the millions of people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and those suffering from several devastating forms of cancer. The company’s lead product candidate, PRO 140 (leronlimab), is in advanced stages of clinical development as a therapy for HIV/AIDS, and plans to expand investigations with PRO 140 into cancer are underway. Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D., president and CEO of CytoDyn, updated shareholders during a recent conference call that was highlighted in a corporate summary from leading independent small cap media portal EmergingGrowth.com (http://ibn.fm/OarFS).

The summary includes highlights from the ongoing clinical development of CytoDyn’s PRO 140 viral-entry inhibitor, which has demonstrated a 93 percent suppression rate in 525mg trials after a six-week induction period of enrolled HIV/AIDS patients. The data suggests that the higher the dosage of PRO 140, the quicker the drug drives a durable response, with a lower probability of a viral rebound, EmergingGrowth.com’s summary states.

HIV targets the immune system and weakens the body’s defense systems against infections and some types of cancer. During 2017, some 1.8 million people became newly infected with HIV, bringing the global total to 36.9 million people living with HIV, according to the World Health Organization (http://ibn.fm/udfzb). HIV continues to be a major public health issue, having claimed more than 35 million lives so far from every corner of the world. The market potential for PRO 140 used as an anti-viral agent in combination with a patient’s current HIV regimen (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, or “HAART”) is $1.2 billion; as a monotherapy maintenance/single-drug therapy, the market is estimated at $3.8 billion.

CytoDyn also recently signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held ProstaGene. The deal, expected to be finalized in November, transfers or assigns to CytoDyn certain intellectual property rights held by ProstaGene and its founder and CEO Richard G. Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.P., F.R.A.C.P., who has joined CytoDyn as its interim chief medical officer (http://ibn.fm/JMWyC). 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. Preclinical studies have suggested that the use of CCR5 antagonists, such as PRO 140, as adjuvants may bolster anti-tumor immune responses.

“We are honored to soon have world-renowned cancer researcher Dr. Richard Pestell join CytoDyn as our Chief Medical Officer, with responsibility for leading all PRO 140 programs in non-HIV indications,” Pourhassan said in a news release. “We also have taken this important next step to acquire ProstaGene, which will allow Dr. Pestell to accelerate his CCR5 antagonist research related to cancer. As previously stated, our objective is to evaluate PRO 140 in expanded indications including certain cancers and immunological indications concurrent with advancing our promising HIV programs.”

CytoDyn has been conducting recent efforts to generate capital through the sale of shares and the exploration of non-dilutive licensing pathways and acquisition of related licensing rights for ProstaGene’s innovative prostate cancer prognostic test. The company expects this genetic test to add significantly to the company’s portfolio and, if successfully commercialized, to compete favorably with existing marketed prognostic cancer tests “that the competitor sells for $3,000.”

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