Stockwinners Market Radar for March 20, 2024 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:20 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 142K shares of Personalis today

19:50 EDT Adverum Biotechnologies trading halted, news pending

18:35 EDT Nvidia CEO: We're a market maker, not a share taker - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Jensen Huang said Nvidia creates markets that didn't exist before, rather than take share from existing markets. He feels the most important thing a country can do is create its own sovereign AI.

17:34 EDT IBM awarded $576M DMEA contract - IBM was awarded a single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price, and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with a 10-year ordering period for the Defense Microelectronics Activity, or DMEA, Trusted Access Program Office. The contract has a $576M ceiling. FY24 funds in the amount of $27,021,823 are being obligated across the first seven task orders at the time of award. This contract is to enable an evidence based "Trusted" enclave in a commercial manufacturing environment supporting the Trusted Foundry Access III - Manufacturing Contract. This will enable a wide range of advanced semiconductor technologies and services to create a DMEA accredited Trusted supply chain with the contractor. DMEA is the contracting activity.

17:32 EDT Micron sees continued pricing strength, margin expansion in FY25

17:24 EDT Cue Health appoints Clint Sever as CEO - Cue Health announced strategic actions implemented by its Board of Directors to position the company for its next stage. Clint Sever, co-founder and current Chief Product Officer, has been appointed CEO, effective immediately. Sever succeeds Ayub Khattak, who is stepping down as CEO, President, and Chairman. Khattak will remain a member of the Board of Directors. The Board has appointed two strategic advisors: Paul Brown, former President and CEO of Roche Molecular Diagnostics, and Lisa Danzig, former Global Head of Medical & Scientific Affairs at Grifols - formerly Novartis Diagnostics -. Brown brings expertise in molecular diagnostics and experience with regulatory matters and evaluating and commercializing leading genomics offerings. Danzig is an expert in vaccines and has almost two decades of experience in vaccine and diagnostics development. Cue will initiate a comprehensive review of the company's business and operations, with a focus on assessing opportunities to refine and strengthen Cue's overarching strategy and cost structure. Clint Sever is co-founder of Cue Health and has served as Chief Product Officer since its inception.

17:14 EDT GSK caps U.S. out-of-pocket costs at $35/month for portfolio of COPD inhalers - GSK announced it will cap out-of-pocket costs for eligible patients at no more than $35 per month for all of its asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease medicines, the most prescribed portfolio of inhalers in the U.S. GSK is taking this action as part of its longstanding commitment to improving access to respiratory medicines in the U.S. and to help asthma and COPD patients who are least able to afford the care they need. The out-of-pocket price cap will provide a significant benefit to patients taking these medicines whose monthly costs currently exceed $35.00. The program is wide reaching and will be implemented no later than January 1, 2025.

16:52 EDT Bristol Myers' Abecma approved in the EU for multiple myeloma - Bristol Myers announced that the European Commission has granted approval to Abecma for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior therapies and have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy. Abecma is the first CAR T cell immunotherapy approved in the EU for use in earlier lines of therapy for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. This expanded approval of Abecma covers all EU member states. In the EU, Abecma has maintained its Orphan Designation for the treatment of multiple myeloma. There have historically been limited options for patients with triple-class exposed relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma, and patients tend to have poor outcomes with a median progression-free survival of three to five months. The company is focused on making Abecma available in the EU for this indication, including completion of reimbursement procedures. A supplemental BLA for Abecma for triple-class exposed relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma is currently under review with the FDA. The EC approval of Abecma is based on results from KarMMa-3, a Phase 3 study. At a pre-specified interim analysis with a median follow-up of 18.6 months, treatment with Abecma significantly improved progression-free survival, the study's primary endpoint, vs. standard regimens, with a 51% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death. Treatment with Abecma also showed a significant improvement in overall response rate with 71.3% of patients treated with Abecma achieving a response, and 43.7% achieving a complete or stringent complete response vs. 42.4% who received standard regimens. Abecma has exhibited a consistent safety profile with mostly low-grade and transient occurrences of cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity. No cases of Parkinsonism were reported.

16:48 EDT Micron backs FY24 CapEx view $7.5B-$8B - Continues to project its wafer fab equipment spending will be down year on year in FY24. "As we consider these demand and technology trends, we are carefully planning our global fab and assembly/test capacity requirements to ensure a diversified and cost-competitive manufacturing footprint. Announced projects in China, India and Japan are proceeding as planned. On potential U.S. expansion plans, we have assumed CHIPS grants in our capex plans for fiscal 2024. Our planned Idaho and New York projects require Micron to receive the combination of sufficient CHIPS grants, investment tax credits and local incentives to address the cost difference compared to overseas expansion".

16:44 EDT Carmell Therapeutics selling Axolotl Biologix subsidiary - Carmell executed a definitive agreement to sell its wholly owned subsidiary, Axolotl Biologix, to the initial sellers of AxoBio for 3,845,337 shares of Carmell common stock, 4,243 shares of Carmell preferred stock and notes payable to the initial sellers in the aggregate amount of $8M. In August 2023, Carmell acquired AxoBio for $65M, which consisted of unsecured promissory notes in the aggregate amount of $8M and $57M in CTCX common and preferred stock - 8.09 million fully diluted shares at $7.05 per share - issued by Carmell to the initial sellers. AxoBio's product portfolio consists of a commercial-stage amnion graft for use in clinics, a pre-commercial stage hospital use product, and pre-clinical and clinical stage products under development. Following the sale of AxoBio, Carmell's financial position is expected to improve as follows: $4M drop in annualized cash burn net of revenue based on AxoBio's actual January 2024 financials: $15.6M reduction in debt: $7.6M of AxoBio subsidiary level debt plus $8M note payable related to the AxoBio acquisition; $7M increase in tangible equity due to elimination of AxoBio's negative tangible equity; 29% reduction in EPS dilution due to the return of 8.09 million CTCX common shares on a fully diluted basis. After closing, Carmell will have 19.25 million common shares outstanding.

16:37 EDT BBVA consolidates solutions with Domo to support digital transformation - Domo (DOMO) "announced that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), one of the largest global financial services institutions in the world, consolidates technology solutions with Domo to help the company - and its more than 121,000 employees - reach its digital transformation goals. BBVA has a presence in more than 25 countries, including a strong leadership position in the Spanish market as Mexico's largest financial institution, and with leading franchises in South America and Turkey. With such a large and complex business operation, BBVA needed to tackle a variety of operational challenges as part of its digital transformation initiatives, including the organization of extensive amounts of customer information and consolidating various data sources and systems. Domo enabled the financial institution with a simple, tangible and secure path to connecting global teams, developing new key performance indicators (KPIs), democratizing access to customer feedback data and more. As technology upends the traditional relationship between banks and their clients, BBVA has made significant progress in overhauling customer experiences to align with their changing needs. In addition to enabling BBVA with a platform to easily access customer data, Domo also helps BBVA measure and comprehend its customers' digital interactions in the BBVA app. With the ability to easily and intuitively share key insights with the entire organization, BBVA has seen increased productivity in day-to-day operations."

16:32 EDT ReTo Eco-Solutions receives extension for compliance with Nasdaq listing rule - ReTo Eco-Solutions received a notification letter from Nasdaq confirming the company has regained compliance with Nasdaq's minimum bid price requirement under Nasdaq Listing Rule and this matter is now closed. In addition, Nasdaq has determined to grant the company an extension to regain compliance with the minimum stockholders' equity criteria, provided that the Company files by May 15, 2024 its Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, demonstrating its compliance with such minimum stockholders' equity criteria.

16:28 EDT Micron seeing healthier demand environment in most end markets - Seeing strong AI server demand. Expects DRAM and NAND pricing levels to increase further throughout calendar year 2024. Expects record revenue and much improved profitability in FY25. Says inventories for memory and storage have improved significantly in the data center, and expects normalization in the first half of calendar 2024. Expects positive free cash flow for the second half of FY24 and sees record revenue in FY25. Comments from prepared remarks for Q2 earnings conference call.

16:23 EDT Guess up 8% at $28.00 after Q4 earnings beat and guidance

16:23 EDT Chewy reports Q4 gros margin 28.2%, up 10bps from last year

16:21 EDT Tejon Ranch CEO Gregory Bielli intends to retire on December 31 - Gregory Bielli, President, and Chief Executive Officer CEO of Tejon Ranch announced his intent to retire on December 31. Mr. Bielli has been President and CEO of Tejon Ranch Co. for over 10 years, since 2013. Mr. Bielli joined the company to create an integrated real estate company that now includes planning, entitlements, construction, sales and leasing of all classes of real estate assets and growing its non-real estate platform. Mr. Bielli has successfully accomplished these goals for the company during his tenure.

16:20 EDT Myriad Genetics announces patent granted for SneakPeek Snap device - Myriad Genetics announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted a patent that covers the use of push-button blood collection devices for PCR-based fetal sex determination.U.S. Patent No. 11,932,907, titled Fetal Sex Determination Using Capillary Blood From Upper Arm, provides protection for Myriad's SneakPeek Snap products in the U.S through 2040. The patent further covers technology for improving the accuracy of a fetal sex test by reducing contaminating DNA in maternal blood samples. SneakPeek's blood collection innovation makes obtaining a blood sample at home quick and easy. Consumers place the Snap device on their arm, press the button, and the sample is collected in one to four minutes. Moreover, clinical studies have shown that the Snap device significantly reduces the risk of external male DNA contamination in maternal blood samples, ensuring high accuracy in fetal sex testing. "We view this patent grant as recognition of our innovative approach to fetal sex testing using PCR-based techniques with any push-button blood collection device," stated Dale Muzzey, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Myriad Genetics. "This patent grant promotes SneakPeek Snap exclusivity in the US market through at least 2040 and provides an opportunity for licensing agreements with leading push-button blood collection device suppliers, positioning us as a strategic partner."

16:14 EDT KB Home reports home deliveries up 9% from last year to 3,037 - Reports Q1: Average selling price was $480,100, compared to $494,500 y/y, net orders up 55% y/y to 3,323, Net Order Value up 58% y/y to $1.58B. The number of homes in the company's ending backlog totaled 5,796, compared to 7,016. Ending backlog value was $2.79B, compared to $3.31B. Ending backlog homes and value each increased 5% from the previous quarter.

16:09 EDT Five Below sees FY24 comparable sales flat to up 3%

16:06 EDT Five Below sees Q1 comparable sales flat to up 2%

16:05 EDT Micron jumps 12% to $107.89 after Q2 earnings beat, above-consensus guide

16:03 EDT Micron sees Q3 gross margin 25%-28%

15:01 EDT Meta Platforms' Threads begins testing swipe gestures - "New thing we're testing out: swipe to like or tell us you're not interested in a post. It's an easy way to let us know what you want to see more of on your feed," said META CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a Threads post. Threads is owned by Meta (META), the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. To access Threads, Meta directs users to sign in through their Instagram account Reference Link

14:38 EDT LivaNova jumps nearly 12% after saying trial likely to meet primary endpoint - Shares of medical device company LivaNova (LIVN) are up over 11% or $5.60 per share in late trading on Wednesday after earlier in the day announcing its OSPREY clinical study, Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea Using Targeted Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation, has achieved a positive predictive outcome and will conclude enrollment earlier than anticipated. "This means there is a greater than 97.5% probability that the OSPREY trial will successfully meet its primary endpoint," noted the company in the release... Other companies in the sleep apnea space include ResMed (RMD), Inspire Medical (INSP), and Vivos Therapeutics (VVOS).

14:13 EDT North American rail traffic up 6.3% for the week ending March 16 - The Association of American Railroads, AAR, reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 16. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 474,596 carloads and intermodal units, up 6.7% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending March 16 were 219,586 carloads, down 0.6% compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 255,010 containers and trailers, up 13.8% compared to 2023. Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included grain, up 3,638 carloads, to 21,108; chemicals, up 2,186 carloads, to 33,134; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,836 carloads, to 9,954. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 were coal, down 12,033 carloads, to 55,990; metallic ores and metals, down 903 carloads, to 18,683; and forest products, down 92 carloads, to 8,431. North American rail volume for the week ending March 16 on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 332,985 carloads, up 1% compared with the same week last year, and 338,651 intermodal units, up 12.1% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 671,636 carloads and intermodal units, up 6.3%. North American rail volume for the first 11 weeks of 2024 was 7,138,853 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.8% compared with 2023...Publicly traded companies in the space include CSX (CSX), Canadian National (CNI), Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP), Kansas City Southern (KSU), Norfolk Southern (NSC), Union Pacific (UNP), Greenbrier (GBX),Trinity Industries (TRN), FreightCar America (RAIL), Wabtec (WAB) and Rail Vision (RVSN). Reference Link

14:06 EDT Topgolf Callaway Brands trading resumes

13:51 EDT Topgolf Callaway says not aware of any potential sale discussions

13:41 EDT Fujifilm files patent infringement lawsuit against Eastman Kodak - Fujifilm North America Corporation, a marketing subsidiary of Fujifilm Holdings America Corporation, part of Fujifilm Holdings Corporation, announced that Fujifilm Corporation filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Eastman Kodak (KODK) in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Fujifilm has asserted four patents - U.S. Patent Nos. 10,427,443, 10,525,696, 10,875,346, and 11,294,279 - pertaining to various aspects of processless lithographic printing plate technologies, including method and apparatus claims. "Fujifilm is committed to protecting its significant research and development investments, and in bringing innovative printing plate technologies to customers around the world. We will enforce and protect our innovation and intellectual property rights in the United States and around the world when we believe others infringe unfairly," commented Toyoyuki "Tommy" Katagiri, division president, Fujifilm North America Corporation, Graphic Communication Division.

13:20 EDT Rambus VP Shinn sells 3,949 shares of company stock - Rambus VP John Shinn disclosed the sale of 3,949 shares of company stock at $58.84 per share on March 19 for a total transaction amount of $232,345.

12:59 EDT User reports indicate problems at Meta's Instagram, says Downdetector - Reference Link

12:43 EDT FirstEnergy declares increased dividend of 42.5c per share - The board of directors of FirstEnergy Corp. declared a quarterly dividend of 42.5c per share of outstanding common stock payable June 1, 2024, to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 7, 2024. Subject to continued board approval, FirstEnergy expects to declare dividends totaling $1.70 per share in 2024, an increase of more than 6% compared to $1.60 per share declared in 2023. "We're pleased to announce this enhanced dividend payout to investors, which reflects our confidence in our strategies and our success in strengthening our financial position," said Brian X. Tierney, President and CEO.

12:34 EDT CBO analyst comments on obesity drugs similar to October 2023 report - Shares of Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NVO) moved lower after Bloomberg reported comments today from Noelia Duchovny, a Congressional Budget Office analyst, at a U.S. National Academies workshop. The analyst said covering weight-loss drugs at their current prices would cost U.S. health programs more than the savings seen from the medications' benefits. The comments are similar to a blog post the CBO published on October 5, 2023, which stated in part: "To date, the evidence suggests that the amount of potential savings on cardiac care and other health care would be less than the current net federal cost of AOMs (anti-obesity medications). That is partly because federal spending on health care for people with obesity who have lost a significant amount of weight has not fallen substantially, despite the health benefits they experienced. Thus, CBO expects that at their current prices, AOMs would cost the federal government more than it would save from reducing other health care spending-which would lead to an overall increase in the deficit over the next 10 years. That could change in later decades, depending on the future prices of AOMs and their longer-term effects on the use of other health care products and services. Most approvals of AOMs for treating obesity occurred within the past few years, so little is known about those longer-term effects." Shares of Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are off their lows following Bloomberg's initial headlines. The stocks are down less than 1% in midday trading. Reference Link

12:23 EDT Turkcell trading halted, news pending

12:10 EDT TFF Pharmaceuticals trading resumes

12:00 EDT Braskem rises 13.0% - Braskem is up 13.0%, or $1.17 to $10.16.

12:00 EDT Annovis Bio rises 30.0% - Annovis Bio is up 30.0%, or $2.68 to $11.60.

12:00 EDT Signet Jewelers falls -11.1% - Signet Jewelers is down -11.1%, or -$11.36 to $91.10.

12:00 EDT Nuscale Power falls -27.7% - Nuscale Power is down -27.7%, or -$1.82 to $4.75.

11:48 EDT TKO settles UFC athlete class action suits for $335M - TKO Group said it reached an agreement to settle all claims asserted in two class action lawsuits for an aggregate amount of $335M payable by the company and its subsidiaries in installments over an agreed-upon period of time. The terms will be memorialized in a long form agreement and then submitted to the court for approval. The company anticipates that the settlement amount will be deductible for tax purposes. As previously disclosed, TKO and certain of its affiliates, including Endeavor Group (EDR), are party to several substantially similar class-action lawsuits filed against them by former UFC athletes, alleging violations of Section 2 of the Sherman Act. Five related class-action lawsuits filed between December 2014 and March 2015 were consolidated into a single action in June 2015. Shares of TKO are up 5% to $84.99 following the news.

11:46 EDT TKO Group settles both class action lawsuits for $335M

11:37 EDT StoneBridge Acquisition Corp trading resumes

11:25 EDT India Globalization Capital trading resumes

11:03 EDT Mattel announces plans for Mattel Adventure Park Kansas City - Mattel, through a licensing partnership with Epic Resort Destinations, announced plans for a second Mattel Adventure Park location in an all-new entertainment resort destination located in Bonner Springs, Kansas. The all-new, family-friendly themed entertainment destination is set to open in 2026, with plans to break ground later this year. Mattel Adventure Park Kansas City will offer the highly anticipated attractions of Mattel Adventure Park Glendale, Arizona, including fully themed Hot Wheels roller coasters such as the Hot Wheels Bone Shaker: The Ultimate Ride and the Hot Wheels Twin Mill Racer. Designed to delight fans of all ages, the Hot Wheels Bone Shaker themed ride will feature the famous hot rod's skull design, while the double-looping Hot Wheels Twin Mill Racer guarantees a serious adrenaline boost for all riders.

10:52 EDT HCM Acquisition Corp trading resumes

10:29 EDT PharmAla granted patent allowance by USPTO for P-1 molecule - PharmAla Biotech announced that allowance has been granted for the Composition of Matter of its PharmAla-1 molecule by the US Patent and Trademark Office. P-1 is an enantiomerically pure composition of ((R)-2-[(2H-1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)methyl]pyrrolidine. The composition was identified through PharmAla's computational chemistry program at the University of Windsor, made possible by a grant from the Ontario Centres of Innovation. P-1 was submitted to the USPTO through the Patent Prosecution Highway program, allowing for accelerated patent examination. As the molecule is ready for pre-clinical and clinical development, the Company has elected to change its designation to APA-001.

10:15 EDT India Globalization Capital trading halted, news pending

10:03 EDT BAE Systems awarded contract worth up to $182M to provide GEOINT GEM services - The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has awarded BAE Systems an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract worth up to $182M to provide geospatial intelligence Enterprise Modeling Services, a suite of services referred to as GEM Cutter. "We are creating a data agnostic environment and an operational program that optimizes the speed and relevance of decision making," said Meg Redlin, product line director for Mission Systems at BAE Systems. Work on GEM Cutter will take place in Denver, Colorado; San Diego, California; St Louis, Missouri; and the Washington, D.C. metro area.

10:00 EDT Aeva Technologies falls -10.4% - Aeva Technologies is down -10.4%, or -54c to $4.66.

10:00 EDT Nuscale Power falls -15.0% - Nuscale Power is down -15.0%, or -99c to $5.59.

10:00 EDT Lufax rises 10.6% - Lufax is up 10.6%, or 33c to $3.42.

09:57 EDT Celanese, Secarna Pharmaceuticals enter RNA research collaboration - Celanese and Secarna Pharmaceuticals GmbH & Co. KG, an independent European antisense drug discovery and development company, announced a research collaboration for the development of long-acting implants that deliver antisense oligonucleotides. ASOs are synthetic molecules designed to target specific messenger RNA to prevent the production of proteins implicated in the progression of a wide range of diseases including cardiometabolic, central nervous system, oncological and rare diseases. Antisense therapy is an innovative, commercially-validated therapeutic approach, but often requires frequent administration or the delivery of large doses to achieve uptake at the intended site of action, ultimately causing a high treatment burden for patients.

09:48 EDT Addentax Group, Dezhong Xinghui collaborate to develop AI logistic system - Addentax Group announced the formalization of a strategic cooperation and the signing of a three year memorandum of understanding with Dezhong Xinghui Information Technology on March 20, 2024, an enterprise established in September 2017 based in Hangzhou City's Xihu District, is recognized for its high-tech innovations in digital retail. The collaboration between Addentax and Dezhong Xinghui is focused on the development of an artificial intelligence logistics system. This system aims to optimize vehicle dispatching, monitor inventory in real-time, enable intelligent sorting and delivery, and operate seamlessly. By automating tasks, this initiative significantly reduces labor costs and errors, ultimately enhancing efficiency and quality across logistics operations. Overall, the AI logistics system's optimization functionalities cover all aspects of logistics, promising breakthroughs in delivery services within their respective logistic communities. Dezhong Xinghui, through its platform Qilin XianPin, will play a crucial role in the collaboration by providing expertise and resources in software technology and digital retail solutions. Qilin XianPin is a platform specializing in providing digital retail solutions for fresh produce, food industry enterprises, and retailers. With an annual investment of up to $5M in software technology, Dezhong Xinghui continuously explores Software-as-a-Service systems, big data analysis, AI applications, private domain operations, and other technologies which not only enhance its platform functionalities but also help in optimizing the AI logistics system.

09:47 EDT Signet Jewelers falls -11.2% - Signet Jewelers is down -11.2%, or -$11.48 to $90.98.

09:47 EDT Annovis Bio rises 8.7% - Annovis Bio is up 8.7%, or 78c to $9.70.

09:47 EDT Solowin Holdings Ltd trading resumes

09:42 EDT Nurix presents discovery, chemical structure of NX-1607 at ACS meeting - Nurix Therapeutics disclosed the discovery and structure of NX-1607 in the First Time Disclosures session at the American Chemical Society Spring 2024 meeting in New Orleans, LA. This is the first inhibitor of CBL-B to advance into clinical studies and a prime example of Nurix's ability to target previously undruggable E3 ligases. In an oral presentation at the American Chemical Society Spring meeting entitled NX-1607: a First-In-Class Inhibitor of Casitas B-lineage Lymphoma B for Immuno-Oncology, Nurix disclosed the structure of NX-1607 and its discovery history. NX-1607 acts as a specific intramolecular glue of the CBL-B protein, locking it in a closed and inactive conformation that lowers the threshold for T-cell activation. This mechanism of action is notable because CBL-B lacks a classic enzymatic active site binding pocket, preventing typical inhibitor design and thereby requiring a novel drug discovery approach. Nurix is testing NX-1607 in an ongoing, first-in-human, multicenter, open-label, Phase 1a/1b dose-escalation/expansion trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, and preliminary anti-tumor activity of NX-1607 in patients with advanced malignancies, including solid tumors and lymphoma. The trial includes both a monotherapy and a combination cohort utilizing paclitaxel. In 2024, Nurix expects to present data from the Phase 1a dose-escalation portion of the trial of NX-1607 and to define dose to enable Phase 1b cohort expansion.

09:36 EDT TriMas chairman Samuel Valenti III to retire, Herbert Parker named chair elect - TriMas announced the planned retirement of Samuel Valenti III as Chairman of its Board of Directors, effective at the Company's Annual Meeting of Shareholders in May 2024. In connection with this announcement, the Company also announced that the Board of Directors has selected Herbert Parker as Chair Elect, who will serve as the Chair of the Board of Directors effective immediately after TriMas' 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Parker has served on TriMas' Board since 2015 and has been the Chair of the Audit Committee since 2020. Parker is the former CFO and Executive Vice President of Operational Excellence of Harman International.

09:28 EDT Westhaven Gold commences drilling at Shovelnose Gold Project - Westhaven Gold announced that exploration drilling has commenced on its flagship, high-grade 17,623-hectare Shovelnose Gold Property, located 30 kilometres south of Merritt, British Columbia, adjacent to the Coquihalla Highway and within the prospective Spences Bridge Gold Belt. A preliminary economic assessment from the South Zone, the first of six prospective zones of mineralization identified at Shovelnose since 2018, was announced on July 18, 2023. The PEA identified a robust, low-cost, high margin mining opportunity delivering a post-tax IRR and NPV of 32.3% and $222 Million, respectively, using a gold price of $1800 per ounce. Additional resource modelling on adjacent discoveries drill tested in 2023, proximal to the South Zone, including at Franz and FMN, remains ongoing. The spring 2024 drilling campaign at Shovelnose will consist of approximately 4000 metres of diamond drilling, primarily within and along the highly prospective, 4 km long, Vein Zone One trend, host to the South Zone resource and two additional high-grade gold discoveries: FMN and Franz. The program has been initiated following the recent receipt of a 5-year, 650 hole drilling permit and, in addition to Zone One trend targets, drilling will test a variety of priority, un-tested targets identified from sampling and prospecting efforts in 2023 combined with a recently completed structural analysis. Gareth Thomas, President & CEO commented, "Building on the success of our first PEA in 2023, Shovelnose remains an important anchor for our ongoing exploration efforts in the highly prospective and accessible Spences Bridge Gold Belt in 2024. Our aim with the spring program is to test newly identified structural targets, both proximal to the South Zone resource, as well as within the broader 4 km Vein Zone One trend, which is already host to several additional discoveries, but remains underexplored overall."

09:25 EDT Humana and DUOS launch initiative 'enhancing' care for U.S. veteran seniors - Humana and DUOS, a technology-enabled service provider announces a new collaborative program to enhance the healthcare experience and improve health outcomes for Louisiana Veteran members with chronic conditions. ...The new program connects Veterans with chronic conditions to DUOS where participating members will complete an assessment of health-related needs and goals. The participants are then matched with benefits and resources available through their Medicare Advantage plan and/or Veterans' benefits. It is available to individuals with Humana Medicare Advantage plans in Louisiana who are Veterans and have a chronic condition. The program launched in March and will run until the end of the year. Humana currently administers health benefits for nearly 6 million active-duty military and retirees nationwide. These members may experience unique physical and mental health challenges, and the company is committed to ensuring they receive the comprehensive, personalized support they need.

09:20 EDT Stryve Foods launches Bitcoin Sweepstakes - Stryve Foods announced the launch of its Bitcoin Sweepstakes, offering participants the chance to win one of five prizes, each representing $1,000 USD worth of the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin set to commence March 20, 2024 and conclude on June 20, 2024.

09:18 EDT National Grid to invest $4B to upgrade its energy delivery system - National Grid plans to invest more than $4B to transform its energy delivery system and propel economic growth across Upstate New York. Called the Upstate Upgrade, the collection of transmission enhancement projects will deliver a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy grid to support a more resilient energy network for generations to come. The company is embarking on more than 70 projects through 2030 that will generate thousands of new jobs and more than a billion dollars in additional economic growth, while ensuring the energy grid is able to meet customers' growing demand for electricity. In addition to helping reach the state's climate goals as outlined in New York's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the upgrades will deliver for Upstate New York customers by improving the energy grid's Resilience; strengthening the Upstate Economy; powering Upstate's energy future. Economic analysis performed for National Grid by the consulting group West Monroe indicates that the Upstate Upgrade could generate nearly $2B in economic output across New York state.

09:13 EDT Worlds Inc. announces Freeman has joined its board of directors - Worlds announced that Jordan Freeman has joined its Board of Directors. Freeman has a distinguished career in the video game industry and related licensing of intellectual property. He developed the ZOOM Platform for gaming which has ported classic PC and console games, including Duke Nukem, Commandos and Aliens Vs. Predator to modern platforms making classic video games accessible to a new market of gamers.

09:13 EDT Celanese, Secarna in RNA research collaboratioon for ASO therapies - Celanese Corporation and Secarna Pharmaceuticals, an independent European antisense drug discovery and development company, announced a research collaboration for the development of long-acting implants that deliver antisense oligonucleotides or ASOs . ASOs are synthetic molecules designed to target specific messenger RNA to prevent the production of proteins implicated in th progression of a wide range of diseases including cardiometabolic, central nervous system, oncological and rare diseases. Antisense therapy is an innovative, commercially-validated therapeutic approach, but often requires frequent administration or the delivery of large doses to achieve uptake at the intended site of action, ultimately causing a high treatment burden for patients. "Collaborating with Secarna allows us to develop an innovative implant that has the potential to significantly change the way disease-modifying ASO therapies are administered," said Cyonna Holmes, global business strategy leader for Ophthalmology and RNA at Celanese. "Our team is excited to use our unique Drug Delivery Platform and expertise to help address the growing need for patient-centric, targeted solutions for ASO therapies alongside Secarna."

09:11 EDT Truly Hard Seltzer launches Truly Tequila Soda - The company said, "Prepare to be transported to your favorite vacation with every sip of Truly Hard Seltzer's latest creation. With one-part classic tequila fun, one-part hard seltzer refreshment and a couple healthy dashes of Truly innovation comes the brand's newest spirits-based seltzer: Truly Tequila Soda. Made with real fruit juice, crisp sparking water and premium Tequila Blanco, Truly Tequila Soda brings a fresh twist to the rapidly growing tequila and ready-to-drink spaces." Truly Tequila Soda is available now in an 8-pack variety of all four flavors, plus 4-packs of Lime and Pineapple Guava single flavors.

09:10 EDT China Green provides update on pending acquisition of Lonestar Dream - China Green Agriculture provides a business update regarding the pending recent acquisition of Lonestar Dream Inc., a Delaware corporation, which focuses on cryptocurrency sector, particularly bitcoin mining. Mr. Zhibiao Pan is Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Company and is the sole shareholder of Lonestar Dream. The Company devised a dual-business development strategy in 2021, aimed at expanding into the cryptocurrency industry. Subsequently, the Company diligently executed the strategy, culminating in this significant acquisition. Zhibiao Pan, Co-Chief Executive Officer of CGA, expressed excitement about the strategic leap, stating, "The acquisition of Lonestar Dream represents a strategic milestone for China Green Agriculture, Inc. as we embark on our journey into the burgeoning cryptocurrency and energy sectors. Leveraging Lonestar Dream's expertise and infrastructure, we are poised to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the evolving digital landscape. With a steadfast commitment to innovation and sustainability, we aim to drive long-term value for our stakeholders while contributing to the advancement of the cryptocurrency and energy industries."

09:08 EDT TruGolf announces newly expanded AI tech licensing agreement with mlSpatial - TruGolf Holdings announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with mlSpatial, a leading AI and machine learning engineering company, to license the AI engine they co-developed to increase 9-axis spin accuracy for TruGolf's acclaimed new APOGEE launch monitor. The agreement gives TruGolf the first right of refusal to purchase 100% of mlSpatial assets. This relationship will help strengthen the position of TruGolf in the golf simulation market which was valued at $1.31 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $3.41 billion by the end of 2030 with a CAGR of 24%, according to Verified Market Reports. "The collaboration with mlSpatial marks an exciting chapter in TruGolf's journey towards perfection in launch monitor accuracy," stated Brenner Adams, Chief Growth Officer of TruGolf. "By leveraging AI technology, we are empowering players to enjoy indoor golfing like never before, with enhanced accuracy, ease of use, and immersive gameplay."

09:07 EDT Capital Product Partners announces sale of three 10,000 TEU container vessels - Capital Product Partners announced that the Partnership entered into a memorandum of agreement for the sale of three 10,000 TEU container vessels, built in 2011 at Samsung Heavy Industries, S. Korea: the M/V Athos, the M/V Aristomenis and the M/V Athenian. Delivery of the vessels to the buyer is expected in April 2024. On November 13, 2023, as part of the transformative acquisition of 11 newbuild LNG carriers for $3.1 billion, the Partnership announced its focus on LNG carriers and energy transition shipping, and its intention to divest from non-core container vessels. With the recently completed sale of the M/V Akadimos, which was delivered to its new owners on March 8, 2024, the Partnership has completed the sale of two container vessels and has agreed to sell two Panamax container vessels and three Neo-Panamax container vessels. Total expected gross cash proceeds from the sale of the seven container vessels are estimated at approximately $272.5 million or $182.5m after repaying outstanding debt.

09:06 EDT Scilex announces agreement with Takeda to resolve patent infringement lawsuit - Scilex Holding (SCLX) announced that the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Scilex Pharmaceuticals, have entered into a Settlement Agreement with Takeda Pharmaceuticals (TAK) and Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company to resolve the Paragraph IV patent infringement lawsuit that Takeda filed against the Scilex Parties in federal district court in Delaware in November 2023. That litigation arose from Scilex's filing of a sNDA with the FDA seeking to expand the label for its FDA-approved liquid colchicine product, Gloperba, a preventive treatment for gout. As part of the Settlement Agreement, the Scilex Parties entered into a License Agreement with Takeda granting the Company and its affiliates a non-exclusive license to certain patents owned by Takeda. The terms of those agreements are confidential. The Settlement Agreement is subject to approval by the district court, and by both the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice, as is required in Paragraph IV patent case settlements.

09:02 EDT Evogene receives Nasdaq Minimum Bid Price notification - Evogene reported that the company received a letter from the Nasdaq Stock Market indicating that the company is currently not in compliance with Nasdaq Rule 5550(a)(2), as the company's closing bid price for its ordinary shares has been below $1.00 per share for the last 30 consecutive business days. The Nasdaq Stock Market Rules provide the company with an additional period of 180 calendar days to regain compliance. According to the Letter, the company has until September 16, 2024, to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement.

09:02 EDT Kyndryl Holdings and Cloudflare announce global strategic alliance - Kyndryl (KD) and Cloudflare (NET) announced a global strategic alliance, an expansion of their partnership, to enable enterprises to migrate and manage networks for multi-cloud connectivity and comprehensive network security. The partnership combines Kyndryl's end-to-end consulting services and expertise across enterprise networking, security and resiliency with Cloudflare's robust connectivity cloud that offers security, performance, and cloud flexibility all-in-one. Kyndryl and Cloudflare first partnered in May 2023 to modernize enterprise infrastructure with end-to-end services, bringing managed WAN-as-a-Service and Cloudflare Zero Trust to the entire corporate network. Now, the two companies are focused on further innovation across all technology stacks to design, build, manage and modernize customers' vital systems. Cloudflare's capabilities will now be activated across Kyndryl's practice areas including Network & Edge and Security & Resiliency. The Kyndryl and Cloudflare global strategic alliance is focused on helping enterprises streamline connectivity to multiple clouds and data centers, while providing robust network security.

08:51 EDT Commercial Metals increases dividend per share 13% to 18c - The board of directors of Commercial Metals Company declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 18c per share of CMC common stock, an increase of 2c, or 13%, from the dividend paid in February. CMC's 238th consecutive quarterly dividend will be paid on April 10, 2024, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on April 1, 2024.

08:48 EDT Topgolf Callaway up 11% at $16.01 after Chosun report company is up for sale

08:46 EDT Equinix down 7% after Hindenburg publishes short report - Equinix shares are down 59.28, or 7%, to $785.30 in pre-market trading.

08:41 EDT Bio-Rad appoints Roop Lakkaraju EVP, CFO - Bio-Rad Laboratories (BIO) announced that Roop K. Lakkaraju will join the company as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective April 15. Lakkaraju joins Bio-Rad from Benchmark Electronics (BHE) where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer responsible for all finance-related functions supporting the company's global operations since 2018. Prior to Benchmark, he held Chief Financial Officer and senior operational roles at several large, multinational companies including Support.com, a provider of cloud-based software and services, and Solectron, a leading global provider of electronics manufacturing and integrated supply chain services. Mr. Lakkaraju began his career as an auditor with Grant Thornton and PricewaterhouseCoopers, and holds a B.S. in Business Administration, Accounting, from San Jose State University.

08:41 EDT MGO Global says demand for Stand Flagpoles experiencing 'sales surge' - MGO Global announced that demand for the Company's Stand Flagpoles and related flags, finials and other accessories sold on www.standflagpoles.com is experiencing a notable sales surge. Voice of America news recently reported that 2024 will go down as one of the most politically consequential years in history, with national elections in more than 60 countries representing half of the world's population. Maximiliano Ojeda, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of MGO, stated, "Given that 2024 is an election year in the United States, we expect a significant increase in sales of American flags and the flagpoles needed to fly them, serving as a symbol of pride and unity for Americans and embodying the ideals of liberty, justice, freedom, love of country and national purpose. As we prepare to celebrate our first anniversary of Stand Flagpoles joining our brand portfolio, we are leveraging the deep learnings and market insight we've gained over the past year to deploy highly targeted digital marketing strategies to reach and inspire patriotic American consumers. The results have been very positive, with month-over-month sales climbing in 2024 and market expansion goals being steadily achieved."

08:38 EDT Jaguar Health signs term sheet for license, commercialization agreement - Jaguar Health has signed a binding term sheet covering the exclusive license and commercialization agreement for Jaguar's novel plant-based, FDA-approved prescription drug crofelemer with Turkish specialty pharmaceutical company Gen Ilac Ve Saglik Urunleri Sanayi Ve Ticaret. The Agreement will entail a $2 million investment by GEN in Jaguar stock at a 75% premium to the market price, payment of double-digit royalties to Jaguar on all finished crofelemer products sold in the licensed territory, and transfer pricing terms for crofelemer supplied by Jaguar. As a result of this investment, GEN will own 6.7% of the shares of Jaguar common stock outstanding as of March 18, 2024. The Agreement will cover Jaguar's FDA-approved indication of crofelemer for HIV-related diarrhea and all potential crofelemer follow-on indications, including cancer therapy-related diarrhea - the subject of Jaguar's placebo-controlled pivotal Phase 3 OnTarget trial, as well as the rare disease indications short bowel syndrome and microvillus inclusion disease, and any other possible future human indications for crofelemer. The Agreement will allow GEN to manufacture crofelemer finished product and market the drug for all above-referenced indications in Turkey, Belarus, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Russia, and Georgia following GEN's receipt of regulatory approval for crofelemer for these indications in these countries.

08:37 EDT FDA allows Puma to proceed under IND with alisertib development for BC - Puma Biotechnology has been notified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA that its Investigational New Drug Application IND submission has been reviewed, and Puma can proceed with the clinical development of alisertib for the treatment of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative , hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer in Puma's Phase II ALISCA-Breast1 trial .This trial will investigate alisertib in combination with endocrine treatment in chemotherapy-naive patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. Patients must have been previously treated with CDK 4/6 inhibitors and received at least two prior lines of endocrine therapy in the recurrent or metastatic setting to be eligible for the trial. Puma plans to initiate this trial in the second half of 2024. As a secondary endpoint, the Company will be evaluating each of these efficacy endpoints within biomarker subgroups in order to determine whether any biomarker subgroup correlates with response. The goal would be to enhance the efficacy in a biomarker subgroup to improve the efficacy of alisertib as previously seen in preclinical and clinical studies in other cancers, including breast cancer and small cell lung cancer. ..Alan H. Auerbach, Chief Executive Officer and President of Puma Biotechnology, said, "We are excited to move forward with the development of alisertib in HER2-negative hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer. We believe that the data from TBCRC 041, which tested alisertib alone and with fulvestrant, and the randomized trial of alisertib plus paclitaxel versus paclitaxel alone have demonstrated that alisertib was active in patients with HER2-negative, hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer and in biomarker focused subgroups. We also recognize our fiscal responsibility to the shareholders of the Company and will be carefully managing the development expenses for alisertib so as not to potentially negatively impact the Company's profitability."

08:35 EDT Loop Media announces changes to executive team, to explore alternatives - Earlier this week, Loop Media announced that Jon Niermann is stepping down as CEO and the Board has unanimously appointed Justis Kao as Interim CEO, effective immediately. Kao has served in various roles in the company, including Chief Communications Officer, Chief of Staff, Investor Relations and, most recently, Chief Content Officer. Niermann will remain a member of the Board and management team, maintaining a strategic focus on revenue and distribution. In addition, Bruce Cassidy has been appointed Executive Chairman of the Board. Loop Media announced today that Bob Gruters, Chief Revenue Officer of the company, has resigned after three years to pursue another business opportunity outside of the Company. Gruters has agreed to remain an advisor to the company. Randy Greenberg, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer, who joined Loop Media in July 2023, will be stepping down from those roles and leaving the company to pursue other business opportunities. The Board of Directors and senior management team conducted an operational and cost-cutting review across the company which it believes will provide the framework to making the company more competitive in the CTV for business/DOOH industry. The Board and management team determined that executing operational changes is prudent to accelerate Loop Media's potential path to break even and operating profitability. As a result of the review, the company has laid off and furloughed certain employees and has implemented salary reductions to create efficiencies and lower the company's overhead. These cost-cutting measures include senior management salary reductions and are expected to result in an annual aggregate cash payroll reduction of approximately $2M. Loop Media also intends to explore potential strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value, as well as evaluate potential financing opportunities to help advance its business goals.

08:34 EDT CSS Commerce partners with Bridgeline Digital - Bridgeline Digital and CSS Commerce are partnering to introduce HawkSearch's AI-powered SmartSearch with advanced eCommerce consulting expertise to hundreds BigCommerce and Magento customers such as Black Diamond and Berlin Packaging. Ari Kahn, CEO of Bridgeline Digital, stated, "Our partnership with CSS Commerce is a key step in our strategy to revolutionize eCommerce search for manufacturers and distributors alike. We are committed to delivering a superior search solution that meets the evolving needs of online shoppers."

08:33 EDT Silo Pharma exercises options for exclusive license agreement - Silo Pharma announced that it has exercised its option to license SPC-15, a prophylactic treatment for stress-induced affective disorders including anxiety and PTSD, from Columbia University, pursuant to a sponsored research and option agreement established in 2021. Under the terms of the license agreement currently in process, Silo will be granted an exclusive license to further develop, manufacture, and commercialize SPC-15 worldwide. The Company expects to finalize and enter into the exclusive license agreement in the first half of 2024. "Through our research collaboration with Columbia University and our CRO studies, we have successfully taken SPC-15 through pre-clinical development to prepare for the submission of our FDA pre-investigational New Drug Application by the end of the second quarter 2024," said Eric Weisblum, CEO of Silo. "In each study, we have observed consistently strong data which we believe warrants the exercise of our option for exclusive worldwide licensing rights for this novel drug candidate."

08:32 EDT Safety Shot announces strategic partnership with Launch 33 - Safety Shot announces its new collaboration with Launch 33 Brands, a leading brand building agency and distributor based in Los Angeles, to amplify its presence in the vibrant Southern California market. Under the leadership of Dan Courtney, a seasoned industry executive with over three decades of experience, Launch 33 Brands will execute a strategic brand building and placement plan of Safety Shot products in over 250 key retail accounts across the Los Angeles area. "We are thrilled to join forces with Launch 33 Brands to bring Safety Shot to even more consumers in Los Angeles," said Josh Wagner, Chief Growth Officer of Safety Shot, Inc. "Dan Courtney's expertise and Launch 33 Brands extensive network will undoubtedly accelerate our mission to promote safer drinking habits and expand our footprint in this key market."

08:32 EDT DXC Technology appoints Matt Fawcett as General Counsel - DXC Technology announced that Matt Fawcett has been appointed Executive Vice President and General Counsel effective April 1, reporting directly to DXC President and CEO Raul Fernandez. Fawcett is a well-respected name in the industry, having advised several leading technology companies throughout his career. He served as General Counsel of NetApp, a Fortune 500 global cloud-led, data-centric software company from 2010 to 2021, and most recently was Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for the company. Prior to NetApp, Matt was Senior Vice President and General Counsel for JDS Uniphase. He has built and led global organizations, managed strategic transactions, and is widely recognized as an innovator. The addition of Matt's deep experience in the technology industry coupled with his strategic and business acumen is an important addition to DXC's senior leadership team. Fawcett will replace Bill Deckelman, who has announced his intention to retire on June 1 after being with DXC for 16 years.

08:16 EDT Femasys announces topline data from trial of FemaSeed for infertility - Femasys announces topline data from its FemaSeed Localized Directional Insemination for artificial insemination pivotal trial. The trial investigated its FemaSeed product in women with a variety of infertility factors with the primary efficacy analysis focused on the severe male factor infertility. FemaSeed, engineered to enhance fertilization by precisely delivering sperm into the fallopian tube, the site of conception, demonstrated 24% of women became pregnant after FemaSeed with severe male factor. In contrast, a 6.7% pregnancy rate by cycle was described in the literature for intrauterine insemination with male factor. Although permitted to have multiple FemaSeed attempts, the majority of women who became pregnant did so after the first FemaSeed procedure. The poor IUI pregnancy rates for this infertility segment usually necessitates assisted reproductive approaches, such as in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection. The majority of adverse events were reported as mild. No new safety concerns were observed through the seven-week follow-up. All adverse events were consistent with those known for IUI. The pivotal trial was concluded prior to completing full enrollment due to Femasys receiving FDA clearance for FemaSeed under the 510(k) pathway in September 2023. The approved labeling includes women or couples wishing to become pregnant by way of intratubal insemination.

08:12 EDT CMC Metals completes review of data on Silverknife Property - CMC Metals announced that the Company has completed a detailed review of over 4 decades of historical and recent exploration data on its Silverknife Property that has resulted in the identification of four large zones with significant exploration potential. The review was completed by CMC's Project Geologist Cesar Symonds along with Company President and Chief Geoscientist, Kevin Brewer. The Silverknife Property is located immediately west of Coeur Mining Inc. very high-grade silver-lead-zinc-critical minerals carbonate replacement deposit located in the emerging Rancheria Silver District in north-central British Columbia. CMC has only conducted preliminary exploration at the Silverknife Property and intends to focus future exploration efforts on the property. The company will also continue to advance exploration and evaluation of the Amy and Silver Hart properties in the Rancheria Silver District when market conditions improve. John Bossio, Chairman of the Company noted "Silverknife is a property with significant exploration merit and now that we have secured 100% ownership we are working diligently to secure a strategic partner to advance an aggressive exploration program. We remain very committed to all of our projects in the emerging Rancheria Silver District." The overall exploration potential is considered to be high at the Silverknife Project. Figure 1 identifies four key zones, a majority of which remain relatively unexplored with each having characteristics that are typically associated with silver-lead-zinc carbonate replacement and skarn deposits. As previously noted, the Silverknife property is located immediately adjacent to the west of the Silvertip Mine owned by Coeur Mining Inc. Silvertip is one of the highest-grade silver-lead-zinc CRD's in the world and Coeur have achieved spectacular results from recent exploration efforts at Silvertip. Being proximal to a deposit like Silvertip is important as CRD deposits tend to form in clusters and along structural corridors with regional targets based on a "hub and spoke" model. Silverknife is located along one of the potential "spokes" or structural corridors. Other positive aspects of Silverknife include the presence of the host rock to Silvertip, the McDame limestone, found in outcrops in both the northernmost and southernmost portions of the Silverknife property, positive geochemistry, and a non-compliant historic resource with reported high grades in drill intersections at Silverknife Prospect. Limited mapping and exploration activity of these areas has been conducted to date by previous explorationists and CMC. These areas all merit considerably more exploration. Required work will include, but may not be limited to, geochemical sampling, detailed geological/structural mapping, and ground geophysics. These techniques will serve to target possible faults which are prime areas for mineralization and/or the presence of sulfides with the expected result to be numerous drill targets.

08:10 EDT Entera Bio announces PK data from oral GLP-2 peptide tablet treatment - Entera Bio (ENTX) announced positive pharmacokinetic, PK, results from its collaborative research combining a proprietary long acting GLP-2 agonist developed by OPKO Health (OPK) with Entera's proprietary N-Tab technology. Entera and OPKO completed a proof of concept single dose pharmacokinetic study in rodents as the first validation for oral administration of the GLP-2 treatment. "Given the challenging compliance rates attributed to injectable GLP-2 therapy, we believe a daily tablet format may address a significant unmet need in treating SBS patients more effectively. We are pleased with this first validation for the oral GLP-2 peptide program that we initiated in late 2023 in our collaboration with OPKO. The current PK data reinforces the data we previously published combining our N-Tab technology with teduglutide in tablet form1. Based on the promising results from the current PK study, we are planning to advance the program to assess pharmacologic effects in vivo. We look forward to updating on these data later in 2024," said Miranda Toledano, Entera Chief Executive Officer.

08:09 EDT Alimera Sciences reports inducement grants under Nasdaq listing rule - Alimera Sciences announced that, pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) and in connection with the appointments of Mr. Todd Wood as President of U.S. Operations of the Company, Mr. Elliot Maltz as CFO of the Company, and five non-executive employees, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company approved certain inducement grants under the Alimera Sciences, Inc. 2024 Equity Inducement Plan to each of Mr. Wood, Mr. Maltz, and the five other persons who were not previously an employee or non-employee director of the Company. The Compensation Committee approved granting on March 11, 2024, as an inducement material to each new employee's employment, 125,000 restricted stock units and 125,000 performance-based restricted stock units to Mr. Wood; 75,000 restricted stock units and 75,000 performance-based restricted stock units to Mr. Maltz; and options to collectively purchase up to 24,500 shares of common stock of the Company to the five other new, non-executive employees. The stock options have an exercise price of $3.77 per share, which is equal to the closing price of a share of the Company's common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on March 11, 2024.

08:07 EDT Achieve Life Sciences announces data from cytisinicline ORCA program - Achieve Life Sciences announced that three oral presentations featuring data from both of the Phase 3 ORCA-2 and ORCA-3 clinical trials of cytisinicline for smoking cessation and from the Phase 2 ORCA-V1 trial for e-cigarette cessation will be presented at the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, SRNT, Annual Meeting, being held in Edinburgh, Scotland, March 20-23, 2024. "We are appreciative of this opportunity at the SRNT Annual Meeting to share multiple data presentations that reflect the promising results we have seen in the cytisinicline ORCA program for both smoking and vaping cessation," stated Dr. Cindy Jacobs, Achieve Chief Medical Officer. "New solutions to help the millions of people who struggle with nicotine dependence are long overdue, and we believe cytisinicline will be an important new option for those who want to quit nicotine whether they are smoking or vaping."

08:06 EDT DZS, Infinera to demo ICE-X coherent pluggable solutions - DZS (DZSI) and Infinera (INFN) announced that the two companies are working together to bring game-changing new integrated ICE-X Coherent Pluggable solutions to market for mobile xHaul and ultra high-speed symmetrical business services from 25GE to 400GE. "This innovative solution combines the DZS Saber 2200's ultra-compact long reach, low latency Layer 2 switching capabilities with Infinera's Open XR optics-enabled solution to deliver a powerful optical transmission offering capable of supporting any deployment scenario," said Miguel Alonso, . Chief Product Officer, DZS. "Now service providers, whether at a central office or new/existing cell site or enterprise location can deliver high density aggregation, high bandwidth, low latency front/mid/backhaul and ethernet business service connectivity, and critical network timing in a comprehensive solution. The combined solution allows service providers to capitalize on the benefits of XR-powered point-to-multi-point applications including the ability to improve switching efficiencies at centralized sites, reduce power consumption and carbon footprint, and reduce the number of aggregation sites and truck rolls."

08:05 EDT Los Angeles Rams select Shift4 to power payments for ticket sales, no terms - Shift4 (FOUR) has announced that they have been selected by the Los Angeles Rams to power the NFL team's ticket sales through its integration with Ticketmaster (LYV). "We're very excited to partner with the Rams to give their fans a best-in-class ticket buying experience." said Anthony Perez, Shift4's SVP of New Verticals. "Shift4's end-to-end commerce solution helps professional sports teams and venues deliver a seamless transaction experience for their fans." Shift4's integrated commerce solutions are used by every major professional sports league as well as colleges, entertainment venues, and many other business verticals - transforming the way fans and guests shop, order, and pay. To learn more, visit shift4.com/sports-entertainment.

08:04 EDT Tonix selects two contract manufacturing organizations for launch of Tonmya - Tonix Pharmaceuticals announced it has selected two contract manufacturing organizations, one of which is Almac Pharma Services, a member of the privately owned Almac Group, as dual supply sources for the potential launch and commercialization of Tonmya in the U.S. "Dual sourcing is a critical element for the successful commercial launch and supply chain management of a product," said Seth Lederman, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Tonix Pharmaceuticals. "We are excited to advance our first internally developed program toward NDA submission and to work with two well-established CMOs for commercial supply and potential launch of Tonmya."

08:03 EDT Infinera to showcase advances in optical networking solutions at OFC 2024 - Infinera will showcase key elements of its multiyear vision and strategy for connecting the world in the terabit era at OFC 2024, to be held March 26-28 in San Diego, California. Delivering the lowest cost and power per bit while dramatically increasing flexibility, Infinera solutions include groundbreaking innovations in coherent optics, the latest advances in networking technology, and a new suite of open automation tools to enable seamless and efficient multi-vendor operations. In Booth 2825 in the Exhibit Hall, Infinera's experts will answer questions and lead live demonstrations of Infinera's high-performance, industry-leading open and operationally simplified solutions, including: GX Series Open Networking Solutions - Key enhancements to the industry's most flexible optical transport platform include integration of next-generation optical line system functionality with Super C+L capabilities and the industry-leading 1.2T ICE7 optical engine, which reduces cost and power per bit up to 30% while providing nearly 35% more capacity per fiber compared to competitive solutions. ICE-X 800G Intelligent Coherent Pluggables - Infinera's newest pluggable module is the industry's first multi-vendor-interoperable, multi-haul ZR/ZR+ coherent solution. The ICE-X 800G showcase will include an augmented reality tour of the technology, design elements, and key differentiators. ICE-X 400G Intelligent Coherent Pluggables - Infinera's software-defined coherent pluggable modules increase network efficiency and enable new revenue-generating services while helping to streamline operations. Live demonstrations will include ICE-X 400G modules operating in a variety of host platforms including platforms from Arista Networks and DZS. ICE-D High-speed Intra-Data Center Connectivity - Infinera's line of U.S.-manufactured high-speed, highly integrated indium phosphide-based intra-data center optics is designed to help data center operators eliminate the bandwidth bottlenecks resulting from the deluge of bandwidth driven by AI applications while reducing power per bit by as much as 75%. Open Wave Network Automation - This easy-to-implement modular software solution improves network efficiency and streamlines operations across multi-vendor open optical networks, including enabling seamless management of coherent pluggable modules in third-party platforms.

08:03 EDT Butterfly Network attains EU MDR certificate for Butterfly iQ+ - Butterfly Network announced the attainment of its European Union Medical Device Regulation, or EU MDR, certificate for the Butterfly iQ+ ultrasound system. This additional certification allows Butterfly to release important new features to all existing and prospective European customers, including Pulse Wave Doppler (PWD) in a number of presets and its AI-enabled Auto B-Line Counter. The Company intends to release these additional functionalities within the second quarter 2024.

08:02 EDT Lumos Pharma receives notice of allowance from USPTO for LUM-201 patent - Lumos Pharma announced that on Thursday, March 14, 2024, the Company received a Notice of Allowance from the US Patent and Trade Office for claims in its patent application number PCT/US22/050700 titled "Compactable Oral Formulations of Ibutamoren." This patent contains claims directed to certain improved formulations of LUM-201 the Company intends to utilize in its Phase 3 trial and ultimately commercialize. This grant of this novel formulation patent extends intellectual property protection through November 2042 for these improved versions of LUM-201 drug product.

08:01 EDT La Rosa Holdings acquires real estate brokerage franchisee in California - La Rosa Holdings announced that it has completed an acquisition transaction and now holds a 51% interest in the Company's franchisee - La Rosa Realty California, located in Hayward, California, with a separate branch in Los Angeles, California. The acquisition comes as part of La Rosa's strategic expansion plan and brings its previously announced La Rosa's Ultimate Plan to California. Joe La Rosa, CEO of the Company, commented, "We believe that California's dynamic real estate market presents exciting opportunities for growth and expansion. In California, home prices have surged by 11.4% year-over-year as of February 2024, reflecting market demand. Despite this surge in prices, the number of homes sold has increased by 8.1% year-over-year as of February 2024, indicating a competitive market environment. We remain committed to enhancing our service offerings and strengthening our position in the real estate industry. We believe that our Ultimate Plan offers unparalleled opportunities for agents to thrive and succeed in the competitive real estate market. With the strength of our innovative offerings and the expertise of our dedicated agents, we believe that we are well positioned to capitalize on the opportunities presented by California's real estate market. We anticipate that our accretive roll-up strategy will propel us towards achieving our annualized revenue run rate target of $100 million by the end of 2024, with the expectation of attaining profitability in 2025."

08:01 EDT Nucor signs supply agreement with Mercedes-Benz - Nucor announced that it has signed an agreement with Mercedes-Benz to supply Econiq-RE for Mercedes-Benz models produced at their Tuscaloosa, AL manufacturing plant. Since its inception in 2022, Econiq has led the global steel industry in certifying low-embodied carbon materials. By using Econiq-RE, an evolutionary category of Econiq that certifies Nucor steel or steel products made with 100% renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced to less than half that of extractive blast furnace-based steel production.

07:55 EDT Global Technologies closes on acquisition of GOe3 - Global Technologies announces that on March 15, 2024 the Company closed on the acquisition of GOe3. On March 15, 2024, the Company and GOe3 closed on the proposed Share Exchange Agreement. Effective upon closing, GOe3 became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and GOe3's President, Bruce Brimacombe, was appointed to the Company's Board and as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The terms of the Share Exchange Agreement between the Company and GOe3 can be found in the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 19, 2024.

07:46 EDT NLS Pharmaceutics secures license to Dual Orexin Receptor Agonists platform - NLS Pharmaceutics announced an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Aexon Labs. This license grants NLS the opportunity to acquire global development and commercialization rights to Aexon's Dual Orexin Receptor Agonists platform. These novel compounds are potent oral agents targeting both orexin-1 and orexin-2 receptors as agonists, with potential applications in narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, and alpha-Synucleinopathies, including Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy, all of which involve cathepsins. This exclusive, worldwide License Agreement marks a significant milestone in the field of oral therapeutics, highlighting the introduction of two potentially potent candidates, innovative dual orexin receptor agonists. Anticipated to address critical healthcare requirements, one compound in particular, has shown encouraging outcomes in preliminary in vitro experiments. Its dual mechanism of action involves acting as agonist for OX1R and OX2R, while concurrently serving as an inhibitor for cathepsin H, showcasing its potential to meet significant medical needs effectively. Orexin receptor pathways play vital regulatory roles in many physiological processes and studies have shown that orexin receptor pathways are involved in pathological processes of neurological diseases such as narcolepsy, depression, ischemic stroke, drug addiction and Alzheimer's disease. Subject to obtain sufficient funds, Aexon plans to conduct Proof-of-Concept studies in animals and phase 1 First-in-Human clinical development starting in early 2025. Preliminary findings will be unveiled at the 2024 ASCP Annual Meeting

07:40 EDT Else Nutrition to launch its products in major U.S. retailer - Else Nutrition announces adding another major U.S. retailer to its distribution network, one of the largest supermarket operators in North America with more than 420 stores across the U.S. This major retailer will carry Else's kids and toddler product lines, which are expected to hit the retailer's shelves by the end of the second quarter of 2024.

07:37 EDT T2 Biosystems unveils T2Lyme launch plans, business updates - T2 Biosystems announced plans for the T2Lyme Panel commercial launch and provided recent business updates. Recent Highlights: Announced plans to commercialize the T2Lyme Panel in the third quarter of 2024 as a laboratory developed test without the need to be run on the T2Dx Instrument providing throughput improvements and cost of goods advantages. Announced a new publication in Journal of Clinical Microbiology highlighting the clinical benefits and performance of the T2Resistance Panel. Engaged Dr. Robin Robinson as a strategic advisor to aid in commercialization of the T2Biothreat Panel. Received extension from the Nasdaq Hearings Panel to regain compliance with $35 million Market Value of Listed Securities requirement as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(2) on or before May 20, 2024. "Recently, we have made significant progress on our three corporate priorities that we believe positions us for a strong future. Specifically, the anticipated launch of the T2Lyme Panel in the third quarter, new data validating the clinical benefits of the T2Resistance Panel and increasing commercial support and U.S. Government engagement on the T2Biothreat Panel each represent potential material growth catalysts," stated John Sperzel, Chairman and CEO of T2 Biosystems. "We continue to prioritize our Nasdaq listing and advance the review of strategic alternatives which are both intended to increase shareholder value."

07:37 EDT 23andMe initiates Phase 1 trial for 23ME-01473 - 23andMe Holding announced the first participant has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating 23ME-01473 in advanced solid tumors. The target for the new investigational antibody, ULBP6, was discovered through 23andMe's proprietary research platform, the world's largest recontactable database of de-identified human genetic and phenotypic information. This is the third drug target genetically validated by the 23andMe research platform to enter the clinic in under 4 years. "Entering the clinic with this exciting new dual-mechanism NK-cell activator reinforces the ability of the 23andMe Therapeutics team, and the potential of our research platform, to discover and develop new therapies informed by human genetics," said Jennifer Low, Head of Therapeutics Development, 23andMe. "We are excited to be underway in our study of '1473, and we are grateful to the patients participating in this trial."

07:33 EDT Annovis Bio completes data cleaning for Phase II/III study of buntanetap - Annovis Bio announced completion of data cleaning for its phase II/III study of buntanetap in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Topline efficacy data is expected in April. "We are excited to share that we now move from data cleaning to organization and statistical evaluation of data for our Alzheimer's study, which was completed in February. To clean data this fast is truly a tremendous achievement," said Cheng Fang, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Annovis. "The team has been working hard to provide trustworthy data, and we look forward to the topline results as we plan to announce it next month." The phase II/III AD study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of buntanetap in patients with mild to moderate AD. This was a dose ranging study where patients received either one of three doses of buntanetap - 7.5mg, 15mg, or 30mg - or placebo on top of their standard of care for 12 weeks. Over 700 patients were screened with a total of 353 patients enrolled and 327 patients completed the study.

07:31 EDT LeddarTech concludes long-term licensing arrangement with Renesas - LeddarTech Holdings announced that it has concluded a long-term licensing arrangement with Renesas Electronics America to commercialize the LCA2 and LCA3 programmable system-on-chip, or SoC, product families. LeddarTech's distinctive LiDAR software, combined with AI-based low-level fusion and perception, formed the foundation of LeddarTech's ADAS and AD offerings to automotive OEMs and Tier 1-2s. This agreement with Renesas is one of the outcomes of LeddarTech's strategic transition to a pure-play automotive software company, building on the LeddarVision AI-based low-level fusion and perception software for advanced driver assistance systems and AD. In connection with this transition, LeddarTech is pursuing a licensing model with strategic partners and customers for its solid-state LiDAR products and technology, and this arrangement with Renesas is currently one of the most prominent licenses established in this process.

07:21 EDT Lifecore completes restatements, files form 10-K for 2023 - Lifecore Biomedical has filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 28, 2023 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The FY23 Annual Report on Form 10-K filing contains the restatement of previously issued consolidated financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ended May 29, 2022 and May 30, 2021 included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended May 29, 2022 filed with the SEC, the Company's unaudited consolidated financial statements as of and for the periods ending August 30, 2020, November 29, 2020, February 28, 2021, August 29, 2021, November 28, 2021, February 27, 2022, August 28, 2022, November 27, 2022 and February 26, 2023 included in the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. The restatements correct errors involving the calculation of capitalized interest, valuation of inventories, and certain other adjustments related to previously divested businesses reflected in the Prior Financial Statements. In addition, the Company has adjusted certain other items that were previously identified and concluded as immaterial, individually and in the aggregate, to the Prior Financial Statements. The more significant restatement adjustments to the Lifecore segment financial statements contained in the Prior Financial Statements, are described as follows: The Company restated inventories and cost of sales to write down inventories to their net realizable value as well as recording reserves for excess and obsolete inventories in FY22 and FY21 which reduced inventories and increased cost of sales during those periods. The Company restated property and equipment and interest expense to record capitalized interest on assets under construction in FY22 and FY21 which increased property and equipment and reduced interest expense during those periods. The Company restated the Lifecore segment revenues and cost of sales in FY21 to gross up revenues and cost of sales for certain performance obligations where the Company acted as a principal in the arrangements. The Company recorded an accounts receivable reserve for a specific customer in FY21 and FY22, which decreased accounts receivables and increased selling, general, and administrative expenses. The Company restated FY21 opening retained earnings to account for the cumulative effect of the above restatements. The more significant restatement adjustments to the Company's former Curation Foods segment financial statements are described as follows: The Company restated FY21 opening retained earnings related to its former Curation Foods businesses non-current other receivables that were not collectable prior to the fiscal year periods presented in the consolidated FY23 financial statements. The Company restated the presentation of certain operating costs and expenses of continuing operations and discontinued operations affecting FY22 and FY21.

07:17 EDT Vigil Neuroscience appoints Kaufmann as Chief Medical Officer - Vigil Neuroscience announced the appointment of Petra Kaufmann, M.D., M.S., F.A.A.N, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Kaufmann succeeds Christopher Silber, M.D. Dr. Kaufmann is an accomplished biotech executive joining Vigil Neuroscience from Affinia Therapeutics where she served as Chief Medical Officer leading medical, clinical, patient advocacy and regulatory strategy.

07:15 EDT Ecarx unveils multiple automotive intelligence solutions on Tech Day - ECARX held its second Tech Day at the Hangzhou E-Sports Center, where it unveiled several automotive intelligence solutions and ecosystem advancements. Named after the Atlas Mountains in North Africa and the Rocky Mountains' Pikes Peak, the Atlas and Pikes computing platforms were unveiled at the Tech Day, providing global automotive OEMs with platforms to deliver state-of-the-art in-vehicle infotainment and advanced driver assistance systems. The Atlas and Pikes computing platforms are powered by the fourth-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon System-on-a-Chip, namely SA8255P and SA8295P Snapdragon, respectively. Both computing platforms are certified as automotive grade. Integrating both Flyme Auto and Google Automotive Services, each of the Atlas and Pikes computing platforms will allow ECARX to service automotive OEMs worldwide within a single platform. Benefiting from the unique ecosystem synergy created between automotive electronics and consumer electronics, the innovative Qogir computing platform, powered by the third-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 SoC, is co-developed by ECARX and Xingji Meizu Group, with a 330k DMIPS CPU, a 4.2 TFLOPS GPU, and a 60 TOPS hybrid edge-cloud AI. It also supports displays up to 8K and hardware ray tracing technology. Qogir takes its name from Qogir Feng, one of the names given to K2, the world's second-highest mountain. Qogir's high-performance configuration enables future-proofed evolution of the operating system. Announcing the Qogir computing platform, the Company would collaborate with Unreal Engine and other ecosystem partners to keep pushing the boundaries of in-vehicle experience. To cater to the evolving computational demands of the electrical/electronic architecture of today's vehicles and the advancing trends of driving and parking systems, ECARX also spotlighted its Skyland Pro computing platform's integrated driving and parking capabilities. Skyland Pro now includes Navigate on Autopilot, Automatic Park Assist, Remote Park Assist, and Home Zone Park Assist, among other capabilities. Highway NOA will be launched soon in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Shanghai in China, with a nationwide rollout to follow. In anticipation of growing demand for autonomous driving systems, ECARX has made significant advancements in developing its own sensors. Through its subsidiary, Photon-Matrix, ECARX released the 200-metre long-range semi-solid LiDAR and the compact short-range flash solid-state LiDAR. AD1000 SoC Developed in collaboration with SiEngine, the AD1000 automotive-grade 7nm advanced high-performance SoC boasts 229k DMIPS computing power and 256 TOPS of graphics rendering capability on a single unit, and can achieve a maximum computing power of 1,024 TOPS with multi-core integration. AD1000 also integrates a high-performance Vision Processing Accelerator and Image Signal Processor, with a safety island and sufficient interfaces to allow it to meet the requirements for L2++ to L4 autonomous driving. Integrating Digital Cockpit, Driving and Parking and AI into a Single Board and Platform Super Brain Antora 1000 and 1000 Pro Computing Platforms The Super Brain Antora 1000 computing platform is the next generation of ECARX's Antora series, which seamlessly integrates cockpit driving and parking into a single board, significantly reducing the bill of materials cost of the vehicle. The Super Brain Antora 1000 Pro computing platform is laying the foundation for the future of intelligent vehicles with its ability to integrate the initial progress in AI-driven automated vehicle technology. Harnessing the power of Microsoft's Azure OpenAI Service and Azure Cloud Computing Services, ECARX and Microsoft will jointly develop and deploy innovative products and solutions that will offer advanced intelligence and connectivity by integrating AI capabilities into vehicles globally. ECARX expanded its strategic partnership with FAW Group, with the two parties set to jointly develop an industry-leading intelligent computing platform and the Hongqi Operating System. The Company also unveiled plans to establish international manufacturing facilities, to strengthen synergies with the ECARX research and development and operation centers that already serve global markets.

07:15 EDT Orchard Therapeutics outlines U.S. launch plans for Lenmeldy - Orchard Therapeutics (ORTX), recently acquired by Kyowa Kirin (KYKOF) with the goal of accelerating the delivery of new gene therapies to patients around the globe, announced the details of its U.S. commercial launch of Lenmeldy, formerly known as OTL-200, the first FDA-approved therapy for the treatment of children with pre-symptomatic late infantile, pre-symptomatic early juvenile, or early symptomatic early juvenile-collectively referred to as early-onset-metachromatic leukodystrophy. Lenmeldy aims to correct the underlying genetic cause of MLD by inserting one or more functional copies of the human ARSA gene ex vivo into the genome of a patient's own hematopoietic stem cells using a lentiviral vector. "Lenmeldy is truly a paradigm-shifting medicine and has the potential to stop or slow the progression of this devastating childhood disease with a single treatment, particularly when administered prior to the onset of symptoms," said Bobby Gaspar, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder and chief executive officer of Orchard Therapeutics. "We are committed to enabling broad, expedient and sustainable access to this important therapy for eligible patients with early-onset MLD in the U.S."

07:13 EDT Acelyrin announces phase 1/2 proof-of-concept data for lonigutamab - ACELYRIN announced positive proof-of-concept data from an ongoing Phase 1/2 trial of lonigutamab in thyroid eye disease. Lonigutamab is a subcutaneously delivered humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor, a validated mechanism of action for the treatment for TED. "These results are the first reported clinical data for the anti-IGF-1R mechanism delivered subcutaneously and demonstrating clinical benefit in thyroid eye disease patients. The data support our hypothesis that lonigutamab has the potential to optimize benefit-risk by enabling longer-term subcutaneous dosing to increase depth and durability of clinical response while attempting to limit safety liabilities by avoiding the high maximal concentrations resulting from IV administration, while maintaining optimal therapeutic levels," said Shao-Lee Lin, MD, PhD, Founder and CEO of ACELYRIN. "Tackling thyroid eye disease has special meaning for our team, and we are thankful to the patients and investigators who have partnered with us. We are delighted to have achieved proof of concept for lonigutamab in TED and intend to advance clinical development with the potential to move patients toward resolution of their disease."

07:10 EDT Beamr Imaging release results of a case study on tech enabling machine learning - Beamr Imaging has released the results of a case study which highlights how Beamr tech enables accelerated machine learning training by using significantly smaller video files and without any negative impact on the video artificial intelligence process. Machine learning for video is becoming an increasingly significant technology for businesses. But the players in this expanding arena face critical pain points, like storage and bandwidth bottlenecks or the difficulty to reach acceptable training and inferencing speeds. In this case study, Beamr's R&D team showed that training an AI network using video files compressed and optimized through Beamr's Content-Adaptive Bitrate technology produced results that are as good as training the network with the original, larger files. The AI network was trained to fulfill the task of action recognition, such as distinguishing between people who are walking, running, dancing or doing many other day-to-day actions. The video files used for machine learning training were optimized by Beamr Cloud, reducing file sizes by 24%-67%. Such a reduction is beneficial when storing video files for future use and possibly performing other manipulations on them. Recently-launched Beamr cloud is an optimization and modernization software-as-a-service hat enables automated, efficient and fast video processing, through no-code processes or customized pipelines to meet specific user needs. Training performed with the smaller video files optimized by Beamr tech, provided results which were equivalent to those obtained with the larger and non-optimized files. The case study is part of Beamr's ongoing commitment to accelerate adoption and increase accessibility of machine learning for video and video analysis solutions. A previous case study focused on the AI network inference stage, which is the phase of drawing conclusions from an AI network that has already been trained. The previous experiment found that video files that were downsized by 40% on average streamlined machine learning processes. This allowed significant savings in storage and costs. The current case study covers the more challenging task of training a neural network for action recognition in video. In coming months, the Beamr R&D team plans to expand the initial experiment described above to large scale testing, including neural networks that operate in the cloud using GPUs.

07:08 EDT Sportradar announces $200M share buyback program - The Board of Directors has approved a $200 million share buyback program given the strong business fundamentals and confidence in the long-term profitability and cash flow outlook. The Company anticipates commencing purchases under the program when the next trading window opens, which is following the reporting of its Q1 2024 earnings results.

07:07 EDT Tevogen:TVGN-489 retains activity against dominant JN.1 variant - Tevogen Bio Holdings announced TVGN 489, its investigational allogeneic SARS-CoV-2 specific Cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocytes CTLs immunotherapy for treatment of COVID-19 in high-risk patients and Long COVID, retains activity against the currently dominant and highly mutated JN.1 strain based on a review of this variant's protein sequences. TVGN 489 contains Cytotoxic T lymphocytes that recognize multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins, or peptides. TVGN 489's peptide targets have been preserved in all previously studied COVID strains. Continuing surveillance by Tevogen Bio of SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the currently dominant JN.1 strain and newer JN.1 strains, show that 96% of these CTLs remain active against the current circulating variants. In January of 2023, Tevogen reported positive phase I study results in which high-risk patients with the delta, omicron 1, and omicron 2 variants of COVID-19 received TVGN 489, manufactured for the trial in May of 2021. In addition to no dose-limiting toxicities or significant treatment-related adverse events being observed in the treatment arm, all patients regardless of variant experienced prompt clinical improvement and a reduced amount of virus in their nasal swabs within 14 days. "These findings will be further assessed in planned later-stage trials and TVGN 489 will continue to be monitored for target preservation in emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants," said Dr Dolores Grosso, DNP, Tevogen's Global Clinical Development Lead.

07:06 EDT MiMedx enters agreement with TELA Bio for fibrillar collagen wound dressing - MiMedx Group (MDXG) has entered into an agreement with TELA Bio (TELA) to obtain exclusive rights to its manufacturing and supply agreement with Regenity Biosciences that will enable the Company to add xenograft products to its portfolio of Advanced Wound Care and Surgical solutions. As part of the manufacturing and supply agreement, MIMEDX will immediately add a 510(k) cleared, bovine-derived collagen matrix product indicated for the management of moderately to heavily exudating wounds and to control minor bleeding to its portfolio. The collagen in this product serves as a dressing that allows for cell adhesion and migration into the wound site and supports wound healing. It is provided in particulate form allowing it to be molded or packed to conform to various wound types such as pressure ulcers, venous stasis ulcers, diabetic ulcers, acute wounds, for example trauma and surgical wounds, and partial-thickness burns. Under the terms of the agreement with TELA Bio, MIMEDX will make an initial $5M payment and additional future payments aggregating between a minimum of $3M and a maximum of $7M based on net sales of the bovine-derived collagen matrix product over the next two years.

07:05 EDT Bristol Myers says Phase 3 CheckMate -9DW trial met primary endpoint - Bristol Myers Squibb announced the Phase 3 CheckMate -9DW trial evaluating Opdivo, or nivolumab, plus Yervoy, or ipilimumab, as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC, who have not received prior systemic therapy met its primary endpoint of improved overall surviva, or OS, compared to investigator's choice of sorafenib or lenvatinib at a pre-specified interim analysis. The dual immunotherapy combination of Opdivo plus Yervoy demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in OS compared to investigator's choice of sorafenib or lenvatinib. The safety profile for the combination of Opdivo plus Yervoy remained consistent with previously reported data and was manageable with established protocols, with no new safety signals identified. The company will complete a full evaluation of the data and work with investigators to share the results with the scientific community at an upcoming medical conference, as well as discuss with health authorities.

07:03 EDT FactSet appoints Laurie Hylton to board of directors - FactSet announced the appointment of Laurie Hylton to its Board of Directors. Hylton also will serve on FactSet's Audit Committee. Before retirement, she served as CFO as well as Chief Accounting Officer at Eaton Vance Corp., a leading global asset manager.

07:02 EDT Norfolk Southern names John Orr as COO - Norfolk Southern (NSC) announce the appointment of John Orr as executive vice president and COO, effective immediately. Throughout his four-decade career, Orr has earned a reputation as a proven leader in applying scheduled railroading principles to drive sustainable long-term value creation. He spearheaded the turnaround of Canadian Pacific Kansas City's (CP) Mexico operations by successfully implementing a high-efficiency operating model, shaped and guided the execution of Kansas City Southern's service-focused scheduled railroading initiatives, and drove significant improvements in Canadian National Railway's safety and operational performance.

06:50 EDT Boeing CFO says would fund any Spirit deal with mix of cash and debt - Boeing (BA) CFO Brian West, when asked about the news that Boeing might reacquire Spirit AeroSystems (SPR) while speaking at the Bank of America Global Industrials Conference, replied: "So you all would have seen our response to the discussion in the media. When there's more information to share, we certainly will do that. I would say I'd point back to comments that Dave made in January around how Boeing more than 20 years ago probably got a little too far ahead of itself on the topic of outsourcing. And this is probably the example. We believe and Spirit believes that reintegrating these two companies is what's best for safety and for quality for the aerospace industry. We have conviction on that. And without going into the synergies and efficiencies, it's really about focus and running that business not as a business. It was a factory. Run it as a factory and stay focused on safety, on quality and stability. And that opportunity sits there. And I will also say that one thing that I've commented previously is how important our investment-grade rating is to us. And we work very closely with the rating agencies. And I will say that if a transaction were to occur, we would not use equity, right? We would fund it with a mix of cash and debt. But in terms of how that all plays out, can't comment, but the discussions are happening."

06:48 EDT Chemours and partners selected for $60M in U.S. DOE grants - The Chemours Company and Advanced Performance Materials announced that the U.S. Department of Energy, under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, selected two of its applications for grants totaling $60M. These grants will be used by Chemours and its partners for the advancement of technology to support next-generation membranes for proton exchange membrane water electrolysis to advance a domestic hydrogen economy supply chain and establish a new Recovery and Recycling Consortium dedicated to enabling the circularity of PEM electrolyzers and fuel cells. These selections validate Chemours' leadership and expertise as a responsible manufacturer of high-quality, durable ionomers and membranes.

06:46 EDT Enservco to acquire Buckshot Trucking for $5M - Enservco announced an agreement to acquire Buckshot Trucking, which is headquartered in Fort Lupton, Colorado, subject to usual closing conditions. Consideration due at closing is $5M consisting of a combination of $3.75M in cash and the balance in Enservco common stock before usual closing and post-closing adjustments. The closing date of the Transaction is expected before the end of the second quarter.

06:40 EDT PDD Holdings jumps 12% to $143.00 after Q4 results beat estimates

06:32 EDT Babcock & Wilcox awarded contracts for $24M in Middle East and Central Asia - Babcock & Wilcox announced that its B&W Thermal segment has been awarded contracts totaling approximately $24M to design, manufacture and supply three industrial boilers and associated equipment for petrochemical facilities in the Middle East and Central Asia regions. B&W's growing Middle East, Africa and Central Asia presence includes offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Africa and a regional headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

06:18 EDT BioNTech sees FY24 CapEx EUR 400M-EUR 500M - Sees FY24 R&D expenses EUR 2.4B-EUR 2.6B; SG&A expenses EUR 700M-EUR 800M.

06:07 EDT JinkoSolar sees Q1 module shipments 18-20 GW - Sees FY24 module shipments 100-110 GW. The company said, "JinkoSolar expects its annual production capacity for mono wafer, solar cell and solar module to reach 120.0 GW, 110.0 GW and 130.0 GW, respectively, by the end of 2024."

06:02 EDT Insulet appoints Ana Maria Chadwick as CFO - Insulet (PODD) announced that Ana Maria Chadwick has been appointed Executive Vice President, CFO and Treasurer, effective April 22. A talented finance executive with 30 years of experience propelling growth for top-tier global organizations, Ms. Chadwick is currently Executive Vice President and CFO of Pitney Bowes, where she has played an integral role in the company's transformation from a 100-year-old mailing solutions operation into a technology-enabled growth business. Previously, she spent more than 27 years at GE (GE), where she held a variety of financial and operational roles including CEO and COO of GE Capital Global Legacy Solutions and CFO of GE Capital Energy Financial Services. Other roles included Controller of GE Capital Americas. Ms. Chadwick serves on the board of directors of Dollar General and chairs the Audit Committee, is chair of the Pitney Bowes ILC Bank in Utah, and is on the board of LiveGirl. where she mentors and dedicates time to provide greater opportunities for underprivileged girls.

05:59 EDT So-Young reports $25M share repurchase program, 7.8c per share special dividend - In March, the board of directors of the company authorized a share repurchase program under which the company is authorized to repurchase up to an aggregate value of $25M of its shares during the 12-month period beginning from March 22. The company's proposed repurchases may be effected from time to time in the open market at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions, in block trades and/or through other legally permissible means, depending on market conditions and in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. The company's board of directors will review the share repurchase program periodically and may authorize adjustment of its terms and size. The company expects to fund the repurchases out of its cash balance. The board of directors of the company declared a special cash dividend of 7.8c per ordinary share, or 6c per ADS, to holders of ordinary shares and holders of ADSs of record as of the close of business on April 12, U.S. Eastern Time, payable in U.S. dollars. The ex-dividend date will be April 11. The payment date is expected to be on or around April 29. Dividend to be paid to the company's ADS holders through the depositary bank will be subject to the terms of the deposit agreement. The total amount of cash to be distributed for the dividend is expected to be approximately $6M, which will be funded by surplus cash on the company's balance sheet.

05:30 EDT BlackBerry partners with Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst in Malaysia - BlackBerry (BB) and Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, Toronto Metropolitan University's national center for training, research and innovation, announced a new partnership that, for the first time, will offer the Catalyst's CLIC program in Malaysia. To help close the gender gap in the Malaysian cyber industry and support career growth for Malaysian women, the Catalyst is also teaming up with SANS Institute to provide full CLIC scholarships to three qualified Malaysian women candidates. The CLIC Malaysia program will commence in May, with registration now open.

05:23 EDT Scorpio Tankers to sell two 2013 built MR product tankers for $36.15M per vessel - Scorpio Tankers announced that it has entered into agreements to sell two 2013 built MR product tankers, STI Larvotto and STI Le Rocher, for $36.15M per vessel. The company will make no debt repayments associated with these sales as these vessels are unencumbered. The sales are expected to close within the first half of 2024.

05:17 EDT Stellantis invests in SteerLight - Stellantis Ventures, the corporate venture fund of Stellantis, announced it has invested in SteerLight, the developer of a new generation of high-performance LiDAR sensing technology. Employing silicon photonics technology, which combines a universal semiconductor material with the speed of photos, the SteerLight LiDAR senses the surrounding environment in three dimensions with higher resolution and precision, and at a lower volume production cost, than currently available LiDAR systems. The technology has the potential to give drivers of future Stellantis brand vehicles better performance in a variety of advanced driver assistance systems, including automated driving.

05:09 EDT Motorola Solutions deploys 4,000 VB400 body cameras to police forces in Austria - Motorola Solutions announced its deployment of 4,000 VB400 body cameras to police forces in Austria. The nationwide rollout will help front-line teams to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations, capture evidence during operations and improve safety and transparency in all interactions.