Stockwinners Market Radar for April 12, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:27 EDT Lyft CFO sells 15K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Lyft disclosed that its CFO Brian Roberts sold 15K shares of common stock on April 8th in a total transaction size of $919.9K, reducing his stake by about 1%.

19:33 EDT Opendoor Technologies up 1.5% afterhours after ARK Investment ETF trade update - Shares of Opendoor Technologies are up 1.5% afterhours at $19.70. In its daily evening update, ARK Investment Management disclosed a Buy of 633.4K shares of common stock.

19:05 EDT Mesa Air reports 28.1K block hours in March, down 15.9% from last year - Mesa Air Group reported Mesa Airlines' operating performance for March 2021. Mesa Airlines reported 28,127 block hours in March 2021, a 15.9% drop from March 2020 "as a result of reduced schedules during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company also reported a controllable completion factor of 99.86 percent and 100 percent for its American and United operations, respectively. For Q2 of fiscal year 2021 ending March 31st, total block hours were 73,942 on 35,270 departures. These block hours are well below our guidance provided on our Q1 fiscal year 2021 Earnings Release. The reduced block hours and departures were the result of the mid-February major winter storm and subsequent Texas power outages impacting our major operations in both Dallas and Houston. During that period, we cancelled almost 1,300 flights representing close to 3,000 block hours while still incurring crew costs."

18:54 EDT FDA grants Akouos orphan drug designation in OTOF-mediated hearing loss - On a post on the FDA's website, Akouos' treatment for otoferlin gene (OTOF)-mediated hearing loss was granted orphan drug designation. Reference Link

18:30 EDT Vasta Platform CFO Clovis Poggetti Junior resigns, Bruno Giardino to succeed - Vasta Platform announced the resignation for personal reasons of Clovis Poggetti Junior as its CFO and investor relations officer and the appointment of Bruno Giardino to serve as the company's CFO and investor relations officer. Clovis Poggetti Junior will continue in the company until April 23, during which period he will transfer his activities to Bruno Giardino. Giardino joins the company after having served as the investor relations officer for the company's parent company, Cogna Educacao S.A., since March 2020.

17:32 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $447.23M Navy order for 12 MH-60R aircraft - Lockheed Martin was awarded a $447.23M firm-fixed-price order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement. This order provides for the production and delivery of 12 MH-60R aircraft for the government of the Republic of Korea. Work is expected to be completed in December 2024. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $447.23M will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:17 EDT Ballantyne Strong to buy forest and paper product assets in Ontario for $214M - The company states: "Ballantyne Strong announced that portfolio company GreenFirst Forest Products has entered into a binding asset purchase agreement pursuant to which a wholly-owned subsidiary of GreenFirst has agreed to acquire a portfolio of forest and paper product assets from Rayonier A.M. Canada G.P. and Rayonier A.M. Canada Industries Inc., each a subsidiary of Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. Based on GreenFirst's announcement, the purchased assets include six lumber mills which are located in Chapleau, Cochrane, Hearst and Kapuskasing in Ontario, and in Bearn and La Sarre in Quebec, as well as one newsprint mill located in Kapuskasing, Ontario. The purchased assets have an annual production capacity of 755 MMFbm and are capable of producing a wide range of forest products used in residential and commercial construction, including SPF lumber, wood chips and by-products. The newsprint mill has an annual production capacity of 205,000 MT/year. Collectively, the purchased assets rank as a top ten producer of lumber in Canada, based on recent publicly available industry rankings."

17:09 EDT Eldorado Gold reports Q1 gold production 111.7K oz - Guides FY21 gold production 430K-460K oz vs. 528.9K reported for FY20.

16:41 EDT W.R. Grace licenses UNIPOL PP Process Technology to Enter Engineering - W. R. Grace & Co. has licensed its UNIPOL PP Process Technology to the new MTO Gas Chemical Complex located in the Bukhara region of Uzbekistan to Enter Engineering. The UNIPOL PP Technology facility is expected to be launched by-2025 and will include one reactor line with the capability to produce 257KTA of polypropylene.Enter Engineering Pte. Ltd., one of the largest construction companies in the region, will act as a licensee on behalf of the JV Jizzakh Petroleum LLC who will own and operate the Gas Chemical Complex.

16:34 EDT Air Lease delivers one new Airbus A321-200neo aircraft to Air Astana - Air Lease (AL) announced the delivery of one new Airbus (EADSY) A321-200neo LR aircraft on long-term lease to Air Astana. This aircraft, featuring Pratt & Whitney PW1133G engines, is the fifth new A321-200neo LR to deliver to Air Astana from ALC's order book with Airbus. In addition to the five A321-200neo LRs, Air Astana also has one A320-200, two A320-200neos and one A321-200neo on long-term lease from ALC.

16:32 EDT Amarin CEO John Thero to retire, Karim Mikhail to succeed - Amarin announced that John Thero has informed the board of directors of his plan to retire as president and CEO, effective August 1. He will also step down from the board at that time. The board has appointed Karim Mikhail, Amarin's senior vice president and head of commercial for Europe, to succeed Thero as the company's next president and CEO. Mikhail will join the board upon his effective date. Thero will continue to provide his guidance and expertise to the company in an advisory capacity through the end of 2021. Mikhail joined Amarin in 2020 from THEODON, a global commercial strategy consultancy he founded in 2018.

16:30 EDT Mackinac Financial trading resumes

16:22 EDT AllianceBernstein reports preliminary AUM $697B as of March 31 - Up from $688B at the end of February. Firmwide net inflows into all three distribution channels - Institutions, Retail, and Private Wealth, coupled with market appreciation, drove the 1.3% increase. There were no outflows resulting from AXA S.A's ongoing redemption of certain low-fee fixed income mandates, of which approximately $2B remains outstanding, the majority of which is expected in the second quarter.

16:21 EDT Artisan Partners reports March AUM of $162.9B - Artisan Partners Asset Management reported that its assets under management, or AUM, as of March 31 totaled $162.9B. Separate accounts accounted for $84.1B of total firm AUM, while Artisan Funds and Artisan Global Funds accounted for $78.8B.

16:13 EDT Harmonic enters cooperation agreement with Scopia Capital - Harmonic announced that it has entered into a cooperation agreement with Scopia Capital Management. Under the terms and subject to the conditions of the agreement, Scopia has the right to appoint two directors to Harmonic's board of directors during the next year. In addition, Scopia will support Harmonic's slate of nominees at the upcoming 2021 annual meeting and abide by customary standstill and other provisions.

16:12 EDT ICF International awarded $16M contract by U.S. Department of Labor - ICF was recently awarded two agreements with an estimated value of $16M to provide IT and cybersecurity workforce development services under the U.S. Department of Labor's H-1B One Workforce Grant Program. This program invests in training the current and future workforce for careers in critical industries such as IT, advanced manufacturing and transportation.

16:10 EDT Celldex presents bispecific platform data at AACR - Celldex announced the presentation of data from the company's growing bispecific platform at the American Association of Cancer Research, or AACR. The company described the discovery and characterization of ILT4 inhibitory monoclonal antibodies, or mAbs, for engineering bispecific antibodies, or bsAbs, that revert myeloid cell suppression by antagonizing ILT4 and activate T-cell responses through PD-(L)1 inhibition (poster # 1865). Based on the results reported today, Celldex is developing clinical bispecific candidates that co-target ILT4 and PD-(L)1. Expression of ILT4 in several tumor types is associated with poor outcome. In preclinical models, antagonist antibodies to ILT4 have demonstrated immune enhancing and antitumor effects. More recently, in early clinical studies, combination approaches that combine co-targeting of ILT4 and checkpoint blockade have demonstrated clinical activity and safety, including in patients refractory to checkpoint inhibition therapy. The data Celldex presented at AACR describe novel humanized antibodies with high affinity and specificity to ILT4 that effectively block immune suppression in macrophages. Candidate bispecific antibodies matched with either PD-L1 or PD-1 antibodies resulted in molecules that retained all the properties of the parental antibodies and simultaneously blocked the inhibitory signals from both ILT4 and PD-1. The data provide proof of concept for development of clinical candidates.

16:09 EDT Zuora targets subscription revenue growth of 25% or more in FY25 - Zuora held a virtual Investor Day today, at which Zuora's senior leadership and customers and a system integrator partner gave presentations. The company provided an overview of its financial and strategic plans and disclosed new financial targets and key performance indicators for its fiscal year 2025. Zuora set financial targets for fiscal year 2025, including: Subscription revenue growth of 25% or more, Professional services revenue of less than 15%, Non-GAAP subscription gross margin of 82% or more, Non-GAAP operating margin of 10% or more, Free cash flow margin of 10% to 15%. Zuora also introduced three new KPIs to monitor its progress with the objective of meeting these targets by the end of fiscal year 2025, including: annual recurring revenue growth of 25% to 30% and Net Dollar Retention of 112%-115%.

16:07 EDT Diamondback Energy sees FY21 production 360-370 MBOE/d - Sees FY21 oil production 218-222 MBO/d. Sees FY21 cash capital expenditures $1.6B-$1.75B. The company expects to drill between 200 and 215 gross wells and complete between 275 and 285 gross wells with an average lateral length of approximately 10,300 feet in 2021. "Diamondback executed well in the first quarter 2021 and quickly overcame the adversity presented by Winter Storm Uri in February. We closed our two previously announced Guidon and QEP acquisitions in the quarter, and subsequently executed a successful tender offer and refinancing of QEP's senior notes. This refinancing adds $40 million of annual interest cost savings to the $60 - $80 million of previously announced annual cost synergies expected to be extracted from the QEP transaction," stated Travis Stice, CEO of Diamondback.

16:06 EDT PCB Bancorp board approves stock buyback for up to 5% of outstanding shares - PCB Bancorp announced that on April 8, 2021, its board approved a repurchase program authorizing for the repurchase up to 5% of the company's outstanding common stock as of the date of the board meeting, which represented 775,000 shares, through September 7, 2021, with repurchases to commence shortly after the company announces its unaudited results for the first quarter of 2021.

16:04 EDT Kosmos names Tim Nicholson as Head of Exploration - Kosmos Energy announced that Tim Nicholson has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Head of Exploration, and John Shinol has been promoted to SVP and Chief Geoscientist. Tracey Henderson, the previous SVP of Exploration, has left Kosmos to pursue other interests.

16:00 EDT Mackinac Financial trading halted, news pending

15:11 EDT Indie Semiconductor introduces ultrasonic automotive parking-assist solutions - Indie Semiconductor, an "Autotech solutions innovator" that is currently in the process of merging with Thunder Bridge Acquisition II (THBR), announced earlier today that it has unveiled "a family of high-performance sensing solutions supporting automotive parking-assist applications." Indie said "Leveraging its mixed signal, digital signal processing and power management expertise, indie's highly integrated Echosense and Sonosense devices incorporate proprietary DSP algorithms that reduce hardware requirements and lower overall costs. The solutions embody the company's holistic and optimized approach to solving the Autotech industry's most challenging architectural issues." As previously reported on December 15, 2020, Indie Semiconductor and Thunder Bridge Acquisition II have entered into a definitive agreement for a business combination that would result in the combined entity continuing as a publicly listed company. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined operating entity will be named indie Semiconductor and will be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol (INDI).

14:48 EDT Humana reports selection by state of Ohio to serve Medicaid beneficiaries - Humana announced it has been selected by the Ohio Department of Medicaid to deliver health care coverage to Medicaid beneficiaries who live throughout Ohio starting in early 2022. "Humana will serve adults and children across the state of Ohio with the goal of helping them improve their health and well-being through a holistic, value-based approach to care that goes beyond traditional clinical care," the company said.

13:42 EDT Super Micro Computer expands NVIDIA ampere architecture-based GPU product line - Super Micro Computer , extends its market leadership in the growing areas of Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning (ML), High-Performance Computing, 3D-Graphics Visualization, and Desktop Virtualization. Supermicro has the broadest Tier 1 portfolio of systems that integrate state-of-the-art capabilities achieving 5 petaFLOPS of AI performance in a 4U form factor with the latest NVIDIA A100, NVIDIA A40, NVIDIA RTX A6000, and the new NVIDIA A30, NVIDIA A10, and NVIDIA A16 GPUs. "Our collaboration with NVIDIA enables us to design a complete portfolio of GPU systems and platforms empowering maximum customer choice. Customers can exactly match their workload requirements to system architecture to achieve superior scale, performance, efficiency, and cost," said Charles Liang, president and CEO, Supermicro. "Supermicro offers multi-GPU optimized systems that deliver advanced solutions to AI, Deep Learning, HPC, and video streaming applications. Leveraging our building block solutions and our time-to-market advantage, we continue developing and releasing application-optimized solutions. Our flexible 2U 2-node GPU system with PCIe 4.0 is tuned for cloud gaming and social media and leads the industry with support for up to three double-width or six single-width GPUs per node."

13:22 EDT Roche announces FDA approval for Xolair prefilled syringe - Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (RHHBY), announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the company's supplemental Biologics License Application for Xolair prefilled syringe for self-injection across all approved U.S. indications. Xolair is the only FDA-approved biologic designed to target and block immunoglobulin E for the treatment of moderate to severe persistent allergic asthma, chronic idiopathic urticaria and nasal polyps. In the U.S., Genentech and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NVS) work together to develop and co-promote Xolair.

13:18 EDT Applied DNA, Evvivax announce results of Phase 1 trial for LinearDNA vaccine - Applied DNA Science and its program development partner Evvivax announced preliminary Phase I clinical trial results for a LinearDNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate in adult domestic felines. Results following administration of a single prime dose of the vaccine candidate on day 1 in late February indicate that the LinearDNA vaccine candidate is well-tolerated by the cohort. A SARS-CoV-2 neutralization assay was conducted by the Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Center at the College of Veterinary Medicine 20 days after prime dose delivery to establish the immune response of all cohort members. The results of the neutralization assay yielded high titers of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies from all cohort members. Follow-on NAb assay results after administration of the vaccine candidate booster are expected to be available in late April 2021. Based on the initial promising NAb titers after a single prime dose of the LinearDNA vaccine candidate, the companies intend to extend the evaluation of neutralizing antibodies in select cohort members through September 2021 to determine the durability of the immune response. Phase I is a single-center clinical trial designed to evaluate domestic feline immune response, safety, and tolerability of the vaccine candidate with a cohort of 11 healthy, client-owned domestic felines and conducted at GVS. The LinearDNA vaccine candidate is administered intramuscularly via gene electrotransfer of primer and booster 28-35 days apart. The vaccine candidate has previously demonstrated antibody and T-cell responses at low doses of LinearDNA in preclinical mouse models. Applied DNA has manufactured a complete supply of the vaccine candidate in a lyophilized form that is shelf-stable at room temperature with no loss of potency once resolubilized with water. On the assumption that the Phase I endpoint is met, Applied DNA and Evvivax are expected to initiate Phase II that will involve the placement of seroconverted vaccinated non-client-owned cats among infected cats, with the primary endpoint being the percent of vaccinated cats that resist infection. In addition, the two companies expect to initiate a Phase I/II clinical trial using the LinearDNA vaccine candidate in minks upon the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals.

13:07 EDT Cloudera up 3% to $13.01 after announcing collaboration with Nvidia

13:03 EDT Nvidia unveils Nvidia Drive Atlan 'AI center on wheels' - NVIDIA revealed its next-generation AI-enabled processor for autonomous vehicles, NVIDIA DRIVE Atlan, which will deliver more than 1,000 trillion operations per second and targets automakers' 2025 models. DRIVE Atlan will include NVIDIA's next-generation GPU architecture, new Arm CPU cores, as well as deep learning and computer vision accelerators, Nvidia said in a statement.

12:55 EDT Golar LNG board receives resignation notice from CEO Iain Ross - The Board of Golar LNG (GLNG) said it has received a resignation notice from its CEO Iain Ross. The contractual termination period is 6 months however the final duration can be prolonged or reduced upon mutual agreement. Golar LNG is currently in the final stages of closing the announced sale of its 50% interest in Hygo Energy Transition Limited and 32% interest in Golar LNG Partners LP (GMLP) to New Fortress Energy Inc. (NFE) for a total enterprise value consideration for the two companies of approximately $5B. The NFE transactions will simplify the Golar group structure, crystalize underlying value and strengthen the balance sheet, Golar LNG said in a statement The majority of the closing conditions have been completed, including prepayment notices issued to several of GMLPs lenders. Closing of the transactions is expected shortly. The Board of Golar LNG will immediately start the process to recruit Ross's successor.

12:29 EDT Uber CEO tells CNBC it may get into cannabis delivery - Uber (UBER) CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told CNBC that the ride-hailing giant could start delivering cannabis once federal regulations allows the ocmpany to do so. "When the road is clear for cannabis, when federal laws come into play, we're absolutely going to take a look at it," Khosrowshahi told CNBC in a "Tech Check" interview. "We see so much opportunity out there and we're going to focus on the opportunity at hand," the CEO added. Publicly traded companies in the space include Aphria (APHA), Aurora Cannabis (ACB), CV Sciences (CVSI), CannTrust Holdings (CNTTF), Canopy Growth (CGC), Cronos Group (CRON), General Cannabis (CANN), India Globalization Capital (IGC), Tilray (TLRY), Trulieve Cannabis (TCNNF) and Zynerba (ZYNE). Reference Link

12:24 EDT Intel drops 2% after Nvidia announces first server microprocessors

12:20 EDT Nvidia announces CPU for giant AI, high performance computing workloads - NVIDIA (NDA) announced its first data center CPU, an Arm-based processor that will deliver 10x the performance of today's fastest servers on the most complex AI and high performance computing workloads. "Leading-edge AI and data science are pushing today's computer architecture beyond its limits - processing unthinkable amounts of data," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. "Using licensed Arm IP, NVIDIA has designed Grace as a CPU specifically for giant-scale AI and HPC. Coupled with the GPU and DPU, Grace gives us the third foundational technology for computing, and the ability to re-architect the data center to advance AI. NVIDIA is now a three-chip company." The Fly notes that Intel (INTC) also makes CPUs.

12:07 EDT Rush Street announces launch in West Virginia of BetRivers.com - Rush Street Interactive (RSI) announced the launch in West Virginia of its "flagship brand and award-winning online casino platform," BetRivers.com. Through RSI's partnership with Century Casinos' (CNTY) Mountaineer Park, West Virginians can "now play a fun array of online slot games and popular table games," Rush Street stated.

12:00 EDT Eastman Kodak falls -8.7% - Eastman Kodak is down -8.7%, or -69c to $7.22.

12:00 EDT Tata Motors falls -11.4% - Tata Motors is down -11.4%, or -$2.42 to $18.82.

12:00 EDT Alibaba rises 8.9% - Alibaba is up 8.9%, or $19.89 to $243.20.

11:56 EDT General Motors launches Maps+ in-vehicle navigation solution - General Motors announced the launch of Maps+, an in-vehicle, app-based navigation solution, upgrading capabilities for select model year 2018 and newer Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles by the end of 2021. Maps+, which is powered by Mapbox, is expected to begin its rollout to approximately 900,000 vehicles on April 30, as part of select Connected Services plans. For current owners of compatible vehicles that previously did not have navigation built in, Maps+ brings a connected ecosystem of voice assistants, navigation and apps into a singular experience. "We know customers want an easy and convenient in-vehicle experience that improves over time," said Santiago Chamorro, GM vice president of Global Connected Services. "We listened to customer feedback and developed a product that works seamlessly with our current infotainment systems and provides a highly personalized experience that will iterate throughout the lifetime of the vehicle." Maps+ was developed to "meet driver needs and preferences while keeping hardware capabilities of different vehicles in mind," the company said. Drivers can start Maps+ navigation with Alexa Built-In voice control and listen to music or podcasts using the system's integrated audio apps. A single-box search offers intuitive access to points of interest, shops, restaurants, parking and more. Reference Link

11:49 EDT AGEAS, CoreLogic enter multi-year technology collaboration - CoreLogic announced that AGEAS has decided to strengthen their strategic technology collaboration with CoreLogic with a new multi-year-agreement. AGEAS is using CoreLogic's claims platform to influence claims outcomes through a secure, real-time, cloud-based web application that can be accessed anywhere and from any device.

11:13 EDT Clear Blue Smiles partners with GreenSky Patient Solutions - GreenSky and Clear Blue Smiles jointly announced a strategic alliance whereby Clear Blue Smiles will partner with GreenSky Patient Solutions. By partnering with GreenSky Patient Solutions, Clear Blue Smiles will be able to offer their partner dental and orthodontic offices financing options.

11:06 EDT Tian Ruixiang Holdings Ltd (Class A Stock) trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:23 EDT Nam Tai says ISS, Glass Lewis both say change in board control not warranted - Nam Tai Property issued the following statement in response to the reports issued by Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. and Glass Lewis regarding the election of directors to Nam Tai's board of directors at the company's upcoming special meeting on April 26: "We are pleased that ISS and Glass Lewis recognize the risks associated with IsZo gaining control of the Board. ISS notes that the dissident's plan lacks sufficient detail to support its critiques of the company's performance. Additionally, the dissident's case regarding concerns over share price undervaluation is lacking. ISS specifically stated, 'The dissident has not provided sufficient evidence to support its claim that the company's stock underperformed under the control of Kaisa and that the company's capital allocation strategy was inadequate. Nor has the dissident made a thorough critique of the company's operating performance.'"

10:05 EDT Izea teases CEO live stream event on April 13 - Izea tweeted from its corporate account: "We have some very exciting news to share! Tune in here at 11am EDT tomorrow for a live stream with IZEA Founder and CEO @tedmurphy." Reference Link

10:02 EDT Verizon announces deals with Crown Castle and SBA Communications - Verizon (VZ) announced that the company has inked deals with Crown Castle (CCI) and SBA Communications (SBAC), which it identifies as "two tower companies already hosting Verizon infrastructure equipment," to speed deployment of C-band equipment in preparation for the launch of 5G Ultra Wideband and fixed wireless broadband service on this newly acquired spectrum. "Verizon secured an average of 161 MHz of C-band spectrum nationwide in the recent FCC auction, which will allow Verizon to offer increased mobility and broadband services to millions more consumers and businesses. C-band provides a valuable middle ground between capacity and coverage for 5G networks, and will enable greater speeds and coverage for both mobility, home broadband and business internet solutions. Deploying 5G Ultra Wideband on this spectrum requires new network equipment including basebands and antennas to be placed on existing towers. The deals signed with both Crown Castle and SBA Communications provide for process improvements including standardizing and reducing forms and minimizing legal reviews, allowing Verizon engineering teams to expedite deployment of C-band equipment. Both agreements establish terms for leasing space on existing towers for C-band equipment," Verizon stated.

10:00 EDT Frontline falls -7.1% - Frontline is down -7.1%, or -52c to $6.85.

10:00 EDT Tata Motors falls -10.3% - Tata Motors is down -10.3%, or -$2.18 to $19.06.

10:00 EDT Alibaba rises 7.9% - Alibaba is up 7.9%, or $17.62 to $240.93.

09:48 EDT Ikena Oncology Inc trading resumes

09:47 EDT Barnes & Noble Education falls -8.0% - Barnes & Noble Education is down -8.0%, or -56c to $6.42.

09:47 EDT Azure Power rises 6.0% - Azure Power is up 6.0%, or $1.66 to $29.41.

09:47 EDT Cadence Bancorp rises 7.1% - Cadence Bancorp is up 7.1%, or $1.52 to $23.00.

09:38 EDT Ikena Oncology Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:24 EDT XPeng to debut new LiDAR-equipped smart EV XPeng P5 sedan - Chinese smart EV company XPeng will premier its third production model, the XPeng P5 smart sedan, on 14 April in a press briefing in Guangzhou, China. The P5 is the world's first mass-produced smart EV equipped with automotive-grade LiDAR technology, powered by XPeng's full-stack in-house developed autonomous driving system XPILOT. The press briefing will reveal the P5's unique design language, the underlying architecture for XPeng's next-generation XPILOT 3.5 system and its functionalities, the new features supported by XPeng's proprietary intelligent in-car operating system Xmart OS, and more. The XPeng P5 will be featured at the Auto Shanghai 2021 on 19th April, with full details of its configurations, performance and pricing.

09:24 EDT XPeng to debut new LiDAR-equipped smart EV XPeng P5 sedan - Chinese smart EV company XPeng will premier its third production model, the XPeng P5 smart sedan, on 14 April in a press briefing in Guangzhou, China. The P5 is the world's first mass-produced smart EV equipped with automotive-grade LiDAR technology, powered by XPeng's full-stack in-house developed autonomous driving system XPILOT. The press briefing will reveal the P5's unique design language, the underlying architecture for XPeng's next-generation XPILOT 3.5 system and its functionalities, the new features supported by XPeng's proprietary intelligent in-car operating system Xmart OS, and more. The XPeng P5 will be featured at the Auto Shanghai 2021 on 19th April, with full details of its configurations, performance and pricing.

09:22 EDT XPeng to debut new LiDAR-equipped smart EV XPeng P5 sedan - Chinese smart EV company XPeng will premier its third production model, the XPeng P5 smart sedan, on 14 April in a press briefing in Guangzhou, China. The P5 is the world's first mass-produced smart EV equipped with automotive-grade LiDAR technology, powered by XPeng's full-stack in-house developed autonomous driving system XPILOT. The press briefing will reveal the P5's unique design language, the underlying architecture for XPeng's next-generation XPILOT 3.5 system and its functionalities, the new features supported by XPeng's proprietary intelligent in-car operating system Xmart OS, and more. The XPeng P5 will be featured at the Auto Shanghai 2021 on 19th April, with full details of its configurations, performance and pricing.

09:17 EDT Silver Bull postpones Annual Meeting of Shareholders - Silver Bull Resources announced that it is postponing its 2021 annual meeting of shareholders to April 19, 2021 to provide its shareholders with additional time to vote on the proposals submitted for shareholder approval at the Meeting. Shareholders are advised that because one of the proposals involves proposed amendments to the Company's articles of incorporation, the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Silver Bull common stock must approve such proposal. The record date for determining the shareholders eligible to vote at the Meeting will remain the close of business on February 18, 2021. Shareholders who have already submitted a proxy do not need to vote again for the postponed Meeting rescheduled for Monday, April 19, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time at the Company's offices at 777 Dunsmuir Street, Suite 1610, Vancouver, British Columbia, as the proxies submitted will remain valid.Of particular importance, the Company's board of directors strongly recommends that all shareholders to vote "FOR" the proposal to increase the number of authorized shares.

09:14 EDT Arcutis Biotherapeutics initiates Phase 3 trial of topical roflumilast cream - Arcutis Biotherapeutics announced it initiated a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating topical roflumilast cream as a potential treatment for mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis in patients between the ages of 2 and 5 years old. Roflumilast cream is a once daily topical formulation of roflumilast, a highly potent and selective phosphodiesterase type 4 inhibitor, which the Company is developing for plaque psoriasis and AD. The "INterventional Trial EvaluatinG roflUMilast cream for the treatmENt of aTopic dermatitis in PEDiatric patients" is a Phase 3, parallel group, double blind, vehicle-controlled trial in which roflumilast cream 0.05% or vehicle is applied once daily for 4 weeks to patients between the ages of 2 and 5 years old with mild-to-moderate AD involving greater than or equal to3% body surface area. In the trial, approximately 650 subjects will be randomized 2:1 to either roflumilast cream 0.05% or matching vehicle cream. The primary endpoint of the trial is Investigator Global Assessment Success, defined as a Validated Investigator Global Assessment - Atopic Dermatitis score of 'clear' or 'almost clear' plus a 2-grade improvement from baseline at Week 4. Multiple secondary endpoints will also be evaluated, including itch as measured by the Worst Itch-Numerical Rating Scale as well as the proportion of subjects who attain at least a 75% reduction in the Eczema Area and Severity Index at Week 4. The Company anticipates topline data from INTEGUMENT-PED in the second half of 2022.

09:11 EDT Osisko Development announces drilling results from Cariboo drill program - Osisko Development is pleased to announce drilling results from the category conversion drill program campaign at its Cariboo Gold Project in central British Columbia. This news release states the assay results from holes CM-20-086 to CM-20-099 drilled in the Valley Zone in 2020. Highlights include 10.81 g/t Au over 6.8 meters including 100.50 g/t Au over 0.5 meter in hole CM-20-086 and 10.93 g/t Au over 12.0 meters in hole CM-20-089. The drilling hole CM-20-089 confirmed anomalous gold values within multiple modelled vein corridors and extended a vein corridor down dip an additional 35 meters. A total of ten rigs are currently active on the property, four of which are at the Valley Zone deposit. Valley Zone Drilling Highlights: CM-20-086: 10.81 g/t Au over 6.80 meters including 100.5 g/t Au over 0.50 meter; CM-20-089: 10.93 g/t Au over 12.0 meters including 97.8 g/t Au over 0.80 meter; CM-20-093: 4.28 g/t Au over 7.80 meters; CM-20-093: 43.40 g/t Au over 1.00 meter; CM-20-093: 23.50 g/t Au over 0.75 meter; CM-20-096: 13.35 g/t Au over 3.50 meters; CM-20-098: 6.23 g/t Au over 10.40 meters including 46.0 g/t Au over 1.00 meter; CM-20-099: 5.99 g/t Au over 4.85 meters including 23.0 g/t Au over 0.55 meter; CM-20-099: 4.19 g/t Au over 6.00 meters/ Mineralized quartz veins on Cariboo are overall sub-vertical dip and northeast strike. Vein corridors are defined as a high-density network of mineralized quartz veins within the axis of the F3 fold and hosted within the sandstones. Vein corridors are modelled at a minimum thickness of 2 meters and individual veins within each corridor range in width from millimeter to several meters. These corridors have been defined from surface to a vertical depth averaging 300 meters and remain open for expansion at depth. Gold grades are intimately associated with vein-hosted pyrite as well as pyritic, intensely silicified wall rock haloes in close proximity to the veins. True widths are estimated to be 60% to 75% of reported core length intervals. Intervals not recovered by drilling were assigned zero grade. Top cuts have not been applied to high grade assays.

09:11 EDT Senmiao Technology signs framework agreement with Taoyun Capital - Senmiao Technology announced the signing of a strategic framework agreement with Taoyun Capital, a Beijing-based investment and asset management firm, whereby Senmiao has the right to utilize resources, including online ride-hailing platform licenses, obtained by Taoyun Capital and its affiliates in several cities across China, including but not limited to Beijing and Shanghai. Ride-hailing platforms in China are required to obtain a license for operation in each municipality. According to the terms of the framework agreement, Senmiao and Taoyun Capital will collaborate in the development of online ride-hailing business, including but not limited to jointly developing systematic solutions for the management of vehicles, platform operation and carrying capacity, and jointly lobbying for favorable industry policies by local governments. By partnering with Taoyun Capital, Senmiao anticipates utilizing these resources to accelerate the expansion of its online ride-hailing platform into new cities.

09:09 EDT Hudson Pacific signs lease with Company 3 at Harlow office building in Hollywood - Hudson Pacific Properties announced it has leased 70,285 square feet at Harlow, its recently completed Class A office development at Sunset Las Palmas Studios in Hollywood, to global post-production company Company 3. The 11-year lease commences in the second quarter of 2022, and significantly grows Company 3's real estate footprint in Los Angeles, "We are thrilled to significantly expand our relationship with Company 3 and welcome them to Harlow, a shining example of what we deliver for our tenants-stunning architecture; sustainable, wellness-centric and tech-forward design and operations; and a unique on-studio lot location," said Victor Coleman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hudson Pacific Properties. "Harlow is now over 50% leased and we have strong interest in the balance of the building. This underscores the resiliency of demand particularly for our assets and locations as companies plan for and commence a return to the office and productions run full-steam ahead." where they already occupy the entirety of Hudson Pacific's 3401 Exposition office property in Santa Monica.

09:08 EDT Pulmatrix to regain full rights to NSKI portfolio - Pulmatrix (PULM announced it will regain full rights to its narrow spectrum kinase inhibitor portfolio, including PUR1800, following Johnsons & Johnson's (JNJ) Enterprise Innovation's decision to terminate the company's license, development and commercialization agreement. Pulmatrix intends to continue the development of PUR1800, with ongoing clinical and toxicology studies to support programs in acute exacerbations in COPD and other chronic airway diseases. "Regaining full rights to PUR1800, and the broader portfolio of NSKIs, positions Pulmatrix to independently advance assets that have the potential to address multiple blockbuster markets," said Ted Raad, CEO of Pulmatrix. "Our prior agreement with Johnson & Johnson greatly advanced our PUR1800 program, fully funding both our ongoing Phase 1b study and ongoing long-term toxicology studies. With data from these studies expected before year end, we expect to be positioned to advance our planned Phase 2b study in AECOPD treatment, which has the potential for approximately $2.5 billion in U.S. peak net revenue potential. Importantly, our long-term toxicology studies also have the potential to broaden the reach of PUR1800 to indications beyond AECOPD that require long-term dosing. We look forward to continued progress with PUR1800 and believe our superior iSPERSE formulation has the opportunity to address steroid resistant and infection driven inflammation across a diverse range of lung conditions."

09:07 EDT Omniq contracted to deploy Q Shield to HOAs in Florida market - OMNIQ Corp. announced initial orders to provide Security and Access Control Solutions into the Florida market. Through a newly established partnership, omniQ and Q-Wire Technologies Inc will provide omniQ's Q Shield as part of Q-Wire Technologies integrated systems to HOAs with Gated & Ungated Communities, hotels, airports, municipalities and other verticals where asset protection and crowd control are critical.

09:05 EDT Intel's Mobileye and Udelv ink deal for autonomous delivery - Mobileye, an Intel Company, and Udelv, a Silicon Valley venture-backed company, announced that Mobileye's self-driving system - branded Mobileye Drive - will "drive" the next-generation Udelv autonomous delivery vehicles called "Transporters." The companies plan to produce more than 35,000 Mobileye-driven Transporters by 2028, with commercial operations beginning in 2023. Today's news is believed to be the first large-scale deal for a self-driving system and signals that Mobileye Drive is ready for commercial deployment in solutions involving the autonomous movement of goods and people. and in volume," said Prof. Amnon Shashua, Mobileye president and CEO. "COVID-19 has accelerated demand for autonomous goods delivery, and we are delighted to partner with Udelv to address this demand in the near term." Daniel Laury, CEO and co-founder of Udelv, said: "Mobileye is the only company providing a full-stack self-driving system with commercial viability and scale today. The readiness of Mobileye Drive, along with its vast map coverage of North America, Europe and Asia, will allow us to ramp up the production and deployment of Udelv Transporters and rapidly offer the service at scale to our expanding list of customers." Last-mile delivery is the most expensive aspect of distribution, accounting for 53% of the overall cost of goods. At the same time, consumers are buying more and more goods online which is expected to raise urban last-mile delivery volume by 75 to 80% by 2030 and require 36% more delivery vehicles. And a shortage of drivers is making it difficult for companies to keep pace. It is a service model that is ripe for improvement. Udelv's customers expect Transporters to dramatically improve the efficiency of last- and middle-mile delivery services for everything from baked goods and auto parts to groceries and medical supplies.

09:05 EDT Legion Partners nominates seven independent candidates for Genesco board - Legion Partners, which collectively with the other participants in its solicitation beneficially owns approximately 5.6% of the outstanding common shares of Genesco, issued a letter to shareholders in connection with its nomination of seven highly-qualified and independent individuals for election to the company's board of directors at the 2021 annual meeting of shareholders: Marjorie Bowen, Thomas Kibarian, Margenett Moore-Roberts, Dawn Robertson, Patricia Ross, Georgina Russell and Hobart Sichel. Legion Partners said, "Legion Partners, which is a top five shareholder of Genesco, has invested in the Company multiple times over the years and knows its brands and operating businesses exceptionally well. We also possess a record of advocating for value-enhancing actions that previously benefited our fellow Genesco shareholders, including incremental Board refreshment in 2018 and the divestiture of Lids Sports Group in early 2019. Unfortunately, we believe that the Board has failed to build on the momentum we helped establish and the Company is now on a concerning, downward trajectory that could result in the permanent impairment of value. This is why we are seeking to facilitate meaningful boardroom change and a long overdue transformation at Genesco...In the upcoming weeks, our nominees intend to release more of their analysis and then share a comprehensive strategic plan for transforming Genesco into a stronger, more focused Company that can deliver near-term and long-term value. We firmly believe that if our nominees are elected and their strategic plan is fully implemented, Genesco can produce $7.50 in earnings per share by fiscal 2023 and see its stock double from current levels. In our view, this level of earnings is possible by achieving a 6% operating income margin, monetizing non-core assets and implementing a prudent capital allocation framework that contemplates organic investments and share repurchases. We further believe that bringing financial and operational stability to the Company, and in turn the important core business of Journeys, will be in the long-term best interests of customers, employees and partners across the supply chain..."

09:02 EDT SOS Limited unit to acquire majority interest in three US-based power plants - SOS Limited announced that SOS Information Technology New York, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, has entered into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire the majority of the equity interests of each of three US-based power plants for its planned crypto-mining operations in North America. Pursuant to the terms of the LOI, the Company intends to acquire more than 51% of the membership interests of Sherman Development LLC, Niagara Development LLC and Park Falls Management LLC. Sherman Development LLC's recycling power plant in Stacyville, ME has claimed a capacity of 24 MW, Niagara Development LLC's hydropower power plant in Niagara, WI has a claimed capacity of 9 MW, and Park Falls Management LLC's natural gas power plant in Park Falls, WI has a claimed capacity of 20 MW. As the transaction proceeds, the company will publicly disclose additional information through press releases or SEC filings, as appropriate.

09:00 EDT Nuance trading resumes

08:55 EDT Nuance jumps 23% to $56.00 after Microsoft confirms takeover bid

08:50 EDT Conduent forms Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Policy Committee - Conduent announced that its Board of Directors has formed the Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Policy Committee as part of the company's commitment to operating in a socially responsible manner. This committee was formed to ensure that Conduent's business strategies and activities remain aligned with important matters related to sustainability, Environmental, Social and Governance, and Corporate Social Responsibility. The committee will be responsible for assisting the Board in providing oversight of Conduent's material ESG and social responsibility related strategies, initiatives, investments and policies. Its focus areas will include: Impact of climate change and other environmental matters including energy and natural resource conservation; Supply chain diversity; Employee health, safety and well-being; Diversity, equity and inclusion; Workforce human rights; Public policy engagement; Corporate charitable and philanthropic activities.

08:49 EDT Vertex Pharmaceuticals appoints Yvette Burton as chief people innovation officer - Vertex is honored to welcome Yvette Burton, Ph.D. as its first Chief People Innovation Officer, effective immediately. Dr. Burton is responsible for shaping the company's global strategic workforce planning efforts and leading organizational programs to advance inclusion and diversity. Burton comes to Vertex from Columbia University, where she was the academic director of the school's Human Capital Management Program.

08:48 EDT Riot Blockchain produces 187 bitcoin in March - Riot Blockchain announces an operations update that includes an unaudited Bitcoin production and an unaudited BTC holdings update, through March 2021. In March 2021, Riot produced 187 BTC, an increase of 80% over its pre-halving March 2020 production of 104 BTC. In Q1 2021, the Company produced 491 BTC, an increase of 75% over its pre-halving Q1 2020 production of 281 BTC. As of March 31, 2021, Riot holds over 1,565 BTC on its balance sheet, all of which was produced by its mining operations. The Company plans to continue to provide monthly operational updates and unaudited production results through the end of 2021. On April 7, 2021, Riot announced a large-scale contract for the purchase of 42,000 S19j Antminers for $138.5 million from Bitmain Technologies Limited. This purchase represents a significant step forward in Riot's strategic initiative to increase its Bitcoin mining hash rate, which is now estimated to reach approximately 5 exahash per second by the end of 2021, and 7.7 EH/s once fully deployed by the end of 2022. This level of growth represents a 93% increase over the Company's previously estimated committed hash rate capacity of 4.0 EH/s by October 2021. By Q4 2022, Riot expects a total hash rate capacity of 7.7 EH/s with a fleet of approximately 81,146 Antminers, 95% of which will be the latest generation S19 series model. When fully deployed, the Company's total fleet is expected to consume approximately 257.6 MW of energy with an overall hash rate efficiency of 33 joules per terahash.

08:47 EDT Canadian Pacific, Kansas City Southern get backers for U.S.-Mexico-Canada rail - Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KSU) announced that an additional 75 customers, ports, transloads and other stakeholders have filed statements with the Surface Transportation Board bringing the total to more than 375 supporting the planned creation of the first U.S.-Mexico-Canada rail network. The latest support letters once again represent the broad spectrum of the transportation supply chain, including XPO Logistics, CF Industries, Dollarama, Millar Western and Full Circle Ag. Similar to the customers and supporters that filed statements and letters with the STB on March 31, and April 6 the new supporters stated they expect the combination of CP and KCS would, among other benefits, invigorate transportation competition, expand access to existing and growing markets and provide new service offerings that would improve transit times and reliability. Many of the supporters also requested the STB to review the transaction as swiftly as possible so the systems could be integrated, and the end-to-end benefits of this combination can be realized for the benefit of all stakeholders. CP and KCS thank the 375-plus shippers, railroads, economic development authorities, ports and other supporters that have filed letters to the STB in support of the combination. The CP-KCS combination is expected to provide an enhanced competitive alternative to existing rail service providers and is expected to result in improved service and efficiency to customers of all sizes. When combined, the CP-KCS network would remain the smallest of six U.S. Class 1 railroads by revenue. CP is seeking approval from the STB for the combination, which also remains subject to the approvals of CP and KCS shareholders and other customary closing conditions. The STB review is expected to be completed by the middle of 2022.

08:45 EDT Roche confirms REGN-COV 2069 trial met primary and key secondary endpoints - Roche (RHHBY) confirmed "positive results" from the phase 3 REGN-COV 2069 trial assessing the ability of the investigational antibody cocktail casirivimab and imdevimab to reduce the risk and burden of COVID-19 infection among household contacts of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals. The trial, which was jointly run with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, met its primary and key secondary endpoints. It showed that the subcutaneous administration of casirivimab and imdevimab reduced the risk of symptomatic infections by 81% in those who were not infected when they entered the trial. In addition, individuals treated with casirivimab and imdevimab who still experienced a symptomatic infection resolved their symptoms on average within one week, compared to three weeks with placebo. No new or serious safety signals were observed. Detailed results from the trial will be shared with regulatory authorities as soon as possible. Regeneron (REGN) will share new data with the United States Food and Drug Administration and Roche and Regeneron will continue to work with the European Medicines Agency and other health authorities across the globe, Roche stated. The antibody cocktail continues to be evaluated in clinical trials in multiple settings for COVID-19: in non-hospitalized and certain hospitalized patients, including the open-label RECOVERY trial of hospitalized patients in the UK. As of April 2021, more than 25,000 people have participated in clinical trials involving casirivimab and imdevimab, noted Roche.

08:40 EDT Popular raises dividend to 45c per share, announces $350M stock repurchase plan - Popular announced an increase in the corporation's quarterly common stock dividend from 40c per share to 45c per share, commencing with the dividend payable in Q3, subject to the approval by the corporation's board of directors. The company also announced common stock repurchases of up to $350M during 2021.

08:38 EDT Allogene, Springworks announce first patient dosed in Phase 1 study of ALLO-715 - Allogene Therapeutics (ALLO) and SpringWorks Therapeutics (SWTX) announced that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1 trial evaluating ALLO-715, Allogene's investigational anti-B-cell maturation antigen AlloCAR T therapy, in combination with nirogacestat, SpringWorks' investigational gamma secretase inhibitor, in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. "We are pleased to have initiated this portion of the UNIVERSAL trial and look forward to investigating ALLO-715 in combination with nirogacestat as part of our comprehensive anti-BCMA strategy aimed at bringing an off-the-shelf cell therapy to patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma," said David Chang, M.D., Ph.D., President, CEO and Co-Founder of Allogene Therapeutics.

08:37 EDT Genprex collaborators report data for REQORSA therapy in NSLC treatment - Genprex announced that its collaborators presented positive preclinical data for the combination of TUSC2 immunogene therapy in combination with chemotherapy and immunotherapies for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Collaborators also presented positive preclinical data for the use of REQORSA in combination with targeted therapies for the treatment of NSCLC. These data were presented in two presentations at the 2021 American Association of Cancer Research annual meeting. The TUSC2 gene is a tumor suppressor gene and is the active agent in REQORSA. "We are pleased to have these positive data that provide further support for the therapeutic potential of REQORSA in combination with immunotherapies and targeted therapies in NSCLC presented before an audience of the world's leading cancer researchers. These data are particularly encouraging as we look to initiate our upcoming combination Acclaim-1 and Acclaim-2 clinical trials of REQORSA in NSCLC," said Rodney Varner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Genprex. "We know that many patients inevitably develop resistance to immune checkpoint blockade therapy or EGFR-TKI therapy. These data show that REQORSA

08:37 EDT Genprex collaborators report data for REQORSA therapy in NSLC treatment - Genprex announced that its collaborators presented positive preclinical data for the combination of TUSC2 immunogene therapy in combination with chemotherapy and immunotherapies for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Collaborators also presented positive preclinical data for the use of REQORSA in combination with targeted therapies for the treatment of NSCLC. These data were presented in two presentations at the 2021 American Association of Cancer Research annual meeting. The TUSC2 gene is a tumor suppressor gene and is the active agent in REQORSA. "We are pleased to have these positive data that provide further support for the therapeutic potential of REQORSA in combination with immunotherapies and targeted therapies in NSCLC presented before an audience of the world's leading cancer researchers. These data are particularly encouraging as we look to initiate our upcoming combination Acclaim-1 and Acclaim-2 clinical trials of REQORSA in NSCLC," said Rodney Varner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Genprex. "We know that many patients inevitably develop resistance to immune checkpoint blockade therapy or EGFR-TKI therapy. These data show that REQORSA

08:37 EDT Rayonier Advanced Materials to sell lumber, newsprint assets to GreenFirst - Rayonier Advanced Materials, or RYAM, and GreenFirst Forest Products, a Canadian lumber company, announced that the parties have entered into a binding asset purchase agreement pursuant to which RYAM has agreed to sell all of its lumber and newsprint facilities and related assets located in Ontario and Quebec to GreenFirst for an expected purchase price of approximately $214M including inventory on hand at the time of closing which is payable approximately 85% in cash, 15% common shares of the capital of GreenFirst. In addition, a chip offset credit note will be issued to RYAM by GreenFirst in the amount of C$7.9M, which may be set off against amounts owing to GreenFirst for chip purchases, equally over the next five years. Notably, RYAM will retain all of the cash generated by the purchased assets plus all softwood lumber duties, including earned interest on the duties, paid to the U.S. Department of Commerce through the closing date. RYAM estimates the duties to be approximately $110M at the time of closing. Purchased assets include six lumber mills which are located in Chapleau, Cochrane, Hearst and Kapuskasing in Ontario and in Bearn and La Sarre in Quebec as well as one newsprint mill located in Kapuskasing, Ontario. Purchased assets produced 604M board feet in 2020 with a combined nameplate capacity of 755M board feet and are capable of producing a wide range of forest products used in residential and commercial construction, including dimensional lumber, wood chips and by-products. Purchased assets include the lumber and newsprint mills as well as certain real property, machinery, inventory, permits, licenses and other related assets. Lastly, purchased assets exclude accounts receivable and accounts payable. RYAM and GreenFirst have also agreed to a 20-year residual fiber supply agreement to meet the continued fiber sourcing needs of RYAM's high purity cellulose, high yield and paperboard operations in Temiscaming, Quebec. The closing of the agreement, which is expected to occur in the second half of 2021, but not prior to July 31, is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals, the transfer of forestry licenses and the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

08:37 EDT Genprex collaborators report data for REQORSA therapy in NSLC treatment - Genprex announced that its collaborators presented positive preclinical data for the combination of TUSC2 immunogene therapy in combination with chemotherapy and immunotherapies for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Collaborators also presented positive preclinical data for the use of REQORSA in combination with targeted therapies for the treatment of NSCLC. These data were presented in two presentations at the 2021 American Association of Cancer Research annual meeting. The TUSC2 gene is a tumor suppressor gene and is the active agent in REQORSA. "We are pleased to have these positive data that provide further support for the therapeutic potential of REQORSA in combination with immunotherapies and targeted therapies in NSCLC presented before an audience of the world's leading cancer researchers. These data are particularly encouraging as we look to initiate our upcoming combination Acclaim-1 and Acclaim-2 clinical trials of REQORSA in NSCLC," said Rodney Varner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Genprex. "We know that many patients inevitably develop resistance to immune checkpoint blockade therapy or EGFR-TKI therapy. These data show that REQORSA

08:35 EDT Microsoft to acquire Nuance for $56.00 per share in cash, or $19.7B - Microsoft (MSFT) and Nuance Communications (NUAN) announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire Nuance for $56.00 per share, implying a 23% premium to the closing price of Nuance on Friday, April 9, in an all-cash transaction valued at $19.7B, inclusive of Nuance's net debt. Nuance is a trusted cloud and AI software leader representing decades of accumulated healthcare and enterprise AI experience. Mark Benjamin will remain CEO of Nuance, reporting to Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Cloud & AI at Microsoft. The transaction is intended to close this calendar year. Upon closing, Microsoft expects Nuance's financials to be reported as part of Microsoft's Intelligent Cloud segment. Microsoft expects the acquisition to be minimally dilutive (less than 1%) in fiscal year 2022 and to be accretive in fiscal year 2023 to non-GAAP earnings per share, based on the expected close timeframe. Non-GAAP excludes expected impact of purchase accounting adjustments, as well as integration and transaction-related expenses. The acquisition will not impact the completion of its existing share repurchase authorization.

08:33 EDT Infinity Energy completes purchase of production, acresin Central Kansas Uplift - Infinity Energy Resources announced that it has closed the purchase of 100% of the working interest in a leasehold containing current oil and gas production and mineral rights in a proven basin in the Central Kansas Uplift geological formation covering approximately 11,000 acres. The Company purchased the Properties from Core Energy, LLC, a closely held company pursuant to an option it had previously acquired. The option provided the Company the right to acquire the Properties for $900,000 which was paid at closing on April 1, 2021. The Company utilized the net proceeds of its recently completed $2.05 million Convertible Preferred Stock Offering to fund the purchase and planned development of the Properties. The purchase of the Properties included the existing production equipment, infrastructure and ownership of 11 square miles of existing 3-D seismic data on the acreage. The company acquired 100% of the working interest in the leasehold containing one horizontal producing well, one horizontal injection well, two conventional vertical producing wells and one supply well, which currently produce from the Reagan Sand zone with an approximate depth of 3,600 feet. The Properties have produced approximately 29,000 cumulative barrels of oil over the prior three-year period according to records maintained by the Kansas Geological Society. Infinity has commenced with workover/stimulation activities on the two conventional producing wells which is expected to be completed within the next 30 days. In addition, the Company is scheduling workover/stimulation activities on the horizontal producing well which is expected to be completed in the next 90 days. Infinity intends to drill at least four conventional production wells within the 12 months following the closing of the acquisition, subject to obtaining sufficient financing. The Company plans to perform tests and evaluation of other potential oil & gas producing zones that may be productive including the potential for other types of mineral deposits on the acreage. Should these additional oil & gas producing zones and/or other mineral reserves be proven in commercial quantities the Company may seek joint venture or working interest partners or seek offers from other industry operators for interests in such oil, gas and other mineral reserves contained in the acreage in exchange for cash and a carried interest in exploration and development operations or other strategic partnership to obtain financing for the exploration, development and production of such new reserves.

08:32 EDT Homology Medicines announces promotion of Tim Kelly to COO - Homology Medicines announced that Tim Kelly has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. Previously, Kelly held the role of Chief Technical Operations Officer. "From the beginning, Tim was a major driver behind the strategic decision to invest in developing our process and internal manufacturing capabilities, including realizing the value of operating under the same roof as our research and process development labs," stated Arthur Tzianabos, Ph.D., President and CEO of Homology Medicines. "Tim's more than 20 years of technical knowledge and business operations experience has been key to progressing our dual gene therapy and editing platform, and we look forward to his broader contributions to our organization as we continue to advance our mission to bring genetic medicines to patients."

08:25 EDT Kronos Advanced Technologies acquires 600M Dogecoin Cash - KRONOS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES announced that last month it completed an exchange with the Dogecoin Cash Foundation of its entire holdings in First Bitcoin for 600,000,000 Dogecoin Cash. This enables KNOS to participate in its recently formed DogeSPAC at a greater rate than the 20% already earned as the SPAC's sponsor.

08:22 EDT Urban Outfitters provides Q1 sales update - Urban Outfitters reported that total Retail segment comparable net sales thus far during Q1 have increased by high single-digits versus 1Q20. In North America, better sales were driven by double-digit 'comp' results at both the Free People and Urban Outfitters brands while Anthropologie sales have improved substantially but remain slightly negative. Due to COVID-19 induced restrictions, most of our European stores have remained closed in Q1, however, UK stores are scheduled to re-open today. Triple-digital on-line sales increases have largely offset the loss of store sales.

08:19 EDT Masimo announces FDA clearance of Radius PCG for connectivity - Masimo announced that Radius PCG, a portable real-time capnograph with wireless Bluetooth connectivity, has received FDA 510(k) clearance. Radius PCG connects with the Root( Patient Monitoring and Connectivity Platform to provide seamless, tetherless mainstream capnography for patients of all ages. Radius PCG joins the growing family of tetherless Masimo technologies that includes Radius PPG which offers Masimo SETMeasure-through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, and Radius Tdegrees which provides continuous temperature measurements. Radius PCG requires no routine calibration, with accurate end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) and respiration rate measurements and continuous EtCO2 waveforms displayed within 15 seconds-all in a small, portable package that can fit in the palm of a"Radius PCG has been a game changer for our clinical team," commented Joseph DiMartino, MSN RN, NE-BC, CCRN-K, Associate Vice President of Nursing at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. "It provides us with a portable and rapid measure of capnography for confirming airway placement in accordance with AHA guidelines." hand.

08:17 EDT Genetic Technologies appoints Mike Tonroe as CFO - Genetic Technologies Limited (GENE) announces the appointment of Michael Tonroe to the role of CFO, commencing on 28 June 2021. Prior to his most recent role as CFO and Company Secretary at dual-listed Opthea (OPT), Michael was CFO and Company Secretary at the Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne.

08:15 EDT Twist Bioscience exercises option to purchase GPCR library - Twist Bioscience announced that it will exercise its option to purchase all rights to a G-coupled protein receptor ,GPCR, library and its proprietary Twist Antibody Optimization software, both developed in collaboration with Distributed Bio. "We began working with Distributed Bio in 2016, before the existence of our Twist Biopharma division, and have been using the GPCR library and antibody optimization software together with our silicon-based DNA synthesis platform successfully for the last two years," said Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Twist. "Both proprietary tools integrate incredibly well with our ability to write synthetic DNA oligo pools at scale, creating precision antibody libraries, and optimizing antibody therapeutics. Neither of these tools would be possible without the use of Twist's silicon DNA writing oligo pool technology." The GPCR library and the antibody optimization software were originally developed as part of a license and collaboration agreement between Twist Bioscience and Distributed Bio signed in 2016. In 2021, Twist exercised its option to purchase all rights to the Antibody Optimization Software and the GPCR-Targeting Antibody Library. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Building on the GPCR library, Twist Biopharma generated a wide range of precision antibody discovery libraries now encompassed in its "Library of Libraries." The "Library of Libraries" contains an incredibly robust set of antibody libraries that use different antibody fragment scaffolds as well as different sources of fully human antibody sequences. Each library within the larger "Library of Libraries" contains more than 10 billion antibodies, providing robust and differentiated antibodies for antibody discovery. Once binding antibodies are identified from the Library of Libraries or other sources, Twist Biopharma utilizes the TAO software and its custom library capacity to further optimize leads for improved pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, binding and other properties. Unlike other optimization platforms, TAO does not require that the initial input leads are derived from the Twist Biopharma libraries.

08:14 EDT NuGenerex submits protocol, data, manufacturing information to FDA - NuGenerex Immuno-Oncology announced the company has submitted a response package to the FDA's comments in their Pre-IND Written Response. The package provides the data and information requested by FDA, including: The Ii-Key epitope sequences selected based on results of the ex-vivo blood screening program; The results of the transgenic mouse immunogenicity study demonstrating vaccine specific antibody production; GMP manufacturing information for the five Ii-Key-SARS-CoV-2 epitopes in the vaccine; A revised protocol that incorporates FDA's comments and requests. As previously reported, the results of the ex-vivo blood screening program enabled the selection of five Ii-Key-SARS-CoV-2 epitopes from the spike and membrane proteins based upon their T cell activation profiles and antibody binding from convalescent COVID-19 patient blood samples. These five Ii-Key epitopes were tested in a mouse model that is engineered with a part of the human immune system. The results of the study showed that animals vaccinated with Ii-Key-SARS-COV-2 epitopes in combination with adjuvant produced vaccine-specific antibodies. The five selected Ii-Key epitopes have been manufactured as GMP clinical-grade vaccine product with high purity and are ready to be formulated and filled for clinical trials, with the fill date scheduled in May. An exciting result from the manufacturing and formulation work is the development of a lyophilization process that produces a stable, powdered Ii-Key-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine that can potentially be shipped and stored at room temperature, providing a substantial commercial advantage. The protocol has been revised as per FDA request; this submission is to ensure that the revised study design meets the standards of the agency for COVID-19 vaccines, and to confirm that the clinical endpoint analyses of immune system activation, including antibody and T cell responses are acceptable for regulatory approval.

08:13 EDT Sterling Bancorp signs banking as a service agreement with BrightFi - Sterling National Bank announced it has entered into a Banking as a Service agreement with BrightFi, a provider of cloud-based digital banking platform technology and services to regional and community banks and non-bank entities. Sterling will provide banking solutions in support of BrightFi's cloud-based direct to consumer and digital banking technology and operations platform. "We are excited to partner with BrightFi in building and delivering an innovative set of services that bring digital banking solutions to those that need it most," said Matthew Smith, Executive Managing Director; Direct Banking and Banking as a Service. "Our Banking as a Service partnerships allow us to deliver best in class, digitally-enabled banking solutions to a broader group of clients. We see our collaboration with BrightFi as an opportunity to create and deliver seamless banking experiences to current and future clients."

08:12 EDT CNH Industrial's IVECO signs MOU with Plus to develop autonomous trucks - IVECO announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Plus, a leading global autonomous trucking company, to jointly develop autonomous trucks. Under the terms of the non-binding MOU, IVECO and Plus will integrate IVECO's latest-generation S-WAY heavy-duty truck with the PlusDrive full-stack autonomous driving system. The cooperation will also explore using IVECO's liquefied natural gas engine system to power the jointly developed autonomous trucks. Bio-methane powered trucks are currently the only readily and at scale available alternative to diesel for a carbon neutral transport, and IVECO has pioneered the use of this technology for more than 20 years in Europe, becoming the market leader. IVECO is already working on ADAS together with selected companies and the cooperation with Plus will further accelerate the development of the highest levels of automation of heavy trucks. Plus is the ideal partner for this process thanks to its technology, its drive to innovate and the fact that it already has established relationships with the same key component suppliers as IVECO. Teams of both companies will work closely to develop and deploy autonomous trucks, including one that is powered by natural gas, with the ultimate goal to create a more sustainable future.

08:10 EDT Thermo Fisher: FDA grants EUA for high-throughput COVID-19 Test - Thermo Fisher Scientific announced that the U.S. FDA has granted Emergency Use Authorization for the Thermo Fisher Scientific Amplitude Solution with the TaqPath COVID-19 High-Throughput Combo Kit. The Amplitude Solution enables clinical and public health laboratories to scale gold standard PCR testing and process up to 8,000 samples in a single day with minimal staffing resources and a secured supply of kits, reagents and consumables to meet their testing needs. The Amplitude Solution has been implemented globally including labs in Europe and Japan.

08:09 EDT Morphic presents preclinical data from avb8 integrin program at AACR meeting - Morphic Therapeutic announced the presentation of the first preclinical data from its avb8 integrin program at the 2021 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Virtual Meeting. These preclinical data show that an orally administered avb8 integrin inhibitor is a potent modulator of anti-tumor immune response in checkpoint-inhibitor resistant tumors and support development of this new therapeutic approach. avb8 is known to mediate the activation of tumor growth factor beta. Morphic is developing oral small molecule inhibitors of the avb8 integrin which is expressed on cell types central to immune response and is a major contributor to tolerance and suppression of anti-tumor immunity. The research demonstrates that Morphic's small molecule inhibitor in combination with anti-PD-1 drives efficacy across mouse models of treatment-resistant breast cancer including the EMT6 and PyMT syngeneic breast cancer models. Furthermore, the anti-tumor activity was seen to be mediated through adaptive immunity and be dependent on CD8 T cells. The examination of immune cell gene signatures on immune cell populations within tumor and lymphoid organs provided evidence for a lasting state of reduced tumor tolerance in these models.

08:08 EDT FLIR Systems awarded up to $20.5M DARPA contract - FLIR Systems announced it has won a contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, to rapidly develop novel fabrics with embedded catalysts and chemistries that can fight and reduce chemical and biological threats upon contact. The fabrics will be incorporated into protective suits and other equipment such as boots, gloves, and eye protection that can be worn by troops on the battlefield, medical experts, healthcare workers, and more. FLIR received $11.2M in initial funding for the potential five-year effort worth up to $20.5M, including options.

08:07 EDT REE Automotive signs collaboration agreement with Magna - REE Automotive, an electric mobility innovator which recently announced its merger with 10X Capital Venture Acquisition Corp., announced a strategic collaboration agreement with Magna International, a mobility technology company, with the goal of bringing to market innovative, full-fledged Modular Electric Vehicles for tech companies and new electric mobility players under the 'Powered by REE' brand. The strategic collaboration will explore the combination of REE's groundbreaking REEcorner technology with Magna's vehicle systems integration expertise and world-class manufacturing capabilities, to develop MEVs that enable commercial customers to customize vehicles based on their specifications and branding, while accelerating time to market.

08:06 EDT Jounce Therapeutics appoints Dmitri Wiederschain as Chief Scientific Officer - Jounce Therapeutics (JNCE) announced the appointment of Dmitri Wiederschain, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer. Wiederschain brings more than 15 years of pharmaceutical industry experience as a scientific leader and drug developer. Wiederschain joins Jounce from Sanofi (SNY), where he was vice president and global head of immuno-oncology research. In connection with Wiederschain's appointment, the compensation committee of Jounce's board of directors has approved the grant of a non-qualified stock option award to purchase an aggregate of 225,000 shares of Jounce's common stock to him. The grant date of the stock option will be May 1, and the stock option will have an exercise price equal to the closing price of Jounce's common stock on May 1. The stock option was granted outside of Jounce's 2017 Stock Option and Incentive Plan as an inducement material to Wiederschain's acceptance of employment with Jounce. The stock option has a 10-year term and vests over four years, with 25% of the award vesting on the first anniversary of his employment, and as to an additional 1/12th of the shares quarterly thereafter, subject to Dr. Wiederschain's continued employment through applicable vesting dates.

08:05 EDT VBI Vaccines announces data, next steps from VBI-2601 high-dose cohort - VBI Vaccines announced data and next steps from the high-dose cohort of its Phase 1b/2a clinical study of VBI-2601, the company's hepatitis B immunotherapeutic candidate, in chronically-infected hepatitis B patients. VBI-2601 is being developed in collaboration with Brii Biosciences as part of a potential functional cure for chronic hepatitis B virus, or HBV, infection. The Phase 1b/2a is a randomized, controlled study designed to assess the safety, tolerability, antiviral and immunologic activity of VBI-2601 in 46 non-cirrhotic patients with chronic HBV infection on nucleos(t)ide analogue, or NUC, therapy. The study is a two-part study to evaluate four doses of VBI-2601, at either a low or high dose, with and without co-administration of interferon-alpha. VBI-2601 was well-tolerated at all dose levels with and without IFN-alpha, with no significant adverse events identified. Restimulation of T cell immune responses to HBV surface antigens, including S, Pre-S1, and Pre-S2, in greater than or equal to 50%of evaluable patients from all VBI-2601 cohorts compared to no detectable response in the control, NUC-only arm. The T cell responses and antibody responses were comparable across the 20microgram and 40microgram unadjuvanted study arms. T cell response rates between the adjuvanted and unadjuvanted cohorts were also comparable. VBI and Brii are targeting the presentation of the complete Phase 1b/2a dataset at a scientific conference later in 2021. Based on the acceptable safety profile and vaccine-induced adaptive immune responses observed to-date, the high dose of VBI-2601, both with and without IFN-alpha, was selected to progress into a Phase 2 combination study of VBI-2601 and BRII-835, a novel small interfering ribonucleic acid therapeutic candidate designed to inhibit expression of HBV proteins. Patient screening for the study initiated in March in New Zealand, and Brii Bio expects to initiate the study in China, Hong Kong, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, and South Korea in Q2 and Q3.

08:05 EDT Leap Therapeutics, Flagship Biosciences announce partnership - Flagship Biosciences and Leap Therapeutics announced a partnership to use a clinically validated tumor expression assay utilizing RNAscope and tissue image analysis. In a poster shared this week at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021, the companies presented data on the validation of a Dickkopf-1 RNAscope chromogenic in situ hybridization assay and digital image analysis solution. To select patients for their clinical study, Leap Therapeutics sends samples from the United States and the Republic of Korea to Flagship's centralized laboratory. Flagship conducts the RNAscope assay, image analysis, data analysis, and in-house pathologist review, providing the information needed to make clinical trial enrollment decisions.

08:03 EDT GT Biopharma reports interim results from GTB-3550 TriKE Phase I/II trial - GT Biopharma announced additional interim results from its GTB-3550 TriKE first-in-human Phase I/II clinical trial for the treatment of high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes and refractory/relapsed acute myeloid leukemia. Additional results show GTB-3550 TriKE monotherapy is able to rescue the patient's otherwise exhausted/inhibited/non-functional endogenous NK cell population and target direct killing of the patient's AML and MDS cancer cells without the need for the co-administration addition of supplemental progenitor-derived or autologous/allogenic engineered NK cells. GTB-3550 TriKE monotherapy has demonstrated clinical benefit in very hard to treat relapsed/refractory AML and high-risk MDS cancer patients by significantly reducing cancer cell levels and, in some cases, ending transfusion dependency with patients becoming eligible for bone marrow transplant.

07:56 EDT Unisys names Dwayne Allen as Chief Technology Officer - Unisys (UIS) announced that Dwayne Allen has joined the company as chief technology officer and senior vice president, Solution Innovation and Architecture, reporting to Chair and CEO Peter Altabef. His appointment is effective April 12. Allen joins Unisys from Microsoft (MSFT), where he was a global digital strategist.

07:48 EDT Jazz Pharmaceuticals: FDA grants Priority Review of sNDA for Xywav - Jazz Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. FDA has granted Priority Review designation and confirmed the acceptance for substantive review of the supplemental New Drug Application seeking approval for Xywav oral solution in adult patients with idiopathic hypersomnia. The sNDA will be filed by the FDA on April 13 and a PDUFA goal date for an FDA decision has been set for August 12.

07:45 EDT Centerra Gold to list common shares on NYSE - Centerra Gold is pleased to announce that the Company has received approval to list its common shares on the New York Stock Exchange. Trading of the Company's common shares is expected to commence under the symbol "CGAU" on Thursday, April 15, 2021. The Company's primary exchange will remain the Toronto Stock Exchange.

07:42 EDT OpGen announces results from webinar on bacterial pneumonia co-infections - OpGen announced the results from the highly attended webinar titled "Pneumonia Diagnosis: Bacterial Superinfection in COVID-19 Patients", where two infectious disease experts presented their independent study results from the Unyvero Hospitalized Pneumonia and Unyvero Lower Respiratory panels, respectively. Their studies demonstrated that syndromic testing of lower respiratory specimens with Unyvero HPN and LRT BAL panels can improve patient care and time to appropriate targeted antibiotic therapy in COVID-19 pneumonia patients, as well as in a non-COVID-19 population with suspicion of pneumonia, including Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia. Professor and Senior Consultant Physician Christian Giske, at the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, discussed "Diagnosing bacterial pneumonia in COVID-19" in his presentation, and highlighted several important findings from his study and key advantages of the Unyvero HPN panel compared with conventional bacterial culture: Unyvero demonstrated higher diagnostic yield than bacterial culture, including several key pathogens of concern such as S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, S. marcescens, H. influenzae, K. oxytoca, S. maltophilia. Notably, S. maltophilia was called out as an important target on the Unyvero panel because of its intrinsic resistance against many of the standard antibiotics. Analysis of chart reviews of patients that had multiple lower respiratory cultures ordered during the course of their hospital stay revealed two clinically important cohorts: In Group 1, culture and Unyvero HPN results were 100% concordant on the first and all subsequent samples that had been ordered. The findings in this cohort demonstrated that Unyvero HPN would enable significantly more rapid detection of pathogens not covered by empiric therapy due to intrinsic resistance, i.e. S. maltophilia, or multidrug resistant organisms, i.e. carbapenem-producers, within 5 hours vs. 2.5 days by culture. In Group 2, Unyvero HPN detected bacterial pathogens up to 7 days earlier in patient samples that were initially negative by culture but subsequent cultures ordered during hospital stay were confirmed as positive for the same pathogen at a much later stage. As a consequence of lack of finding any microbial etiology by culture, this group of patients were exposed to longer duration of empirical antibiotic treatment. This group also had longer hospital length of stay, longer ICU LOS and longer VAP duration, which could have been shorter if antibiotics could have been tailored and targeted earlier. "The potential impact of Unyvero HPN in this group could be significantly greater than in Group 1," stated Prof. Giske, as he presented several clinical cases of patients with ongoing infection where culture exhibited intermittent detection of pathogen impacted by antibiotics across serial sampling while Unyvero HPN demonstrated consistent and steady detection of these pathogen. Prof. Giske pointed out that similar findings were reported1 by Pickens et al. where chart reviews were performed on 4 culture-negative Acinetobacter cases that Unyvero had reported positive for Acinetobacter, and subsequent cultures grew Acinetobacter. In these cases, empiric therapy did not adequately cover for Acinetobacter and all four patients died. Prof. Giske concluded his presentation with the following remarks: distinguishing those COVID-19 ICU patients with bacterial superinfection early and accurately is crucial for patient management and antibiotic stewardship; Excellent NPV of 99.8% allows for a reduction in unnecessary antibiotics use; Unyvero reduces diagnostic turnaround time to about 5 hours, and it can easily fit into a 24/7 lab workflow; and Unyvero provides clinicians earlier data to inform antimicrobial decisions, especially in critically ill COVID-19 patients. The second presentation focused on a number of clinical cases from the Unyvero LRT BAL study that exemplify the performance characteristics and potential clinical impact of this Unyvero panel in pneumonia diagnostic algorithms, presented by Drew Bell, Medical and Public Health Microbiology Fellow at Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN. The patient population in this study included pneumonia: Community-Acquired Pneumonia, Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia, Aspiration Pneumonia, as well as non-pneumonia patients. Results of Unyvero LRT BAL were compared to conventional microbiological methods including bacterial culture for pathogen identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing, as well as microscopic examination for PJP. Analysis of retrospective chart reviews performed on these patients revealed that, based on conventional microbiological results, 41% were undertreated, 19% were overtreated, while only 25% were appropriately treated and 16% were appropriate without antibiotic treatment. In contrast, the study demonstrated that using the Unyvero LRT BAL panel would have enabled prompt and appropriate targeted antibiotic therapy in 41.3% of cases, including escalations, and de-escalations, and reduced time to appropriate therapy by 25.7 hours. This presentation also called out the fact that Pneumocystis jirovecii is a non-culturable fungus, and in the absence of PCR testing, PJP diagnosis relies on microscopic examination of trophic forms or cysts, which is laborious and insensitive. Clinical cases were presented which demonstrated the rapid and reliable detection of Pneumocystis jirovecii using the Unyvero LRT BAL panel in just 5 hours with only about 2 minutes of hands-on time.

07:40 EDT Platinum Equity to acquire Club Car from Ingersoll Rand for $1.7B - Platinum Equity announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Club Car from Ingersoll Rand in a transaction valued at approximately $1.7B. The acquisition, subject to standard closing conditions, is expected to be completed by the third quarter. Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Augusta, Georgia, Club Car is a global manufacturer of golf cars, utility, personal transportation and other low-speed vehicles, including all-electric models, and related aftermarket parts and services. The business has been owned by Ingersoll Rand since 1995.

07:38 EDT Watsco completes acquisition of Temperature Equipment Corporation - Watsco announced that it has completed the acquisition of Temperature Equipment Corporation. Albert Nahmad, Watsco's Chairman and CEO, commented: "We have deep respect and admiration for TEC's legacy and long record of success. Skip Mungo and his team have built a great company and they will continue TEC's focus on growth with their name, identity and unique culture in what will be new markets for our company. We look forward to supporting their ambitious growth plans and introducing our innovative technologies to accelerate their digital capabilities as part of the Watsco family."

07:37 EDT Ingersoll-Rand to sell specialty vehicle technologies segment to Platinum Equity - Ingersoll Rand has entered into an agreement to sell its specialty vehicle technologies segment to the private equity firm Platinum Equity. The all-cash transaction is valued at $1.68B, which is approximately 12.1x 2020 specialty vehicle technologies segment adjusted EBITDA, and is expected to be completed by Q3, subject to customary closing conditions. Ingersoll Rand said they selected Platinum Equity because of their financial, operational and marketing expertise as well as their focus and interest in the automotive industry and mobility trends.

07:36 EDT Kiniksa announces results for mavrilimumab phase 2 trial in COVID-19 patients - Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals announced the Phase 2 portion of the Phase 2/3 trial of mavrilimumab in non-mechanically-ventilated patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and hyperinflammation achieved its primary efficacy endpoint of the proportion of patients alive and free of mechanical ventilation at Day 29. Mavrilimumab is an investigational fully-human monoclonal antibody that targets granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor receptor alpha. The Phase 2/3 trial is a global, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mavrilimumab treatment in adults hospitalized with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and hyperinflammation. In the Phase 2 portion of the trial, patients were enrolled into 2 cohorts: non-mechanically ventilated patients, or Cohort 1, requiring supplemental oxygen to maintain SpO2 greater than or equal to 92%; and mechanically ventilated patients, or Cohort 2, for whom mechanical ventilation was initiated within 48 hours prior to randomization. There was a seamless transition in the enrollment of patients in both cohorts from the Phase 2 into the Phase 3 portions of the trial. In the non-mechanically ventilated cohort, 116 patients with hypoxia and severe COVID-19 pneumonia/hyperinflammation were enrolled across sites in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and South Africa. Patients were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive a single intravenous dose of mavrilimumab 10 mg/kg, 6 mg/kg, or placebo. The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of patients alive and free of mechanical ventilation at Day 29. Key secondary endpoints included Time to Two-Point clinical improvement on the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases scale, Time to Return to Room Air, and Mortality at Day 29. The prespecified evidentiary standard for Phase 2 endpoints was a 2-sided alpha value of 0.2, without adjustment for multiplicity. Baseline demographics were balanced across treatment arms: the population was ethnically/racially diverse, 49% were obese, and 29% were older than 65 years. All patients received local standard of care therapy: 96% received corticosteroids/dexamethasone and 29% received antivirals/remdesivir. Non-mechanically ventilated patients treated with mavrilimumab demonstrated a reduction in mechanical ventilation and death at Day 29 pooled across dose levels. The proportion of patients alive and free of mechanical ventilation at Day 29 was 12.3 percentage points higher in mavrilimumab recipients compared to placebo recipients. Mavrilimumab recipients experienced a 65% reduction in the risk of mechanical ventilation or death through Day 29. Day 29 mortality was 12.5 percentage points lower in mavrilimumab recipients compared to placebo recipients. Mavrilimumab recipients experienced a 61% reduction in the risk of death through Day 29. No apparent differences were observed between the 10 mg/kg and 6mg/kg IV treatment arms. Mavrilimumab was well-tolerated and exhibited a favorable safety profile. One treatment-emergent serious adverse event related to study drug was reported on placebo, and there were no notable dose-related adverse events. Infections were noted in all groups including placebo recipients. All thrombotic events occurred in placebo recipients. Kiniksa is engaged with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other government agencies to identify pathways, including potential Emergency Use Authorization, for accelerated availability of mavrilimumab as a therapeutic option for severe COVID-19 patients.

07:35 EDT Origin Materials, Packaging Matters enter deal to develop packaging solutions - Origin Materials and Packaging Matters announced an agreement to develop advanced packaging solutions, including a next-generation polymer, polyethylene furanoate, or PEF. Packaging Matters had previously entered into a supply agreement to purchase sustainable carbon-negative PET from Origin Materials to create next-generation packaging. In the initial phase of the partnership, Origin Materials will supply sustainable carbon-negative PET to Packaging Matters. As the companies make progress on developing suitable PEF applications, some or potentially all of the supply will transition to sustainable PEF with an expected carbon-negative footprint. Origin Materials' sustainable carbon-negative PET is physically and chemically identical to petroleum-based PET, making it equally recyclable within the existing recycling infrastructure with no disruption to recycling streams or special sorting or collection requirements. Packaging Matters intends to use the sustainable carbon-negative PET from Origin Materials in its facility in Visalia, California to manufacture packaging products for its fresh fruits, vegetables, and salads customers. On February 17, Origin Materials and Artius Acquisition (AACQ) announced a definitive agreement for a business combination that will result in Origin Materials becoming a public company. Upon closing of the transaction, expected in Q2, the combined company will be named Origin Materials and remain listed on the Nasdaq under the new ticker symbol (ORGN).

07:33 EDT Color Star Technology regains Nasdaq compliance - Color Star Technology announced that it has received a letter from the NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Staff notifying the company that it has regained compliance with NASDAQ's minimum bid price requirements for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The letter noted that as a result of the closing bid price of the company's ordinary shares having been at $1.00 per share or greater for more than ten consecutive business days, from March 18, 2021 through April 6, 2021, the company has regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) and the matter is now closed.

07:31 EDT Lion Group forms new SPAC, Aquarius II Acquisition Corp. - Lion Group Holding announced it signed engagement letters with an underwriter and legal counsel to form a third SPAC company, Aquarius II Acquisition Corp. The deal size is expected to be $50M. This news follows Lion's recent announcements of its forming SPAC companies Aquarius I Acquisition Corp. as well as Skyline I Acquisition Corp. through its subsidiary Lion Wealth Management Limited. Kingswood Capital Markets and Loeb & Loeb LLC have been engaged to act as underwriter and legal counsel for this transaction, respectively.

07:27 EDT Goodfood Market appoints Greg Christopher as EVP, operations - Goodfood Market announced that Greg Christopher will be joining its management team as Executive Vice President of Operations effective April 12, 2021. He most recently was a Principal at Bridgeview Business Consulting, where he provided end-to-end business consulting and advisory roles for executives to drive strategic plans, continuous improvement, digitization, and operations talent assessments.

07:24 EDT Petrus Resources appoints Ken Gray president, CEO - Petrus Resources is pleased to announce that Mr. Ken Gray has been appointed as President and CEO of Petrus. Mr. Gray is currently President of a private oil and gas company with operations in Alberta. Neil Korchinski has resigned as President, CEO and a Director of the Company.

07:23 EDT CI Financial appoints Amit Muni as CFO - CI Financial (CIXX) announced the appointment of Amit Muni as executive VP and CFO. Reporting to CEO Kurt MacAlpine, Muni will oversee the company's global finance operations and investor relations teams. His appointment will be effective no later than May 31. He joins CI from WisdomTree (WETF), where he has served as executive VP and CFO since 2008.

07:21 EDT Medicenna Therapeutics present preclinical data for MDNA19-MDNA413 at AACR - Medicenna Therapeutics announced new preclinical data demonstrating the potent immune modulatory effects of MDNA19-MDNA413, an IL-2/IL-13 dual specific cytokine derived from the company's BiSKITsTM, or Bi-functional SuperKines as ImmunoTherapies, platform. The data are featured in an electronic poster presentation at the 2021 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting. Data presented in the poster indicate that this DUal CytoKine simultaneously activates a pro-inflammatory anti-tumor response, due to its highly selective binding and signaling via the intermediate affinity IL-2 receptor, while inhibiting pro-tumoral immune pathways by blocking IL4/IL13 signaling via the Type 2 IL-4 receptor. Key data and conclusions from the AACR poster titled "Modulation of Immune Responses to Cancer by Bi-specific IL-2/IL-13 Superkines" include: MDNA19-MDNA413 showed enhanced signaling in cancer killing effector T cells and NK cells and reduced activation of pro-tumor Treg cells corresponding to a 209-fold and 90-fold enhancement in CD8/Treg and NK/Treg ratios, respectively, when compared to native IL-2; MDNA19-MDNA413 selectively binds and inhibits both, IL-4 and IL-13 signaling, via the alpha 1 subunit of the Type II IL-4 receptor, which is normally associated with pro-tumoral effects due to stimulation of Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells and M2a polarization of Tumor Associated Macrophages, while showing reduced affinity for the IL13Ralpha2 decoy receptor; compared to long-acting Fc fusion of IL-13, MDNA19-MDNA413 is ~240 times more selective for IL13Ralpha1 over IL13Ralpha2; MDNA19-MDNA413 potently inhibited both IL-4 and IL-13 mediated pSTAT6 activity with an IC50 of 8.0 and 12.3 nM, respectively; and MDNA19-MDNA413 effectively inhibited IL-13-induced polarization of pro-tumor M2a macrophages.

07:20 EDT Canadian Solar starts mass production of 210 mm large cell modules - Canadian Solar announced that it has started mass production of high-power, high-efficiency modules with power output of up to 665 W. The new generation of monofacial HiKu7 and bifacial BiHiKu7 modules are based on 210 mm cells and are set to deliver one of the most competitive levelized cost of electricity in the industry by reducing balance of system and other costs for solar power plants. These modules have been optimized with leading tracker and inverter designs to ensure seamless installation of solar systems.

07:18 EDT Colliers International releases Global Impact Report - Colliers published its first annual Global Impact Report, highlighting its commitment to embedding environmental, social and corporate governance best practices across the organization. In the coming months, Colliers will conduct a materiality assessment to understand the firm's greatest opportunities to effect positive change and establish a comprehensive strategy with measurable targets. Colliers' 2020 Global Impact Report focuses on current work and initiatives across three key areas: Helping the environment: Colliers provides lasting value for clients through a full suite of sustainability services that improve the performance of their properties and result in better environmental and economic outcomes. Colliers is also transforming its own workplaces to ensure the health of our people and reduce our impact on the environment. Engaging our people and communities: Colliers is deepening efforts to foster inclusive and supportive workplaces and create rewarding growth and development opportunities. Every business line is empowered to help local communities and support charitable initiatives. Acting with honesty and integrity: Colliers takes great care to operate ethically and adheres to rigorous corporate governance policies.

07:17 EDT Shattuck Labs highlights preclinical data for SL-9258 and GLADEN at AACR 2021 - Shattuck Labs announced the presentation of two posters at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting, being held virtually April 10-15. TIGIT blocking antibodies have shown encouraging clinical activity in combination with PD-1/L1 blocking antibodies in checkpoint naive NSCLC, if PD-L1 expression is high. Shattuck's presentation, titled "TNFSF14 Co-Stimulation in Combination with Dual TIGIT/PD1 Checkpoint Inhibition Induces Anti-Tumor Immunity in a CPI Acquired Resistance Model that Shares Transcriptional Similarities to Lung Cancer Patients Who Acquire Resistance to CPI," demonstrated that preclinically, SL-9258 retained activity in a PD1 resistance model and outperformed dual checkpoint blockade with anti-PD1 and anti-TIGIT. The second poster highlighted expanded preclinical data from Shattuck's GADLEN platform. Titled "Antigen-specific targeting of tissue-resident gamma delta T cells with recombinant butyrophilin heterodimeric fusion proteins," the poster demonstrated an analysis to uncover the gamma and delta TCR usage in tumors and the butyrophilin expression pattern guiding the design of GADLEN therapeutics, which will target hematologic malignancies and solid tumor indications.

07:15 EDT Molecular Templates announces presentations on engineered toxin bodies - Molecular Templates reported that three posters featuring data on its pipeline programs and technology platform will be presented at the AACR Virtual Annual Meeting I, taking place April 10-15, 2021. Title: Phase 1 Study of the Novel Immunotoxin MT-5111 in Patients with HER2+ Tumors : This poster summarizes results from a data cut in December 2020 for an ongoing Phase 1, first in human, open-label, dose escalation and expansion study of MT-5111 in subjects with HER2+ solid tumors. MT-5111 has a novel mechanism of action that may not be subject to resistance mechanisms that exist for current HER2 therapies, binds a distinct epitope on HER2 that allows for potential combination with trastuzumab-based therapies, and, at 55kDa, is significantly smaller than other HER2 antibody or ADC therapies. As of the data cut in December 2020, 16 study subjects had been treated in the 3+3 cohort escalation. The cancer types included biliary tract, breast, pancreatic, gastric, and colon. Results to date show that MT-5111 has been well tolerated at escalated doses up to Cohort 5, which allowed for the progression to Cohort 6. There have not been any dose limiting toxicities nor any signs of cardiotoxicity to date, and the MTD has not been reached. Pharmacokinetic data for the first 5 cohorts matched simulations based on non-human primate studies. Exposures at 4.5 microgram/kg have reached approximately 5x the IC 50 of HER2-expressing cell lines. Three patients experienced stable disease as best response per RECIST 1.1 criteria. As previously reported, one subject with metastatic breast cancer in cohort 2 remained on treatment for 10 cycles with stable disease; although she had unmeasurable disease by RECIST criteria, she had three sub-centimeter hepatic lesions that disappeared at the end of cycle 8 before she discontinued for clinical progression/symptomatic deterioration at cycle 10. This subject had received three prior HER2 targeting regimens which initially included pertuzumab plus trastuzumab followed by trastuzumab and TDM1 as monotherapies. Dose escalation continues and no dose limiting toxicities have been observed to date at 6.75 microgram/kg. The HER2+ breast cancer expansion cohort is planned to be initiated in 2Q21 at a dose of 10 undefined/kg, pending adequate safety from the 10 undefined/kg dose escalation cohort. Dose escalation in all HER2+ tumor types will continue to determine the recommended Phase 2 dose while the breast cancer expansion cohort collects efficacy and safety data. As doses higher than 10 undefined/kg are considered to be tolerable in the dose escalation cohort, the dose will be increased in the breast cancer cohort accordingly. Title: Preclinical Characterization of a Novel CTLA-4-Targeted ETB for Direct Treg Depletion: Current CTLA-4 antibodies have shown efficacy in oncology but have been limited by toxicity issues and an inability to clear regulatory T cells from the tumor microenvironment. CTLA-4-targeted ETBs are designed to preferentially deplete Tregs in the TME to improve efficacy and reduce the toxicity associated with CTLA-4 targeted antibodies. This study explored the preclinical characterization of a lead candidate CTLA-4-targeted ETB. CTLA-4-ETB-A directly binds and specifically kills CTLA-4 positive cells in vitro and induces apoptosis of ex-vivo expanded Tregs. CTLA-4-ETB-A is designed to bind CTLA-4 in a manner unique from classic blocking antibodies and is not expected to have sustained blocking ability in vivo due to the relatively short half-life of an ETB compared to a neutralizing monoclonal antibody. The authors predict this will allow for focused Treg depletion in the TME based on target expression levels, while sparing autoreactive T cell activation in the periphery to reduce or eliminate the toxicity seen with CTLA-4 antibodies. In a transgenic mouse model expressing human CTLA-4 and bearing syngeneic subcutaneous tumors, CTLA-4 expression was highest on the Treg cells within the tumor microenvironment compared to other T cell populations and compartments. In this model, it was demonstrated that ETB treatment depletes Tregs in the TME, supporting the overall hypothesis. Peripheral CD4+ T cell proliferation was observed in response to ETB treatment. Initial tox assessment was performed in a non-human primate model. ETB candidate A was well tolerated up to 450 undefined/kg. An increase in proliferating CD4+ and CD8+ central memory T cells was observed and is a potential pharmacodynamic effect. Title: Engineered Toxin Bodies Targeting PD-L1 to Alter Tumor Immunophenotypes and Delivery Broad Antigenic Diversity and Patient Coverage : MT-6402 is an ETB designed to deliver a unique and dual mechanisms of action approach for directly targeting tumors that express PD-L1 on the tumor and/or the TME. Unlike current checkpoint inhibitors which only bind PD-L1 and sterically block interactions with PD-1, MT-6402 directly destroys PD-L1+ tumor and TME immune cells. MT-6402 has dual mechanisms of action that include the enzymatic destruction of ribosomes and the delivery of a viral class I antigen derived from CMV into the targeted tumor, referred to as Antigen Seeding Technology, for presentation on the target tumor cell surface to alter the tumor immunophenotype and induce a CMV specific T-cell response. MT-6402's antigen seeding CMV pp65 payload covers the largest MHC haplotype in the US. Delivery of foreign antigens that are restricted to additional MHC haplotypes could broaden the patient population that could benefit from AST. ETBs based on MT-6402 that deliver additional antigens retain expected potency and target binding, while also activating donor CTLs with matched haplotypes. ETBs delivering antigens to a broader population are under investigation for in vivo safety, efficacy and function. The MT-6402 IND filing has been accepted by the FDA with the Phase 1 first-in-human study expected to begin dosing in 2Q21.

07:14 EDT Bio-Path presents BP1002 data at 2021 American Association for Cancer meeting - Bio-Path Holdings announced the presentation of a poster highlighting preclinical BP1002 data at the 2021 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting. The poster, titled "The combination of liposomal Bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotide with decitabine is efficacious in venetoclax-resistant cells," was presented virtually by Maria Gagliardi, Research Scientist at Bio-Path Holdings. "We are particularly pleased to have these preclinical results of the BP1002 plus decitabine combination against venetoclax-resistant cells highlighted in a poster before an audience of the world's leading cancer researchers at this important scientific meeting," stated Peter Nielsen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bio-Path Holdings. "We look forward to filing a second Investigational New Drug application for BP1002 and to initiating a clinical study in combination with decitabine in acute myeloid leukemia patients who have relapsed from venetoclax-based treatments." The data presented in the AACR poster show that venetoclax-resistant cells are sensitive to the inhibitory effects of BP1002 combined with decitabine, suggesting that this combination is a potential treatment for patients who have relapsed from frontline venetoclax-based therapies.

07:13 EDT FDA authorizes first single-use, PCR quality otc Lucira Covid test - Lucira Health (LHDX), a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of transformative and innovative infectious disease test kits, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization, EUA, for over the counter (OTC) sale of the LUCIRA CHECK IT(TM) test kit that delivers PCR quality molecular accuracy in 30 minutes or less at home. It is authorized and available. This primarily U.S. designed and manufactured product was the first FDA authorized, prescription, molecular diagnostic test for COVID-19 that could be self-administered by patients at home or used in a physician's office. OTC clearance dramatically expands the availability of this highly accurate test. Each single-use test kit contains everything needed to conduct one COVID-19 test. It can detect a positive result in as few as 11 minutes or confirm a negative result within 30 minutes. It was designed and tested extensively for individuals to use independently and does not require a physician's prescription or telehealth / supervised assistance.

07:11 EDT Oncternal Therapeutics announces three poster presentations at AACR 2021 meeting - Oncternal Therapeutics announced the presentation of three posters at the American Association for Cancer Research 2021 Annual Meeting being held virtually from April 10-15. The first poster presentation is titled "A Phase 1b Trial of Cirmtuzumab and Paclitaxel in Locally Advanced/Unresectable or Metastatic Her2 Negative Breast Cancer." In this Phase 1b investigator-initiated clinical trial from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, 15 patients were treated with cirmtuzumab and paclitaxel after receiving a median of six prior therapies for metastatic disease. Of 15 intent-to-treat patients as of April 10, eight patients had a best response of partial response, or PR, one of which remained durable for 52 weeks, and four patients had stable disease, or SD. Of the 14 patients who were evaluable for efficacy per protocol, eight patients had a PR and four patients had SD. All reported adverse events were related to paclitaxel except for one Grade 3 neutropenia that was categorized as possibly related to cirmtuzumab. No patient stopped cirmtuzumab due to toxicity, no dose reductions of cirmtuzumab were required and no dose limiting toxicities were observed. The authors concluded that as of the cutoff date, cirmtuzumab given with paclitaxel was well-tolerated and demonstrated no added toxicity over what was expected with paclitaxel alone in heavily pre-treated patients with metastatic breast cancer. The second poster presentation is titled "Inhibition of ovarian and endometrial cancer cell proliferation by an anti-ROR1 monoclonal antibody." In this preclinical study from the University of New South Wales, high-grade serous ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer cell lines were treated with cirmtuzumab alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic agents, cisplatin, paclitaxel, or the PARP inhibitor olaparib. The authors concluded that cirmtuzumab demonstrated single agent activity against these tumor types, and also enhanced the anti-proliferative effects of commonly-used chemotherapies in these cancers. The third poster presentation is titled "Selective androgen receptor degraders for the treatment of androgen receptor-positive, triple-negative breast cancer." In this preclinical study from the University of Tennessee, androgen receptor, or AR, -positive triple negative breast cancer, or TNBC, cell proliferation and tumor growth were inhibited using Oncternal's investigational selective androgen receptor degraders, or SARDs. Notably, the SARDs demonstrated anti-tumor activity in a TNBC patient-derived xenograft model expressing a splice variant of the AR. Oncternal believes that these results support further development of Oncternal's SARDs as a potential treatment for women affected by the luminal androgen receptor subtype of TNBC.

07:11 EDT Halliburton signs eight-year contract with Norwegian Petroleum Directorate - Halliburton announced it signed an eight-year contract with the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, or NPD, to deploy and operate Diskos, the Norwegian national repository of seismic, well, and production data for the oil and gas industry. Halliburton Landmark will deliver Diskos 2.0 using DecisionSpace 365 cloud services in iEnergy, the industry's first E&P hybrid cloud. The cloud native services are open subsurface data universe compliant and provide data, security and governance so users can access, visualize, and interpret data from the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

07:09 EDT Ameriprise to acquire EMEA asset management business from BMO for $845M - Ameriprise announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with BMO Financial to acquire its EMEA asset management business for GBP 615M, or approximately $845M. The all-cash transaction adds $124B of AUM in Europe and is currently expected to close in Q4, subject to regulatory approvals in the relevant jurisdictions. The company said the acquisition will further accelerate Ameriprise's core strategy of growing its fee-based businesses and increase the overall contribution of wealth management and asset management within its diversified business. Together with BMO's EMEA asset management business, Ameriprise will have more than $1.2T of assets under management and administration. The addition of BMO's EMEA asset management business will increase Columbia Threadneedle's AUM to $671B. It will increase EMEA AUM and expand AUM in the region to 40% of total Columbia Threadneedle AUM. Separately, in the U.S., the transaction also includes the opportunity for certain BMO asset management clients to move to Columbia Threadneedle, subject to client consent. The transaction is expected to be accretive in 2023 and to generate an internal rate of return of 20%. Given the firm's substantial excess capital position and free cash flow generation, the company's capital return strategy remains on track.

07:08 EDT Domino's Pizza, Nuro launch autonomous pizza delivery with on-road robot - Domino's and Nuro are launching autonomous pizza delivery in Houston. Beginning this week, select customers who place a prepaid order on dominos.com on certain days and times from Domino's in Woodland Heights, located at 3209 Houston Ave., can choose to have their pizza delivered by Nuro's R2 robot. Nuro's R2 is the first completely autonomous, occupantless on-road delivery vehicle with a regulatory approval by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

07:07 EDT Avantor to acquire Ritter GmbH and affiliates for EUR 890M - Avantor announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Ritter GmbH and its affiliates in an all-cash transaction with an upfront equity purchase price of approximately EUR 890 million subject to final adjustments at closing and additional payments based on achieving future business performance milestones. Headquartered in Schwabmunchen, Germany, Ritter is the fastest growing manufacturer of high-quality robotic and liquid handling consumables, including conductive tips engineered to exacting standards. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to adjusted earnings per share upon closure and is anticipated to enhance Avantor's revenue growth and margin profile. Avantor expects to finance the all-cash transaction with available cash on hand and use of incremental term loans. The company expects that its adjusted net leverage ratio at closing will approximate 4.1x net debt to pro forma LTM adjusted EBITDA, with rapid deleveraging thereafter. The transaction is expected to be completed in the third quarter, and is subject to customary conditions, including receipt of applicable regulatory approvals.

07:05 EDT IGM Biosciences appoints George Gauthier as chief commercial officer - IGM Biosciences (IGMS) announced the appointment of George Gauthier to the newly created position of Chief Commercial Officer. Gauthier joins IGM with twenty years of experience in global commercial strategy, marketing, sales and product development. Most recently, Gauthier was Vice President of Global Product Strategy for Breast and Gynecological Cancers at Genentech (RHHBY).

07:05 EDT Taysha Gene Therapies acquires exclusive rights to AAV9 gene therapy program - Taysha Gene Therapies announced the acquisition of exclusive worldwide rights to a clinical-stage AAV9 gene therapy program, now known as TSHA-120, for the treatment of giant axonal neuropathy, or GAN. TSHA-120 is an intrathecally dosed AAV9 gene therapy currently being evaluated in a clinical trial for the treatment of GAN. The trial is being conducted by the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, in close collaboration with a patient advocacy group focused on finding treatments and cures for GAN. TSHA-120 has received rare pediatric disease and orphan drug designations from the FDA for the treatment of GAN. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, or NINDS, division of the NIH is conducting the ongoing open-label, non-randomized, dose-escalation clinical trial of TSHA-120 for the treatment of GAN. The primary endpoint is safety, with secondary endpoints measuring efficacy using pathologic, physiologic, functional, and clinical markers. A primary measure of clinical efficacy is the Motor Function Measure 32 score, a quantitative scale designed to assess the severity and progression of motor function abilities. There is precedent for its use in multiple clinical studies for neuromuscular diseases, including spinal muscular atrophy amongst others. To date, 14 patients have been dosed with one of four dose levels of TSHA-120. TSHA-120 has demonstrated a dose-response relationship with arrest of disease progression at the second-highest dose level (1.8x1014 total vector genomes at one-year post-treatment, affecting a statistically significant eight-point improvement on the MFM32 score. A 4-point change on the MFM32 score is considered clinically meaningful. Six of these patients treated at therapeutic dose levels have shown sustained dose-dependent improvements in MFM32 scores for more than three years. Long-term results demonstrated that treatment with TSHA-120 at multiple dose levels was well-tolerated with no severe drug-related adverse events. Additional data are expected later this year, including results from the highest dose cohort. Before the end of the year, Taysha intends to request an End-of-Phase meeting with the FDA and engage with the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, and the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, or PMDA)in Japan to discuss the regulatory pathway for TSHA-120. Taysha expects to provide a regulatory and clinical update on TSHA-120, including data from the 3.5x1014 total vg cohort by year-end. Under the terms of the agreement, in exchange for granting Taysha the exclusive worldwide rights to TSHA-120, the GAN patient advocacy group will receive an upfront payment of $5.5M and will be eligible to receive clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones totaling up to $19.3M, as well as a low, single-digit royalty on net sales upon commercialization of the product.

07:04 EDT iRhythm 'disappointed' by MAC Novitas's updated rate publication - iRhythm Technologies commented on the recent publication by Novitas Solutions of rates applicable to the Current Procedural Terminology codes 93243 and 93247. The company also provided commentary on preliminary financial results for its first quarter 2021. On April 10, 2021, Novitas published updated reimbursement rates for codes 93243 and 93247 at $103 and $115, respectively. The updated rates are retroactive to January 1, 2021 and replace rates initially published on January 29, 2021. While these new rates represent an increase from the rates posted on January 29th, iRhythm believes these rates do not appropriately reflect the clinical and economic value that long-term continuous ECG monitoring offers patients, their care teams and the Medicare system. Due to the cost of providing the service relative to the updated rates published by Novitas, iRhythm will not be able to provide its Zio XT service to the Medicare fee for service segment if these rates remain unchanged. Accordingly, iRhythm is preparing an operating plan to discontinue serving this Medicare segment with Zio XT that it expects to begin implementing in the second quarter. The company will continue to work with Novitas and other MACs regarding the clinical and economic value of the Zio XT service. In addition, iRhythm has been engaged with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regarding establishment of national pricing for these newly established codes and will continue to use this process as the preferred means of establishing appropriate rates that fully recognize the clinical and economic value of long-term continuous ECG monitoring technology. The company has also initiated a broad customer outreach program to encourage users of the Zio XT service to directly engage both Novitas and CMS on the key role that the Zio XT service plays in the effective diagnosis and management of the Medicare patients within their clinical practices. iRhythm has analyzed the impact the updated Novitas rates would have had on full year 2020 reported revenue and gross margin had those rates been in effect in 2020. The updated Novitas rates would have negatively impacted 2020 Medicare revenue by $41.3M and would have decreased 2020 total company revenue from $265.2M to $223.8M, or a decrease of 15.6%. In addition, 2020 total company gross margin would have decreased from 73.5% to 68.6%. For the year ended December 31, 2020, Medicare represented 27% of iRhythm's overall revenue, with a small percentage of that 27% attributable to Zio AT and Zio XT for wear of less than 48 hours, which services are priced nationally and not impacted by the updated Novitas rates.

07:01 EDT Doron Arazi to succeed Ira Palti as CEO of Ceragon Networks - Ceragon Networks announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Doron Arazi, the company's former deputy CEO & CFO, as its CEO from beginning of July. Doron Arazi will be succeeding CEO Ira Palti, effective on the same date. Ira Palti will remain on the Board of Directors of Ceragon and will be appointed as Vice Chairman.

06:58 EDT Uber says on track to reach quarterly adjusted EBITDA profitability in 2021

06:48 EDT Eli Lilly modifies bamlanivimab purchase agreement with U.S. government - Eli Lilly announced changes to the purchase agreements with the U.S. government for its neutralizing antibody therapies authorized for emergency use as a treatment for COVID-19. As part of Lilly's planned transition to only supply bamlanivimab and etesevimab together, Lilly and the U.S. government have agreed to modify the purchase agreement of bamlanivimab alone and focus on supply of bamlanivimab and etesevimab together. Additionally, the bamlanivimab and etesevimab agreement has been modified to enable the supply of etesevimab to complement doses of bamlanivimab the U.S. government already purchased, some of which have already been delivered to sites of care. This terminates the purchase agreement for bamlanivimab alone and cancels the remaining 350,856 doses that were scheduled to be delivered by the end of March. Lilly's bamlanivimab was the first neutralizing monoclonal antibody to receive emergency use authorization from the FDA. Lilly subsequently developed bamlanivimab and etesevimab for administration together, in order to meet the potential challenge of SARS-CoV-2 variants likely to resist treatment with either monoclonal antibody used alone.

06:35 EDT Affimed highlights potential of Innate Cell Engager AFM24 at AACR - Affimed announces pre-clinical data on its Innate Cell Engager AFM24 as monotherapy and in combination with adoptively transferred NK cells at the American Association for Cancer Research Virtual Annual Meeting. AFM24, an EGFR/CD16A-binding ICE, mediates antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis and has the potential to overcome toxicity and resistance hurdles associated with current EGFR signaling inhibitors through its differentiated mechanism of action. AFM24 induces NK cell-mediated ADCC against EGFR-expressing tumor cells even in the presence of competing IgG and can induce potent cell killing in tumors independent of KRAS mutations. In addition, data from a xenograft mouse model demonstrate that AFM24 in combination with adoptively transferred NK cells results in dose-dependent tumor regression. "AFM24's novel mechanism of action is independent of EGFR signaling and has the potential to change the treatment paradigm for EGFR-expressing solid tumors," said Dr. Arndt Schottelius, Affimed's Chief Scientific Officer. "Demonstrating that AFM24, in combination with NK cells, shows tumor regression in vivo is an important pre-clinical proof of concept. Combination therapies with NK cells could broaden the potential AFM24 opportunities to treat a range of EGFR-expressing malignancies."

06:33 EDT Kaixin Auto announces cooperation agreement between Haitaoche, Jingdong - Kaixin Auto announced that Haitaoche Limited has signed into a cooperation agreement with Jingdong Century Trade Limited, an online retail platform in China to tap into China's fast-growing e-commerce auto market. Kaixin entered into a definitive share purchase agreement with the shareholders of Haitaoche on December 31, 2020, pursuant to which Kaixin will acquire 100% of the share capital of Haitaoche from the shareholders of Haitaoche. According to the terms of the Cooperation Agreement, Haitaoche aims to gain access to China's fast-growing e-commerce auto sales market and tap into diversified revenue source and growth opportunities by leveraging its resources and expertise in consumer vehicle sales and full range of value-added services. Both parties aim to achieve a total sale of $308M worth of Haitaoche consumer vehicles on the Jingdong platform, and the volume of sales will then increase by at least 50% annually during a three-year period. The total sales of the Cooperation Agreement is approximately $1.4B.

06:19 EDT MoSys acquires five patents related to search, classification algorithms - MoSys announced that it has expanded its patent portfolio though the purchase of five patents in the area of search and classification algorithms. MoSys's stellar packet classification IP utilizes search and classification algorithms to deliver networking search or data processing solutions for cloud infrastructure applications, such as routing, 5G UPF, SDN, NFV, load balancing, processor offload and security. The MoSys stellar packet classification IP is based on MoSys's proprietary graph memory engine, or GME, technology to accelerate packet classification applications. The MoSys stellar packet classification IP is being designed to support a wide range of silicon, SmartNICs and SmartSwitches.

06:14 EDT Veolia, Suez reach agreement on merger - Veolia (VEOEY) and Suez (SZEVF) announce that their respective boards of directors reached an agreement in principle last night on the key terms and conditions of the merger between the two groups. The two groups have agreed on a price of EUR 20.50 per Suez share subject to the signature of the Combination Agreement. Subject to obtaining a fairness opinion in accordance with applicable regulations, this offer would be recommended by the Board of Directors of Suez upon signature of the definitive agreements. The agreement would allow : the creation of a new Suez made up of assets forming a coherent and sustainable group from an industrial and social standpoint, with real growth potential, with revenues of around EUR 7 billion. The implementation of Veolia's plan to create a global champion of ecological transformation, with revenues of around EUR 37 billion, through the Suez takeover bid, in which all the strategic assets identified by Veolia will remain. This agreement in principle also provides for : The termination of the agreements with Cleanaway in accordance with their terms concerning the disposal of the assets in Australia and the suspension of any other significant disposal, which allows Veolia to acquire in particular all the assets designated as strategic in its draft offer document filed on February 8 with the Autorite des marches financiers. The two groups have agreed to enter into definitive merger agreements by May 14.

06:09 EDT Clarivate appoints Julie Wilson as chief people officer - Clarivate (CLVT) announced the appointment of Julie Wilson as chief people officer, or CPO. She replaces Andrea Degutis who retires after four years at the helm of Clarivate Human Resources. Prior to joining Clarivate, Julie had been chief people officer for Cerner (CERN).

06:06 EDT Cardiff Oncology announces data from onvansertib trial - Cardiff Oncology announced data from its ongoing Phase 1b/2 trial that demonstrate the patient response to treatment with onvansertib and progression-free survival when combined with standard-of-care therapy in second line KRAS-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer, or mCRC. Patients enrolled in the ongoing Phase 1b/2 trial receive onvansertib in combination with standard-of-care FOLFIRI and Avastin. The overall response rate, or ORR in the trial is 39% to-date, and onvansertib in combination with FOLFIRI/bevacizumab has been well tolerated with no major or unexpected toxicities attributed to onvansertib. The median progression free survival, or mPFS, of evaluable patients is 9.4 months. This represents an increase over the mPFS observed in a systematic literature-based analysis of second line mCRC clinical trial data from 23 randomized trials including a total of approximately 10,800 patients and the 5.7-month mPFS observed in the pivotal trial that supported the regulatory approval of FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab in second line mCRC. Overall, seven of 18 evaluable patients achieved a partial response, or PR; four patients had a confirmed PR with one patient going on to curative surgery; one patient with a non-confirmed PR went off study following PR prior to confirmatory scan due to a treatment-unrelated adverse event; two patients with non-confirmed PRs await results from confirmatory scans. Evaluable patients have a mPFS of 9.4 months. Seven patients remain on treatment to-date. Clinical responses were observed across different KRAS mutations, including the three most common in colorectal cancer. The greatest decreases in plasma KRAS mutant allelic frequency, or MAF, after one cycle of treatment were observed in patients achieving a PR. All seven patients with a PR had a greater than 75% decrease in KRAS MAF after one cycle of treatment. Onvansertib in combination with FOLFIRI/bevacizumab has been well tolerated with no major or unexpected toxicities attributed to onvansertib.

06:03 EDT AngioDynamics submits 510(k) application to FDA for AlphaVac System - AngioDynamics announced that on April 9, it submitted a 510(k) application to the United States FDA for the AlphaVac System, an off-circuit, multi-purpose mechanical aspiration thrombectomy device for the treatment of undesirable intravascular material in the venous system and peripheral vasculature. AngioDynamics anticipates the release of the AlphaVac System in the second half of calendar year 2021, subject to FDA clearance.

05:57 EDT iRhythm drops 25% to $99.66 after Novitas cuts reimbursement rates

05:39 EDT Nam Tai Property shareholder announces ISS, Glass Lewis recommendation - IsZo Capital Management, which beneficially owns approximately 13% of the outstanding shares of Nam Tai Property, announced that independent proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services, or ISS, and Glass Lewis have recommended that Nam Tai shareholders vote for boardroom change on IsZo's green proxy card. The court-ordered meeting of Nam Tai shareholders is scheduled to take place on April 26. IsZo Capital Management said, "The special meeting will provide shareholders the opportunity to reconstitute the Company's current six-member Board of Directors by removing four of the incumbent directors - who were recently found to have breached their fiduciary duties by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court - and installing IsZo's diverse, ethical and experienced slate: Michael Cricenti, Cindy Chen Delano, Bo Hu, Louis Leung, Paula J. Poskon and Jeffrey Tuder. Please note that IsZo is not seeking to remove incumbent directors Peter R. Kellogg or Mark Waslen (who did not breach their fiduciary duties)." In particular, ISS recommends for the election of Cricenti, Hu and Leung and the removal of incumbent directors Aiping Lyu, Si Zong Wu and Wing Yan Lo. Glass Lewis recommends for the election of Hu and Leung and the removal of Wu and Lo. Brian Sheehy, founder and managing member of IsZo, commented: "IsZo appreciates that ISS and Glass Lewis are recommending shareholders vote on the GREEN Proxy Card to effect sorely-needed change atop Nam Tai. Although it appears both advisory firms failed to grasp the full extent of the targeted directors' egregious conduct to benefit Kaisa at the expense of all other shareholders and overlooked the need for gender diversity in Nam Tai's all-male boardroom, their reports clearly highlight that the four directors we are seeking to remove were found to have breached their fiduciary duties in connection with Nam Tai's now-voided $170 million private placement. The reports also make it abundantly clear that the incumbents have presided over appalling corporate governance that cannot be allowed to continue. With this context in mind, IsZo urges shareholders to go a step further than ISS and Glass Lewis by voting to elect our full six-member slate, which has the integrity and strategic vision to unlock the intrinsic value of Nam Tai's portfolio."

05:31 EDT WISeKey increases semiconductor manufacturing capabilities amid high demand - WISeKey announced it is investing in its supply chain transformation in an effort to better and faster serve its customers. The company is simultaneously impacted by the current semiconductor shortage situation and a growing order backlog. The company said, "While most industries are dramatically impacted by the current semiconductor shortage, market analysts predict the same situation will continue into 2022. According to experts, this shortage is the combination of several factors. The global consumer demand dropped during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the semiconductor industry had to significantly reduce its manufacturing capacity to mitigate consequences on profitability; however, the worldwide lockdown had an unforecastable positive effect on the high-tech products market: tons of new laptops, monitors, smartphones, routers, modems and gaming consoles have created a surge in chips across industries that low inventory and limited production capacities haven't been able to resorb. Billions of WISeKey's secure chips are embedded in high-tech products and goods to protect data, communication and firmware against cyberattacks. This includes routers, modems, energy smart meters, drones and medical devices, to mention a few. As a fabless company, WISeKey trust a network of subcontractors and partners to provide its most prestigious customers with the best leadtimes and service. While the Company's book-to-bill ratio is exploding, it has to challenge its existing supply chain and find short and long term solutions to maintain and even continue to raise the bar on service quality. These solutions involve continuous negotiations with current suppliers and investments to diversify sourcing, including relocating some of the processes to minimize transportation and environmental effects."

05:24 EDT Regeneron announces REGEN-COV trial meets primary, secondary endpoints - Regeneron announced results from a Phase 3 trial assessing the ability of REGEN-COV to reduce the risk and burden of COVID-19 infection among household contacts of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals. The trial, which was jointly run with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, met its primary and key secondary endpoints, showing that REGEN-COV 1,200 mg administered subcutaneously, or SC, reduced the risk of symptomatic infections by 81% in those who were not infected when they entered the trial. The Phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial assessed the effect of REGEN-COV on uninfected individuals without anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies or any COVID-19 symptoms, who lived in the same household as an individual who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 within the prior four days. The trial enrolled 1,505 people who were not infected with SARS-CoV-2 at baseline and randomized to receive either 1 dose of REGEN-COV or placebo, administered as SC injections. On average, individuals treated with REGEN-COV who experienced a symptomatic infection resolved their symptoms in one week, compared to three weeks with placebo. Infected individuals also cleared the virus faster with REGEN-COV. Adverse events, or AEs, occurred in 20% of REGEN-COV participants and 29% of placebo participants, and serious AEs occurred in 1% of REGEN-COV and 1% of placebo participants. There were zero REGEN-COV and four placebo participants who were either hospitalized or visited the emergency room because of COVID-19 during the 29-day efficacy assessment period. Injection site reactions, all of which were grades 1-2, occurred in 4% of REGEN-COV and 2% of placebo participants. No individuals from either group withdrew from the trial due to AEs, and none of the deaths in the trial were attributed to COVID-19 or study drug. REGEN-COV continues to be evaluated in clinical trials in multiple settings for COVID-19: for the prevention of COVID-19 in household contacts of infected individuals, and in non-hospitalized and certain hospitalized patients, including the open-label RECOVERY trial of hospitalized patients in the UK. As of April, more than 25,000 people have participated in clinical trials involving REGEN-COV.

05:14 EDT Vaalco Energy CEO Cary Bounds to leave, George Maxwell to succeed - Vaalco Energy announced that its board of directors has named George Maxwell as CEO effective immediately. Maxwell, who has been a non-executive director of the company since June 2020 and resides in the U.K., will continue to serve as a member of the voard. Cary Bounds who has served as CEO since 2016 will leave Vaalco to pursue other interests. The company also provided details on its newly updated strategy. The company's said its goal is to "continue to be one of the leading independent exploration and production companies in West Africa, with a strategy of achieving significant shareholder returns by maximizing the value of, and free cash flow from, its existing resources, coupled with highly accretive inorganic growth opportunities." The board said it believes that enhancing the company's corporate presence in London, the primary financial and advisory hub for African energy companies, will augment the experience within Vaalco's leadership and complement the Company's supportive equity shareholder base in the U.S. The company intends to open a business development office in London and appoint a permanent CFO who will be based in this new London office. Maxwell expects to split his time equally between Houston and London. Maxwell joined Vaalco's board in June 2020 and has over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, including in both the producing and service/manufacturing arenas. Maxwell founded Eland Oil & Gas in 2009 and served as the company's CEO from September 2014 to December 2019 and as a member of the board of directors from 2009 to 2019, until the company was acquired by Seplat Petroleum Development Company for a value in excess of $500M, in December 2019.