Hybridan Small Cap Feast

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4d Pharma 32.15p  £58m (DDDD.L)

The pharmaceutical company leading the development of Live Biotherapeutic products, a novel class of drug derived from the microbiome, today announces that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared investigational new drug applications for two Live Biotherapeutics (LBPs), MRx0005 and MRx0029, for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The Company expects to initiate a first-in-human Phase I clinical trial in people with Parkinson’s disease in mid-2022. “Entering the clinic with our novel CNS programs stemming from our proprietary MicroRx platform will represent an important step for 4D pharma’s continued growth and leadership in the microbiome field. We believe MRx0005 and MRx0029 are the first ever Live Biotherapeutic products for Parkinson’s to enter the clinic,” said Dr. Alex Stevenson, Chief Scientific Officer, 4D pharma. “Current treatments focus on symptoms but do not address the underlying causes of neurodegeneration. Patients and clinicians are in need of new, more effective treatment options, and the gut-brain axis is an exciting area of innovation with the potential to change the way we approach Parkinson’s treatment. We believe that our LBPs MRx0005 and MRx0029, which each have different mechanisms of action worthy of investigation, provide a unique opportunity to address the high unmet needs of those living with Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is a devastating condition impacting more than 10m people globally. As the global population ages, this number will continue to increase. There is growing evidence suggesting that the gut-brain axis could be key to developing new treatments for several neurological disorders, particularly Parkinson’s disease,” said Professor Peter LeWitt, Sastry Foundation Endowed Chair in Neurology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and Coordinating Investigator of the Phase I clinical trial. “Oral, gut-targeted treatments such as 4D pharma’s Live Biotherapeutics MRx0005 and MRx0029 offer an exciting new way for possibly slowing Parkinson’s disease progression. The development of these potential new therapies is really breaking new ground in the field.”

Agronomics  17.25p  £161.9m (ANIC.L)

The  company focused on the field of cellular agriculture, announced a EUR6.9m investment in Onego Bio Ltd, a company developing sustainable and animal free egg protein, as part of a EUR10m Seed fundraising round. Agronomics will hold an equity stake on a fully diluted basis of 19.94%, and will have the right to a board seat. The Onego Bio position will represent an estimated portfolio weighting based on the Company’s last reported Net Asset Value of 4.21%. The investment will be funded using cash from the Company’s own resources. Onego Bio is a spin-out from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, one of Europe’s leading research institutions. The company harnesses precision fermentation to develop egg proteins without the need for traditional agriculture, with the aim of providing people with sustainable, delicious and animal free egg protein. It was founded in Helsinki in 2021 by CEO Maija Itkonen, CTO Chris Landowski, and COO Jussi Joensuu, after many years of developing and researching their precision fermentation technology whilst at VTT. Demand for alternative egg white protein continues to grow, due to the environmental and welfare concerns associated with animal husbandry, and continued global pressure on suppliers to go cage-free. Onego Bio was founded in 2021 and, as such, is yet to generate revenue, incur significant costs or report its Net Assets.

Beeks Financial Cloud 163.5p  £92.1m (BKS.L)

The cloud computing and connectivity provider for financial markets, announced the signing of another multi-year contract for its recently launched Proximity Cloud offering. The five year contract, worth an initial $2m, is for a North American bank, secured via a partner. Proximity Cloud is a private cloud environment for financial markets, a high-performance, dedicated and client-owned trading environment, fully optimised for low latency trading conditions and built with security and compliance at the forefront. The value of this contract means that the Board anticipates revenue for the full year to be slightly ahead of the recently upwardly revised expectations, with the additional profits to be further invested into the offering in order to support the strong pipeline of opportunities ahead.

BlueRock Diamonds 46.5p  £6.6m (BRD.L)

The diamond producer, which owns and operates the Kareevlei Diamond Mine in the Kimberley region of South Africa, announces the discovery of an 11.95 carat stone.  The stone will go to tender later this week with an expected valuation in excess of US$100k. Mike Houston, Executive Chairman said, “This is another excellent discovery that underpins Kareevlei’s ability to deliver large high value diamonds. Given the stone’s size and quality and continuing market buoyancy we look forward to the upcoming tender to build on the success of the January sales, which achieved an average price of USD565 per carat (2021 average: USD465ct).”

Caledonia Mining Corp 915p  £117.4m (CMCL.L)

It is with regret that Caledonia Mining Corporation plc  confirms that an accident took place on the morning of 21 February 2022 at the Blanket Mine in Zimbabwe, as a result of which one Blanket employee, Andrew Clydon Phiri (aged 35), was killed. The accident involved a LHD loader in one of Blanket’s underground haulages. Further details cannot be released pending the outcome of an ongoing enquiry into this incident by the relevant authorities. Caledonia expresses its condolences to the family and colleagues of the deceased.

Crossword Cybersecurity* 34.5p  £25.9m (CCS.L)

The technology commercialisation company focused on cyber security and risk management, today announces that the Group has entered into a contract with a company connected with Crossword Director Dr. Robert Coles which constitutes a related party transaction under Rule 13 of the AIM Rules for Companies. Crossword Consulting Limited, a subsidiary of the Company, has entered into a contract for consulting services with Cumberland House Consulting Ltd, of which Dr. Coles is a director and shareholder. Cumberland will manage a bench marking and cyber maturity assessment project for a third-party client and requires additional capacity, which Crossword Consulting will be providing under this contract.  The current contract value is fixed at £75.6k, which has been determined using standard day rates and margins. Crossword Consulting generated a gross profit percentage of 14.5% during the year ended 31 December 2020. The Independent Directors, being the Crossword Directors other than Dr. Robert Coles consider, having consulted with the Company’s Nominated adviser, that the terms of the contract with Cumberland are fair and reasonable insofar as the Company’s Shareholders are concerned.

Igas Energy 17.17p  £21.6m (IGAS.L)

IGas has agreed a Heads of Terms with Cornish Lithium, the innovative mineral exploration and development company based in Cornwall, to work together to evaluate suitable sites where geothermal heat can be developed on a commercial basis. Cornish Lithium has secured extensive land and mineral rights agreements in the South West of England, and has developed 3D models of the sub-surface geology and mineral potential of the region utilising historic records combined with data from modern sources such as satellite imagery, geophysical data and drone mapping. Cornish Lithium will work with IGas to develop projects in Cornwall that can supply renewable heat to end users and will also evaluate the potential to extract lithium from the geothermal waters. IGas will bring its experience of well design, drilling and operational management to the projects. A technical and commercial evaluation of a number of potential project locations is underway, which should result in an initial project location being identified. IGas and Cornish Lithium will then jointly develop the initial project location as a pilot scheme.

Image Scan Holdings 1.65p  £2.1m (IGE.L)

The specialists in the field of real-time X-ray imaging for the security and industrial inspection markets, provides an update ahead of its Annual General Meeting being held later today. Key points: New portable X-ray system launched at Dubai security show; Image Scan appointed global distributor for Serstech AB; Portable X-ray sale to US Federal agency; Change of board roles from 1 January ; Trading continues to be impacted by COVID-19; Company will be loss-making for the first half of the financial year; Board considers the loss may not be recovered by end of the financial year.   

Thor Mining 0.65p  £13.1m (THR.L)

Update on the Alford East Copper-Gold Project, SA, Australia. Significant intercepts including: 21AED001  32.9m @ 0.4% Cu and 0.31g/t Au from 81.5m (AIM:THR Announcement 31.8.2021), 21AED002  59.9m @ 0.3% Cu from 21.9m (AIM:THR Announcement 31.8.2021), 21AED003 32.4m @ 0.2% Cu and NSR Au from 15m, 21AED004   55.9m @ 0.53% Cu from 7m, including   11.7m @ 1.0%Cu from 17.3m including   5.7m @ 1.23% and 0.16g/t Au from 17.3. 21AED005  72.7m @ 1.0% Cu and 0.19g/t Au from 6.3m, including  18.2m @ 2.0% Cu and 0.34g/t Au from 15.8m ( AIM:THR Announcement 31.8.2021). A robust 3D geological model generated from recent drilling data highlights key structural and lithological controls on mineralisation and potential high-grade target zones. Initial hydrometallurgy trialling of an environmentally friendly glycine lixiviant shows positive gold and copper recovery.  Phase two diamond drilling program is being designed, including continuing hydrogeology and hydrometallurgical studies.

Yü Group 250p  £40.8m (YU.L)

The independent supplier of gas, electricity and water to the UK corporate sector, has been appointed by Ofgem as Supplier of Last Resort (SOLR) for Whoop Energy and Xcel Power Ltd (Xcel) and agreed to take on their electricity and gas customer books with immediate effect. Whoop Energy supplied gas and electricity to 262 customer accounts, of which 212 were non-domestic SME customers and 50 domestic customers, across 401 meter points. Xcel supplied gas to 274 non-domestic customers. Under Ofgem’s SOLR process, business customers transfer to a new supplier on a flexible, “deemed”, basis with a variable tariff reflective of current market conditions. The total contribution to Group revenues is expected to be approximately £150k per month. In line with previous integrations, Yü Group will integrate these new customers on to the Group’s scalable platform; and certain industry processes will continue in the coming days to complete the transfer.

What’s cooking in the IPO kitchen?

URA Holdings, a London based mining exploration and development company, intends to list on the Main Market (Standard). URA, a former AIM-listed company, is refinanced and ready for listing as an African focused mineral exploration company. The Company’s purpose is to seek unique, value-enhancing opportunities in minerals as a project generator including to prove-up early-stage exploration projects to spin out/farm out or sell. The strategy is initially focussed on Southern and Central Africa, and good opportunities will occur in countries with relatively stable and reliable political system such as Zambia. The Company has raised £1.05m before costs. The net proceeds of the Placing will be primarily applied for the development of the Group’s Njoka project and working capital.  Admission is expected week commencing 21st February 2022.

Neometals Ltd to join AIM. Neometals innovatively develops opportunities in minerals and advanced materials essential for a sustainable future. The Company has four key battery materials projects that support the global transition to more circular supply chains and cleaner energy. Three with downstream focus on sustainable materials processing and recycling and one upstream mineral extraction opportunity. Mkt Cap is expected to be approximately AU$716m. Expected 28 Feb 2022.

Cleantech Lithium reported in the press to be planning an AIM float. The Company is developing two projects in Chile. Cleantech is planning to extract lithium from brines utilising environmentally friendly technologies and renewable energy.  

GCP Co-Living REIT plc, intends to float on the Main Market. The Company is a  newly established, externally managed investment company, which it is intended will carry on business as a Real Estate Investment Trust, subject to meeting the necessary qualifying conditions. The Company will invest, predominantly, in independent Co-Living Asset, both operational and under development, let to a diversified mix of residents, located in urban centres in the UK and Ireland where there is a shortage of high quality, affordable residential accommodation. Due March 2022.

Spinnaker Acquisitions plc, intends to join the Main Market (Standard). The Company have conditionally agreed to acquire the entire issued share capital of HomeServe Labs Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of FTSE250 quoted public company HomeServe Plc, by way of a reverse takeover conditional, inter alia on relisting and successful completion of fundraising activities to be undertaken by way of a placing and direct subscriptions by new and existing investor. If the Proposed Transaction proceeds to completion, it is proposed to change the name of the Company to Ondo InsurTech Plc and the name of Labs, which will become a subsidiary of the Company, to LeakBot Ltd. Should the Proposed Transaction not proceed, then the Company would need to apply for the suspension of its listing of ordinary shares to be lifted and for trading to be restored. £5m capital to be raised. Due early 2022.

Carbon Air, a nano-technology company which leverages the adsorption properties of activated carbon and other advanced materials to improve suspension systems, enhance acoustics or reduce noise, to join AIM. The Company’s proprietary technology has allowed it to develop a unique portfolio of solutions for a variety of sizeable end markets, including vehicle suspension systems, acoustic insulation for domestic appliances and micro-speakers for smartphones. Mkt Cap and Capital to be raised TBC. Due Late Feb.

Spiritus Mundi due to join the Main Market (Standard), a special purpose acquisition vehicle which will seek acquisition targets in Europe and Asia in the clinical diagnostics sector. The Company has already raised approximately £1.2m in a pre-IPO fundraising round. Delayed until second half of Q1 2022.

Recycling Tech Group to join AIM, a UK-based engineering, research and manufacturing company that has developed a modular and mass producible machine, the RT7000, which processes hard to recycle plastic waste into a synthetic oil that can be sold back to the petrochemicals industry as a chemical feedstock to make new plastics. Targeting a £40m raise. Due early March 2022.

Nu-Oil and Gas  to acquire Guardian Maritime Ltd and Guardian Barriers IP Ltd and become Guardian Global Security plc and join the Main Market (Standard). Guardian is a technology group that supplies products to prevent unauthorised entry into areas that are deemed to have value, with maritime security being the main focus initially. Due early Feb.

Superdielectrics to join AIM, a Company which is focused on developing technology to build supercapacitors with high energy density, low cost, and environmentally benign electrical energy storage devices that will help create a clean and sustainable global energy and transportation system. Admission is expected to take place in. Delayed until Mid-Feb. Mkt Cap and Capital to be raised TBC.

*A corporate client of Hybridan LLP

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