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NA Proactive news snapshot: PyroGenesis Canada, Energy Fuels, Biocept, EVmo, BetterLife Pharma UPDATE ...

Last updated: 17:00 03 Mar 2021 EST, First published: 10:00 03 Mar 2021 EST

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PyroGenesis Canada Inc (TSE:PYR) (OTCQB: PYRNF) (FRA 8PY) has appointed Ben Naccarato -- the CFO of Perma-Fix Environmental Services Inc (NASDAQ:PESI) -- as an independent director. Naccarato, whose environmental services company is listed on the NASDAQ and provides unique radioactive mixed and industrial waste management services, brings to the board more than 30 years of experience in senior financial positions in the  industry.

Analysts with Noble Capital Markets reiterated their ‘Market Perform’ rating on shares of Energy Fuels Inc (NYSEAMERICAN:UUUU) (TSE:EFR), a day after the uranium firm announced its outtake agreement with Neo Performance Materials. Noble noted that Neo will take 80% of the rare earth products processed from monazite sand by Energy Fuels’ White Mills plant and that the agreement includes a put option for Energy Fuels to sell the remaining 20% as well as a right of first refusal option for Neo for additional monazite purchases.“The agreement will only use only 2% of White Mill capacity, leaving room to expand either monazite/rare earth operations or start-up uranium operations,” the analysts wrote. “Other mills may follow Energy Fuel's lead, but UUUU will have a first mover advantage should the fledgling industry take off. Should the company move to start separating rare earth elements, it could be especially lucrative for the company.”

Biocept Inc (NASDAQ:BIOC), a leading provider of molecular diagnostic assays, products and services, has granted inducement stock options to purchase 38,250 shares to six new employees. These inducement stock options have a grant date of February 28, 2021 with an exercise price of $6.03 per share, the closing price of Biocept’s common stock on February 26, 2021. The non-qualified stock options have a 10-year term and vest over four years, with 25% of the shares vesting on the one-year anniversary of the vesting commencement date and the remaining 75% of the shares vesting in equal monthly installments over the following 36 months, subject to the new employee’s continued service with Biocept through the applicable vesting dates. The inducement stock options are subject to the terms and conditions of Biocept’s amended and restated 2013 Equity Incentive Plan.

EVmo Inc (OTCMKTS:YAYO), formerly YaYo Inc, acting through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Rideshare Car Rentals, LLC, said it has completed the previously-announced transaction to sell 6 million company shares to Acuitas Group Holdings LLC, making Acuitas the largest and controlling stockholder of EVmo with ownership of more than 10 million company shares. Acuitas Group’s sole owner Terren Peizer has become executive chairman of the company’s board of directors, which has been expanded from five to seven members, while former board chair Stephen Sanchez will serve as the company’s CEO. EVmo, formerly listed as Rideshare Rental Inc, also noted that Peizer has started the process of up listing the company’s common stock to the Nasdaq Capital Market.

BetterLife Pharma Inc (CSE:BETR) (OTCQB:BETRF) (FRA:NPAU) has entered an agreement with Eurofins CDMO (contract development and manufacturing organization) Alphora Inc for the manufacturing of its LSD derivative molecule, TD-0148A, the company announced Wednesday. TD-0148A is a second-generation lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) derivative molecule, 2-bromo-LSD, that BetterLife believes will mimic the projected therapeutic potential of LSD, without causing its undesirable psychoactive dissociative side effects, such as hallucinations.

District Metals Corp (CVE:DMX) (OTCMKTS:MKVNF) (FRA:DFPP) said it has identified another prospective target at its Tomtebo property in Sweden after it received historic drill data from the Lövås-Nyberget area in the northeast part of the asset. The 13 sets of historical data hail from shallow holes, to a maximum depth of around 141 metres (m), at the Dammsjön and Flyttjebasen zones and were obtained from the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU). They come from drill campaigns carried out by Boliden Gruvförvaltningen in 1953 and 1972.

Cloud Nine Education Group Ltd (CSE:CNI) announced Wednesday that the company is focusing its capital resources on the development and advancement of its education platform. Such focus includes the retention of IT firm Bluzelle Networks Pte Ltd for specialized Web3 development services to oversee the expanded Cloud Nine development team, the company said. The broad aim of this initiative is to establish Cloud Nine as a thought leader in the growing Ed-Tech space, the company added. 

Mountain Valley MD Holdings Inc (CSE:MVMD) (OTCQB:MVMDF) said Wednesday that it is progressing with its US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 505(b)(2) Pathway Application for novel its Ivectosol rapid dissolve oral format. The company said it has contracted Camargo Pharmaceutical Services LLC to provide regulatory consulting services to assist with FDA approval of Ivectosol, the company’s injectable solubilized Ivermectin technology. Mountain Valley MD called Carmago “one of the most experienced global organizations who specialize in drug and combination device product development and approval.” Mountain Valley also said it has successfully formulated Ivectosol and provided trial quantities to its Bio Safety Level 4 laboratory partner. and added that it completed dose sparing adjuvant formulation work for the inactivated polio vaccine.

BioPorto A/S  (CPH:BIOPOR) has said it expects to complete its clinical study and submit a De Novo application to the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for pediatric use of its NGAL kidney test this summer. The Danish company also said it awaits US test results for the rapid gRAD-based SARS-CoV-2 assay; if positive, and will then proceed towards US FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) and European CE mark submissions in the second quarter of 2021.

Canntab Therapeutics Limited (CSE:PILL) (OTCQB:CTABF) (FRA:TBF1) said it has completed its second delivery of two additional SKU's ordered by MediPharm Labs Corp, including 12.5mg CBD caplets (hard tablets in the shape of capsules) and 25mg CBD caplets for approximately $550,000.00. The company said it has now fulfilled 80% of the purchase amount contracted under the wholesale table purchase agreement entered into by the company and MediPharm Labs in June 2020. As Canntab announced on December 1, 2020, the total purchase order was approximately $1.3 million.

Alpine 4 Technologies Ltd (OTCQB:ALPP) has announced the appointment of four new independent board members. The company said that Gerry Garcia, Edmond Lew, Christophe Jeunot, and Jonathan Withem have met NASDAQ's independent board majority requirements. The company is finalizing plans to up-list to the tech-heavy exchange.  "These new directors represent diverse talent, strength of character, and inclusiveness of ethnicity and gender,” said CEO Kent Wilson in a statement.

Medexus Pharmaceuticals Inc (CVE:MDP) shares rose for the second day in a row on Wednesday after the company’s fiscal 3Q results were enough for analysts at Canaccord Genuity Capital Markets to upgrade the firm’s rating to Buy from Hold, albeit on valuation grounds, maintaining its price target at C$9.50.  Medexus shares were up more than 4% to C$7.48 around midday.

Ascendant Resources Inc (TSE:ASND) (OTCMKTS:ASDRF) has hailed an updated resource estimate for the South Zone at its Lagoa Salgada project in Portugal, which, it said, shows the deposit could be grown to a size of "global consequence". Higher confidence indicated resources were expanded by 79% to 4.4 million tonnes (Mt) at 1.51% copper equivalent (CuEq), the firm said. Meanwhile, the inferred resource has grown by 26% to stand at 7.7 Mt at 1.41% CuEq.

Helix Technologies Inc (OTCQB:HLIX) has completed its combination with Medical Outcomes Research Analytics LLC (MOR Analytics), merging to become a new information and technology provider for the healthcare and cannabis sectors, Forian Inc (NASDAQ:FORA). The combined entity will be able to provide a unique suite of Software-as-a-Solution (SaaS), data management capabilities and proprietary analytics to optimize operational, clinical and financial performance for its customers in the life sciences, healthcare payor and provider segments, as well as cannabis manufacturers, dispensaries cultivators and regulators, the company said. Forian expects to begin trading on the Nasdaq under the symbol FORA on Wednesday. Each share of Helix was exchanged for 0.05 shares of Forian (20:1), the company said, leaving roughly 32 million shares of Forian outstanding.

Benchmark Metals Inc (CVE:BNCH) (OTCQB:CYRTF) said it has identified six high-priority targets at its Lawyers gold-silver project in British Columbia, which will be drill tested this year. These are at the Marmot, Marmot East, MGrid, Gifford's Edge, Lala and Silver Pond zones at the huge property in the-called Golden Horseshoe area of Canada. The areas have already displayed significant gold-in-soil anomalies and high-grade samples over large areas, underlining the potential to discover more mineralization, the company noted.

Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc (CVE:TBRD) (OTCQX:THBRF) (FRA:32GA) has announced the addition of independent member Linda Michaelson to its board of directors. The company also announced the resignation of current board member, Frank Holmes. With these changes, the Thunderbird board consists of seven members, five of whom are independent. “On behalf of the Thunderbird Board, I want to thank Frank for his commitment and belief in this company, as well as his counsel and support in setting the company on its current trajectory. We wish him the very best in all current and future endeavors," said Brian Paes-Braga, board chairman, in a statement. 

Pure Gold Mining Inc (CVE:PGM) (LON:PUR) (OTCMKTS:LRTNF) (FRA:L11A) said Wednesday that it anticipates declaring commercial production at the PureGold Mine in the second quarter of 2021. The gold company updated shareholders on a host of developments related to its production target, including mine design and processing initiatives. “Since pouring first gold in December 2020, commissioning activities at the PureGold Mine have transitioned to full-scale ramp-up of the mining and milling operations, with approximately 260 persons employed at the mine site,” the Vancouver-based company wrote.

Heritage Cannabis Holdings Corp (CSE:CANN) (OTCQX:HERTF) (FRA:2UE) announced that it will begin selling its RAD branded products in Nova Scotia in March, after the company received its first order from the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC).  Heritage Cannabis said its customers in Nova Scotia will soon be able to purchase RAD Vapes, RAD Shatter, and RAD Crumble, joining the company’s Premium 5 brand, which is already available at the NSLC. “We are very pleased to see our RAD brand accessible to cannabis consumers in the Nova Scotia market as we continue to focus on expanding our product and brand availability across Canada,” Heritage Cannabis Holdings President of the Recreational Division David Schwede said in a statement.

The Valens Company (TSE:VLNS) (OTCQX:VLNCF) (FRA:7LV) reported that it has entered into an extraction and custom manufacturing agreement with Canadian organic cannabis grower Rubicon Organics. Valens noted that the agreement will allow it to leverage the company’s full complement of proprietary extraction capabilities, including organic certified CO2, ethanol, and other extraction technologies, to deliver customized consumer experiences for a variety of Rubicon Organics’ Cannabis 2.0 products.

ImagineAR Inc (CSE:IP) (OTCQB:IPNFF) (FRA:GMS1) announced Wednesday that it has been awarded patent number US10,946,284 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) covering the company’s location-based virtual gameplay. The patent, titled "Systems and Methods for Capture and Use of Local Elements in Gameplay," was developed with a focus on creating a rich multi-player gaming experience, where aspects of gameplay may change based on the geographic location of other players as they join and leave the game, the company said. The invention can utilize mobile devices with location sensing capabilities, such as GPS. 

Phunware Inc (NASDAQ:PHUN) announced Wednesday that it has closed a five-year contract expansion for its Multiscreen-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform and patented MaaS Location Based Services (LBS) software at Dignity Health, Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) in Prescott, Arizona. Incorporated in 1942, YRMC is the region’s leading not-for-profit healthcare system with two acute care hospitals, a network of primary and specialty care clinics, outpatient health and wellness centers, cardiac diagnostic centers, and outpatient medical imaging centers. 

Australis Capital Inc (CSE:AUSA) (OTCMKTS:AUSAF) (FRA:AC4) is teaming up with agricultural technology company 3 Rivers Biotech Inc on a tissue culture joint venture, the company announced Wednesday. 3 Rivers specializes in commercial-scale micropropagation, or plant tissue culture (PTC), for cannabis, hemp and traditional crops. The two companies will work together to jointly market the 3 Rivers offering to growers and eventually provide access to other commercial-ready solutions in pest control, pathogen testing and genetic fingerprinting. 

Goldseek Resources Inc (CSE:GSK) said it had optioned an advanced gold exploration project from Wallbridge Mining (TSE:WM), which the company says will become its flagship asset. The Beschefer project in Quebec spans around 962 acres and borders Goldseek's Southern Arm project. It also lies 30 kilometres (km) southwest of Wallbridge’s Fenelon gold property and 45km northeast of the Casa Beradi mine.

HempFusion Wellness Inc (TSE:CBD.U) (OTCQX:CBDHF) (FRA:8OO), a leading health and wellness CBD company utilizing the power of whole-food hemp nutrition, announced Wednesday that it has submitted its dossier to the UK's Regulatory Food Safety Agency (FSA). The company, in conjunction with its strategic and exclusive supply chain partner, said it submitted its novel foods application to the FSA with the coordination of a leading regulatory agency in Europe. HempFusion said the submission represents the first step in the UK’s regulatory approval process required to allow products that contain CBD to be sold on the shelves of retailers. 

Mirasol Resources Ltd (CVE:MRZ) (OTCPINK:MRZLF) (FRA:M8R) said a maiden 1,500 metres (m) drill program had started at its Inca gold project, in the Region III of Chile. The work is targeting three of the most prospective zones on the underexplored Sandra trend, in the south of the property, testing targets to depths of between 80 and 200m. This program is scheduled to be completed in Q2, 2021, with assay results expected by mid-2021. 

Exro Technologies Inc. (CVE:EXRO) (OTCMKTS:EXROF), a leading clean technology company, issued an integrity statement from its chief executive officer, Sue Ozdemir after the markets close on Tuesday following a volatile trading session for the company's stock. She said: "This morning we have seen our company stock react to a report that was in no way affiliated with Exro or its management team. This report was full of inaccuracies, innuendos, and outright distortions in what appears to be a short-seller attack on the company. It is unfortunate that this attack is to the detriment of our valued partners and shareholders who have stood beside us on our growth plan."

Progressive Planet Solutions Inc. (CVE:PLAN) has announced the appointment of Dr Greg Silverberg to its research team. The company noted that it now has three highly skilled professionals under contract to work on developing the next generation of cement products which focus on reducing its carbon footprint. These professionals include Dr Silverberg, Dr Chad Vecitis, and Dr Doug Brown.

Kintara Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:KTRA) (FRA:3DM) has hired cancer expert Dr Mario Lacouture to its Cutaneous Metastatic Breast Cancer (CMBC)-focused scientific advisory board. Dr Lacouture is director of the oncodermatology program at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a Professor of Dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. His appointment comes as the company prepares its REM-001 therapy for late-stage pivotal testing for the condition.

BioLargo, Inc. (OTCQB:BLGO), a developer of sustainable technologies and a full-service environmental engineering company, announced that it has been invited to present its AOS (Advanced Oxidation System) water treatment technology to decision-makers from diverse multinational companies at an Isle Utilities iTAG event. At Isle Utilities' iTAG (Industrial Technology Approval Group) events, which are held three times per year, water specialists, sustainability/innovation managers and other experts from global industries vote on promising water technologies they would like to learn about. Some iTAG member companies include Coca-Cola, Shell, and Proctor & Gamble. In the March 2021 meeting, iTAG member companies voted to learn about BioLargo's AOS technology. BioLargo director of Strategic Marketing and Business Development Tonya Chandler will present the BioLargo AOS to iTAG member companies on March 4, 2021.

Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE:AGN) (FRA:AGW) (OTCQB:AGNPF), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical development company has announced a non-brokered private placement of 10,800,000 units for total proceeds of C$2,700,000. The company said it will use the proceeds of the private placement for general corporate purposes. Algernon also announced that its CEO Christopher J. Moreau and DMT Consultant Dr David Nutt will be discussing the company’s DMT Stroke Clinical Research Program on an upcoming BioPub webcast to be held on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, hosted by Dr. KSS at 1.00pm EST. BioPub has been analyzing small-cap special situation biotech investments for seven years to readers in over 40 countries. To join the webinar please use the following details: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85667379852; or iPhone one-tap - US: +13017158592,,85667379852#  or +13126266799,,85667379852#; or telephone - US: +1 301 715 8592  or +1 312 626 6799  or +1 646 558 8656  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 346 248 7799  or +1 669 900 9128; Webinar ID: 856 6737 9852; International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/km2qxNwyI.

KWESST Micro Systems Inc. (CVE:KWE) (OTCQB:KWEMF) said it has entered into an agreement for electronic media and webcast services, design, development and dissemination services with Emerging Markets Consulting, LLC (EMC). EMC will be providing investor relation services to the company, effective March 5, 2021. The EMC agreement has an initial term of 90 days, and the company has paid EMC a non-refundable fee of US$150,000. EMC is a syndicate of investor relations consultants consisting of stockbrokers, investment bankers, fund managers and institutions that actively seek opportunities in the microcap and small-cap equity markets. Neither EMC nor any of its principals currently own any securities, directly or indirectly, of the company or have any intention to acquire any securities of the company. David Luxton, executive chairman of KWESST, said: "Following our recent listing in the US on the OTCQB Venture Market, we believe the time is right to begin reaching US-based investors. We expect the engagement of EMC will help us expand our shareholder base and the liquidity of the stock to the benefit of all shareholders." James Painter, president of EMC added: "We are pleased to represent KWESST Micro Systems Inc. We have conducted our due diligence on the Company and have been very impressed with the management, market sector, and the overall business strategy."

Willow Biosciences Inc. (TSX:WLLW) (OTCQX:CANSF) has provided an update on its previously announced acceleration of the expiry date of 9,320,478 common share purchase warrants issued on October 29, 2020. The company said it has completed the acceleration, which has resulted in the issuance of approximately 9,259,404 additional common shares and cash proceeds to the company of approximately $7.9 million. As of today, Willow Biosciences said it had a cash balance of approximately $48.4 million "We are grateful for the considerable support we have received from our shareholders following our recent warrant accelerations," said Trevor Peters, Willow's president and chief executive officer. "As we enter 2021, we will use the proceeds from the Acceleration alongside the $28.75 million we raised from our recent bought-deal financing to accelerate capital spending towards execution of our commercialization plan for our existing portfolio cannabinoids, and continue to explore opportunities for cannabinoids in development."

Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc. (TSX:TBP) (OTCQB:TBPMF), a biopharmaceutical pioneer in immunomodulator drug discovery and development has announced that its CEO, Dr Guy Chamberland will present a company overview and hold virtual investor meetings at the H.C. Wainwright Global Life Sciences Virtual Conference being held March 9-10, 2021. The webcast will be available on the H.C. Wainwright Conference Portal beginning March 9, 2021, at 7.00am Eastern time through to March 10, 2021, at 9.00pm Eastern time following registration via the following link: https://hcwevents.com/globalconference/.  The presentation will be available for on-demand viewing under 'Events and Presentation' in the Investors section of the company's website at www.tetrabiopharma.com, beginning Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at 7.00am ET. The webcast will be available for approximately 90 days following the event.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX:OTCM), the operator of financial markets for 11,000 U.S. and global securities, has announced that Apollo Healthcare Corp. (TSX:AHC) (OTCQX:AHCCF), the largest Private Label and Control Label Personal Care Manufacturer in Canada, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market and has today upgraded from the OTC Pink market. Upgrading to the OTCQX Market is an important step for companies seeking to provide transparent trading for their US investors.  For companies listed on a qualified international exchange, streamlined market standards enable them to utilize their home market reporting to make their information available in the US To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX:OTCM), the operator of financial markets for 11,000 US and global securities, has announced that the Osprey Bitcoin Trust (OTCQX:OBTC) has begun trading on the OTCQX Best Market. Launched by Osprey Funds, LLC, OBTC is the lowest-priced publicly traded bitcoin fund in the world. The OTCQX Market provides investors with a premium US public market to research and trade the shares of investor-focused companies. Graduating to the OTCQX Market marks an important milestone for companies, enabling them to demonstrate their qualifications and build visibility among US investors. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. "By being traded on the OTCQX Market, OBTC is now accessible to more investors on more trading platforms," said Greg King, CEO of Osprey Funds. "Thank you to OTC Markets Group for their continued partnership and diligence."

Virtual Investor Conferences, the proprietary virtual event series from OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX:OTCM), has released the agenda for its upcoming Community Bank Conference on March 10-11.The free event is designed to connect investors, analysts and advisors with the executive management of banks listed on the OTCQX Best Market. The conference is scheduled to open at 9.00am ET on Wednesday, March 10, with a keynote address from advisory firm Janney Montgomery Scott titled "Community Bank Valuations – Amidst headwinds, what does the future path look like? " kicking things off at 9.15am.

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