Stockwinners Market Radar for July 11, 2023 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:02 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 174.3K shares of Nextdoor today

19:54 EDT SuRo Capital sees Q2 net asset value at $7.15-$7.65 - The company states: "As previously reported, SuRo Capital's net assets totaled approximately $215.0 million, or $7.59 per share, at March 31, 2023, and approximately $280.2 million, or $9.24 per share at June 30, 2022. As of June 30, 2023, SuRo Capital's net asset value is estimated to be between $7.15 to $7.65 per share."

18:43 EDT Priveterra Acquisition announces name and ticker changes after combination - Priveterra Acquisition announced that, upon the Business Combination with AEON Biopharma following which AEON will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Priveterra and Priveterra will change its name to AEON Biopharma, New AEON Common Stock will be listed on NYSE American. The decision to list on NYSE was made in connection with the Business Combination and enables the combined company to be listed alongside other innovative companies that are also listed on NYSE. Trading is expected to begin on NYSE on or about July 24 under the new ticker symbol "AEON" for the New AEON Common Stock following the consummation of the Business Combination, which is currently expected to occur on or about July 24 subject to satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions. No action is required by existing PMGM shareholders with respect to the ticker symbol or exchange listing change.

18:05 EDT Applied Materials CLO Little sells 10,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Applied Materials CLO Teri Little disclosed the sale of 10,000 common shares of the company on July 7 at a price of $142 per share.

17:48 EDT Silk Road Medical down 19% as CMS files proposed decision on stenting coverage - Shares of Silk Road Medical are down 19% or $6.16 at $26.49 as The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has entered a guideline on coverage for Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty of the Carotid Artery Concurrent with Stenting.Reference Link

17:46 EDT Faraday Future announces restatement of financial statements - Faraday Future Intelligent Electric announced that the Audit Committee of the Company's Board of Directors determined, based on the recommendation of management that the Company's previously issued financial statements included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended March 31, 2023 and September 30, 2022 should no longer be relied upon due to errors identified in the Affected Periods primarily due to an error stemming from a non-cash and non-operating item related to the change in the fair value upon conversion of the notes issued under the Company's Securities Purchase Agreements. The Company is actively working on the restatements and expects to file restated financial statements for the Affected Periods on Form 10-K/A and Form 10-Q/A, as applicable, as soon as reasonably practical. Due to this restatement, the previously issued financial statements for the Affected Periods, as well as the relevant portions of any communication which describes or are based on such financial statements, should no longer be relied upon. The Company does not anticipate that the restatement of the previously issued financial statements for the Affected Periods will impact its previously announced FF 91 2.0 Futurist Alliance delivery timeline. The Company intends to hold a shareholder communication meeting next Monday after the close of market.

17:38 EDT Ocean Power board responds to letter by Paragon - The Board of Directors of Ocean Power Technologiesy issued a statement in response to the recent public letter issued by Paragon Technologies. The letter said, "We are disappointed that Paragon has elected to publicly make distracting and misleading statements regarding OPT's performance, strategy, leadership, and corporate governance, and is now threatening a costly and distracting proxy contest against the Company. We believe Paragon is seeking to advance a self-interested agenda, to the detriment of all other OPT shareholders. Having reviewed Paragon's track record targeting other public companies, we strongly believe that Paragon's ultimate goal is to take control of OPT and its assets without paying our shareholders a control premium". The letter ended, "Unfortunately, we do not believe Paragon or Mr. Gad are genuinely interested in engaging around alternative strategies for improving the Company and shareholder returns, which is evident by the continuation of Paragon's misleading public comments as well as its unwillingness to allow us to vet and interview its director candidates. Even if one were to discount Paragon's past history targeting other public companies and take its comments regarding our business at face value, Paragon ignores the fact that our long-term growth strategy is working, as demonstrated by material year-over-year increases in both orders and revenue. The 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders has not yet been scheduled and OPT shareholders are not required to take any action at this time."

17:35 EDT Four Corners Property Trust acquires two Wawa properties for $2.5M - Four Corners Property Trust announced the acquisition of two Wawa properties for $2.5M. The properties are located in strong retail corridors in New Jersey and are corporate-operated under a long-term, triple net lease with a weighted average of 1.4 years of term remaining. The transaction was priced at a 6.7% cap rate on rent as of the closing date, exclusive of transaction costs.

17:18 EDT Castle Biosciences director sells $1.02M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Castle Biosciences disclosed that its director Daniel Bradbury sold 50K shares of common stock on July 7th in a total transaction size of $1.02M.

16:56 EDT Vital Energy raises FY23 total production view to 82-86 MBOE/d from 76-80 MBOE/d - Raises FY23 oil production view to 40-43 from 36.3-39.3 MBO/d. Throughout 2023, Vital Energy has outperformed production expectations as process improvements and the implementation of digital solutions has improved the initial productivity of new wells and enhanced base production. Excluding production acquired with the Driftwood and Forge acquisitions, the company has increased its original full-year 2023 oil production expectation of 34.0 - 37.0 MBO/d by approximately 5% with no increase in capital investment guidance. Vital Energy plans to operate one drilling rig and turn-in-line approximately five wells on the acquired Forge acreage during the second half of 2023, investing approximately $50M. Pro forma for the acquisition, the company expects full-year 2023 capital investments of $675M-$725M, up from prior view of $625M-$675M.

16:48 EDT Bellevue and OSR sign letter of intent for business combination - Bellevue Life Sciences Acquisition and OSR Holdings, a global healthcare holding company, announced that they have entered into an exclusive, non-binding letter of intent, with the goal of completing a business combination in the Q4, resulting in OSR Holdings becoming a publicly traded company. BLAC and OSR Holdings expect to finalize their definitive agreement with respect to the proposed business combination in the coming weeks and plan to announce additional details at that time. Upon completion of the business combination, the surviving company will be renamed as OSR Biosciences.

16:44 EDT Cohen & Steers reports preliminary AUM of $80.4B as of June 30th - Cohen & Steers reported preliminary assets under management of $80.4B as of June 30, 2023, an increase of $2.6B from assets under management at May 31, 2023. The increase was due to net inflows of $36M and market appreciation of $2.9B, partially offset by distributions of $391M.

16:32 EDT Peoples Bancorp announces appointment of Tyler Wilcox as CEO - Peoples Bancorp announced that Chuck Sulerzyski, has notified Peoples of his intention to retire as President and CEO of each of Peoples and Peoples' banking subsidiary, Peoples Bank, effective March 31, 2024. He also intends to retire from the Boards of Directors of Peoples and Peoples Bank on that same date. Peoples also announced that Tyler Wilcox, will become the next President and CEO of each of Peoples and Peoples Bank, and will be elected as a director of each of Peoples and Peoples Bank, effective April 1, 2024, filling the vacancy created on each Board of Directors by Sulerzyski's retirement. Sulerzyski joined Peoples as President and CEO in April 2011. Wilcox, who has been an employee of Peoples since 2008, will serve in the position of Senior Executive Vice President, COO, of each of Peoples and Peoples Bank in a transitional role and succeed Sulerzyski upon his retirement. Wilcox has served in a variety of executive positions with Peoples and its subsidiaries over his 15 years with the organization. A search is currently underway for Wilcox's successor as Executive Vice President, Community Banking.

16:31 EDT Huntington Ingalls awarded $84M Air Force contract - HII announced that its Mission Technologies division was awarded an $84M contract to continue supporting the National Geospatial Agency's, or NGA, IT enterprise cloud migration. The recompeted contract was awarded under the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center's multiple-award contract vehicle by the U.S. Air Force's 774th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron. It has a term of five years.

16:21 EDT BlueLinx announces Andrew Wamser as CFO, Kelly Janzen to depart August-end - BlueLinx Holdings announced that Kelly Janzen, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, will be leaving the Company to pursue other opportunities at the end of August 2023. The Company also announced that Andrew Wamser will join as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer-Elect, effective July 17. Mr. Wamser will assume the role of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer on August 4 , and Ms. Janzen will serve in an advisory role through August 31 to ensure an orderly transition. Mr. Wamser will be based at BlueLinx headquarters in the Atlanta metro-area and will report directly to Shyam Reddy, President, and CEO.

16:18 EDT Brookdale Senior Living reports June occupancy - June 2023 Observations: June weighted average occupancy increased 160 basis points year-over-year, from 75.2% in 2022 to 76.8% in 2023. This represented a 20 basis point sequential increase compared to May 2023. Achieved twenty consecutive months of year-over-year weighted average occupancy growth. Weighted average occupancy increased sequentially each month within the quarter and the second quarter weighted average occupancy of 76.5% represented 190 basis points of year-over-year growth and 20 basis points of sequential growth compared to the first quarter 2023.

16:15 EDT Shift Technologies to reduce workforce by 34%, continue strategic review - Shift Technologies announced a plan to restructure and reduce the company's workforce. The restructuring plan is the result of a review by the company's recently appointed CEO Ayman Moussa as well as evaluations conducted as part of the company's review of strategic alternatives. The new structure is designed to improve the customer experience, increase efficiencies throughout the sales process. The Company has also decided to eliminate investment into the company's dealer marketplace business in order to focus on core operations. As a result of the restructuring, the company expects to reduce its headcount by approximately 34%. Approximately 60% of the headcount reductions are in operational roles, primarily as a result of eliminating centralized support. The remaining headcount reductions are concentrated among technology roles as a result of eliminating investment into the dealer marketplace, as well as general corporate roles. The company expects the reduction in force to result in annualized SG&A savings of approximately $14 million. The company expects to incur non-recurring charges of approximately $900,000, consisting primarily of employee severance costs. The strategic alternatives review process established to maximize value for all stakeholders is ongoing.

16:12 EDT Noble Corp. initiates quarterly dividend of 30c per share - This dividend is to be payable on September 14, 2023, to shareholders of record at close of business on August 17, 2023.

16:09 EDT Spark Networks names Colleen Birdnow as interim CEO - Spark Networks announced several key developments in its ongoing transformational journey, signaling a new chapter in the company's strategic direction. Spark has completed its process to evaluate a wide range of strategic alternatives for the company, including a potential sale, merger, or other transaction. As a result, the company is moving forward with an extensively considered new transformational plan that is intended to drive Spark forward with growth as well as improved margins, EBITDA and cash flow that the company plans to use to pay down debt and support its operations going forward. The company took the first step in implementing this strategy by teaming with a leading performance marketing agency to design an integrated marketing program aimed at driving growth across its brands. Moving forward, the company intends to transfer a significant portion of its operations to one or more third-party managed service providers with the goal of achieving long-term cost reductions, and to invest in new product features intended to increase customer acquisition and retention. Effective July 11, Colleen Birdnow Brown, the current Chair of the company's Board of Directors, will step in as interim CEO. Brown is the former CEO and Director of Fisher Communications, a multimedia and technology company. She has served in multiple executive roles in media and technology in addition to her board leadership roles over her career. The Board feels Brown is particularly suited to the interim CEO role given her previous operating experience as a CEO, her particular knowledge of the company and her experience in accounting, finance, and risk management. Effective July 7, 2023, Chelsea Grayson left her role as CEO of Spark and as a member of the Board to return to her career as a board member and advisor.

16:07 EDT Prothena to present new data from Alzheimer's Disease programs at AAIC - Prothena "announced participation in the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2023, AAIC, being held July 16-20, 2023 in Amsterdam, Netherlands and virtually. Participation includes three posters highlighting the company's next generation therapies for Alzheimer's disease and a Prothena sponsored symposium. Prothena will highlight results in a poster presentation from a single ascending dose (SAD) study in healthy volunteers receiving PRX005, a potentially best-in-class investigational tri-epitopic antibody for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease that specifically binds with high affinity to the R1, R2, and R3 repeats within the microtubule binding region (MTBR) of tau and targets both 3R and 4R tau isoforms. Prothena will present preclinical data in a late breaker poster presentation on the immunological response to the dual Abeta/Tau vaccine PRX123 surrogate and the effects on brain amyloid plaques in a rapidly depositing transgenic animal model. Prothena will present an encore poster presentation of data originally presented at the 2023 International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases and related neurological disorders (AD/PD) on preclinical data from the PRX012 program comparing a PRX012-surrogate1 (PRX012s) with lecanemab and donanemab. "

16:06 EDT Incyte says Phase 3 TruE-AD3 study meets primary endpoint - Incyte announced positive topline results from its randomized, vehicle-controlled, pivotal Phase 3 TRuE-AD3 study evaluating the safety and efficacy of ruxolitinib cream in children with atopic dermatitis. The study met its primary endpoint and showed significantly more patients treated with ruxolitinib cream 0.75% and 1.5% achieved Investigator's Global Assessment Treatment Success than patients treated with vehicle control. Investigator's Global Assessment Treatment Success is defined as an IGA score of 0 or 1 with at least a two-point improvement from baseline at Week 8. The overall safety profile of ruxolitinib cream is consistent with previous data, and no new safety signals were observed. The long-term safety portion of the study will continue as planned. "AD is a chronic, immune-mediated skin condition that affects about 13% of all children in the U.S. It can cause disruptive symptoms like redness, dry skin and intense itch, which can detrimentally impact quality of life and be difficult to manage for both the child and their caregivers," said Jim Lee, M.D., Group Vice President, Inflammation & AutoImmunity, Incyte. "We have already seen the benefit that ruxolitinib cream can have among adult and adolescent patients with atopic dermatitis in the TRuE-AD1 and TRuE-AD2 studies, and this new positive data reinforces the potential of ruxolitinib cream to offer children a much-needed effective, non-steroidal topical therapy. We look forward to discussing these data with regulatory agencies to determine next steps."

14:57 EDT Netflix debuts Profile Transfer, 'keep your Netflix experience a constant' - Timi Kosztin Netflix Product Manager, Product Innovation, blogged in part earlier: "People move. Families grow. Relationships end. But throughout these life changes, your Netflix experience should stay the same. ..., we're launching Profile Transfer, a feature that lets people using your account transfer a profile - keeping the personalized recommendations, viewing history, My List, saved games, and other settings - when they start their own membership. This new, much requested feature will roll out to all members around the world starting today. You'll be notified by email as soon as Profile Transfer becomes available on your account. To transfer a profile, go to the "Transfer Profile" option when you hover over your profile icon in the dropdown menu on the homepage... then simply follow the instructions. You can always turn off Profile Transfer in your account settings at any time." Reference Link

14:31 EDT Prestige Wealth Inc. trading resumes

14:26 EDT Prestige Wealth Inc. trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:43 EDT Matterport to reduce about 30% of workforce in restructuring - On July 11, Matterport announced a restructuring plan intended to reduce operating costs and "continue to accelerate its path to profitable growth." In a regulatory filing, the company stated: "The plan includes a reduction of approximately 170 roles, or 30% of its workforce. Decisions regarding the elimination of positions are subject to local law and consultation requirements in certain countries, as well as the company's business needs. The company currently estimates that it will incur charges of approximately $4 to $5M in connection with the plan, consisting primarily of cash expenditures for employee transition, notice period and severance payments, employee benefits, exit charges associated with office space reductions, and related costs. The company expects that the majority of the restructuring charges will be incurred in the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2023, and that the execution of the plan will be substantially complete by the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, subject to local law and consultation requirements." A blogpost from RJ Pittman, Matterport's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, regarding the restructuring actions was also attached to the company's current report on Form 8-K. Reference Link

13:00 EDT Coinbase experiencing system issues, says working on fix - Coinbase stated in a system status report: "We are continuing to investigate this issue. Our systems are currently experiencing issues. While we work on a fix, your funds remain secure." Reference Link

12:41 EDT Microsoft's Brad Smith confirms submission to CAT to stay UK litigation - Microsoft (MSFT) Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said in a statement via Twitter that "After today's court decision with the U.S., our focus now turns back to the UK. While we ultimately disagree with the CMA's concerns, we are considering how the transaction might be modified in order to address those concerns in a way that is acceptable to the CMA. In order to prioritize work on these proposals, Microsoft and Activision (ATVI) have agreed with the CMA that a stay of the litigation in the UK would be in the public interest and the parties have made a joint submission to the Competition Appeal Tribunal to this effect." Reference Link

12:07 EDT Merrill Lynch pays $12M to settle SEC, FINRA charges over activity reports - The Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges against Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith and its parent company Bank of America for failing to file hundreds of Suspicious Activity Reports from 2009 to late 2019. Merrill Lynch agreed to pay a $6M penalty to settle the SEC charges and, in a parallel action, Merrill Lynch agreed to pay a separate $6M fine to settle charges brought by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Reference Link

12:00 EDT Archer Aviation falls -6.4% - Archer Aviation is down -6.4%, or -31c to $4.52.

12:00 EDT Unisys rises 10.6% - Unisys is up 10.6%, or 43c to $4.53.

12:00 EDT SOS Limited rises 32.4% - SOS Limited is up 32.4%, or $1.85 to $7.56.

11:31 EDT Harley-Davidson announces new apparel collection with actor Jason Momoa - Harley-Davidson and actor and entrepreneur Jason Momoa announced they have joined forces to release a new lifestyle collection, On The Roam x Harley-Davidson. The company said "This collection celebrates Momoa's admiration for the brand, rooted in the principles of freedom and authenticity, blending seamlessly with his unique and creative aesthetic."

11:20 EDT Microsoft 'grateful' to court for 'quick and thorough' Activision decision - Microsoft (MSFT) Vice Chair and President Brad Smith released a statement on the court decision regarding the company's deal to acquire Activision Blizzard (ATVI), stating: "We're grateful to the Court in San Francisco for this quick and thorough decision and hope other jurisdictions will continue working towards a timely resolution. As we've demonstrated consistently throughout this process, we are committed to working creatively and collaboratively to address regulatory concerns." Reference Link

11:01 EDT Activision jumps 4% after court refuses FTC request to pause Microsoft deal

10:38 EDT VERTICAL CAP INCOME FD SHS BEN INT trading resumes

10:23 EDT Vertical Capital reports sale of majority of investment portfolio - Vertical Capital Income Fund (VCIF) that after engaging a third-party broker and conducting an extensive competitive bidding process, it has selected two winning bidders for a significant majority of its investment portfolio. Each winning bidder has acquired a portion of the Fund's investment portfolio in a sales process conducted to satisfy certain conditions to the closing of a previously-announced and shareholder-approved transaction with an affiliate of global investment firm Carlyle (CG). The Fund will invest the sales proceeds in cash equivalents in anticipation of the closing of the Transaction. Consequently, the Fund will generate reduced investment income while the proceeds are in cash equivalents. Based upon the expected proceeds from this sale, which resulted in aggregate proceeds lower than the book value of the combined assets due to the significant sale needed to facilitate the Transaction, the Fund has adjusted its net asset value per share from $9.96 as last reported on June 30, 2023, to $8.27 as of today. Additionally, the current Fund Board has terminated the Fund's Managed Distribution Plan and suspended its existing distribution policy, and the Fund will not declare its typical regularly scheduled July distribution in anticipation of a new dividend declaration that is expected to be made by Carlyle and the Fund Board before month's end following the closing of the Transaction. As part of the Transaction with an affiliate of Carlyle, Carlyle Global Credit Investment Management L.L.C. will become the investment adviser to the Fund. Under the terms of the transaction agreement, if certain closing conditions are satisfied, at the closing of the Transaction, CGCIM or an affiliate will make a special one-time payment to the Fund's shareholders as of the closing date of $10,000,000, or approximately $0.96 per share. In addition, CGCIM or an affiliate will make a $40,000,000 equity investment in the Fund in multiple transactions.

10:07 EDT Q2 reports year-over-year growth of Q2 Innovation Studio - Q2 Holdings announced rapid year-over-year growth of Q2 Innovation Studio as a result of financial institutions' increased need to attract, retain and grow customer relationships and deposits. Based on 2022 metrics, financial institutions procured more than 420 partner solutions, which is an increase of approximately 110 percent year over year. In addition, as of March 31, 2023, the number of consumers and small businesses utilizing fintech solutions through Q2 Innovation Studio has increased more than 100 percent year over year. Multiple financial institutions have reported generating $1 million or more in positive financial impact from Q2 Innovation Studio through a combination of non-interest fee income, cost savings and operational efficiencies.

10:04 EDT Redwire to build microgravity payload development facility in Indiana - Redwire plans to open a new microgravity payload development facility with a mission operations center at the Novaparke Innovation & Technology Campus in Floyd County, Indiana, as the company looks to increase production of critical technologies enabling human spaceflight missions and commercial microgravity research and development in low-Earth orbit. The new 30,000 square foot facility will support increased demand from commercial companies and academic researchers focused on improving pharmaceutical drug development, optimizing disease treatments, and enabling technologies essential for sustainable human spaceflight in LEO and beyond. Construction is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year.

10:00 EDT Equitrans Midstream falls -7.2% - Equitrans Midstream is down -7.2%, or -67c to $8.53.

10:00 EDT Gol Linhas falls -8.0% - Gol Linhas is down -8.0%, or -38c to $4.38.

10:00 EDT PropertyGuru rises 9.6% - PropertyGuru is up 9.6%, or 38c to $4.35.

09:52 EDT SOS Limited trading resumes

09:47 EDT SOS Limited trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:47 EDT Gol Linhas falls -6.2% - Gol Linhas is down -6.2%, or -29c to $4.46.

09:47 EDT SOS Limited rises 16.3% - SOS Limited is up 16.3%, or 93c to $6.64.

09:32 EDT State Street enters arrangement with GeoQuant for geopolitical risk insights - State Street entered into an arrangement with GeoQuant to make available geopolitical and country risk indicators produced and calculated by GeoQuant in State Street's own macro strategy research. The GeoQuant indicators measure and predict political risk daily and systematically with a fusion of PhD-level political and computer science. The full suite of GeoQuant's indicators are available on a subscription basis exclusively from GeoQuant. GeoQuant is also developing, with input from State Street, a new indicator designed to capture the links between geopolitical risk and market risk. The GeoQuant indicators and commentary will be made available via the Global Markets Insights platform, which provides clients data-driven indicators and investment ideas derived from high-frequency inflation, media sentiment and investor flows, informed by data from State Street's position as a servicer to $37.6T in assets as of March 31, 2023.

09:18 EDT Hyperfine launches observational study to define imaging paradigm in stroke care - Hyperfine has announced the commencement of an international, multi-site observational study, ACTION PMR or ACuTe Ischemic strOke detectioN with Portable MR. To support its acute stroke care initiatives, Hyperfine Inc. has formed an advisory board of world-renowned stroke experts. As a prospective, international, multi-site observational study, ACTION PMR aims to examine the integration of brain imaging with the Swoop system into the stroke diagnosis and treatment workflow. The goal is to use point-of-care brain imaging to identify strokes and viable brain tissue that can be saved. "The ACTION PMR study has the potential to improve stroke treatment all over the world, with the Swoop system assisting clinicians in imaging brain tissue and making timely diagnoses which could lead to the implementation of more effective treatments and help to facilitate better patient outcomes," says Dr. Khan Siddiqui, Hyperfine, Inc. Chief Medical Officer and Chief Strategy Officer.

09:17 EDT WidePoint awarded $46M IT, security contracts during Q2 - WidePoint Corporation awarded approximately $46 million in IT and security contracts during the second quarter of 2023. Highlights include: More than 80 contractual actions resulting in $45,908,000 in contract value. $3 million in commercial contracts. $43 million in government contracts. Under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cellular Wireless Managed Services 2.0 IDIQ contract, multimillion dollar awards from federal agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the United States Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration, among others; Numerous renewals and orders for WidePoint's Identity & Access Management offerings; Contract renewals for Soft-ex's Analytics & Billing as a Service solution; Product and service contracts for IT Authorities.

09:14 EDT American Outdoor Brands partners with Major League Fishing - American Outdoor Brands (AOUT) announced that BUBBA, its fishing brand, will partner with Major League Fishing - MLF -, the world's largest tournament-fishing organization. This collaboration will see BUBBA's Pro Series Smart Fish Scale become Major League Fishing's official scale starting with the 2024 Bass Pro Tour season.

09:12 EDT Teradyne appoints Ujjwal Kumar as Teradyne Robotics president - Teradyne named Ujjwal Kumar as Group President - Teradyne Robotics. Kumar's 25-year career has spanned multiple industries and major multi-national corporations, including General Motors, General Electric, and Honeywell. The Teradyne Robotics Group includes Universal Robots and Mobile Industrial Robots that build human-scale robotics, designed to work alongside people to perform tasks that are dull, dirty, or even dangerous. UR is the market leader in the work cell collaborative robotics market and MiR is a leader in autonomous mobile robotics. Kumar succeeds Greg Smith who was promoted to Teradyne's CEO in February this year.

09:10 EDT Applied Materials, Arizona State University announce alliance - Arizona State University and Applied Materials announced an alliance, aided by the Arizona Commerce Authority, that brings more than $270M to create a world-class shared research, development and prototyping facility, the Materials-to-Fab Center, in the university's MacroTechnology Works building at ASU Research Park. The MTF Center will be designed to accelerate the transfer of innovations from ideation to fab prototype by bringing state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing equipment into a collaborative ASU and Applied Materials environment to work with industry partners, startups, government entities and academic institutions. The MTF Center will provide students and faculty with opportunities for hands-on learning and research on the same 300mm equipment used in leading-edge production fabs.

09:09 EDT Evolent Health announces corporate rebranding as Evolent - Evolent Health is rebranding as Evolent and will integrate its portfolio of solutions and businesses under that name by year's end. As part of the rebrand, Evolent has released a new tagline-Specializing in Connected Care. A new corporate logo reflects the simplified focus of the organization going forward. The company's distinct brands will be integrated into one Evolent organization. Evolent has about 5,000 employees-including about 1,400 clinicians-. As of May 2023, about 41 million unique health plan enrollees had access to at least one of Evolent's solutions through their plans. Evolent will officially sunset all legacy solution names by the end of 2023. Evolent's name and ticker on the New York Stock Exchange remain unchanged.

09:08 EDT Beyond Meat announces Beyond Steak now available at 14,000 stores - Beyond Meat announced that following a successful initial rollout, Beyond Steak, the #1 selling new plant-based meat item in retail, is expanding distribution to include Whole Foods Market, Publix, Wegmans, Meijer and Stater Bros. Markets. This new distribution joins existing availability of Beyond Steak and supports Beyond Meat's mission of making delicious, nutritious and sustainable plant-based meat products accessible for all. "We are pleased by all the momentum around Beyond Steak as it validates the product's delicious taste and compelling nutritional benefits. Recent data from a regional chain showed that more than 50% of households that bought Beyond Steak were new to the plant-based meat category and 2 out of 3 households repurchased Beyond Steak3, reinforcing that this is a product that is resonating with consumers," said AK Oghoghomeh, SVP of Global Marketing, Beyond Meat.

09:07 EDT Accenture Federal Services wins $94M U.S. Army contract for ICAM system - Accenture Federal Services, AFS, has won a $94M U.S. Army contract to maintain and transform the agency's Identity, Credential, and Access Management ICAM system. "In addition to enhancing its cybersecurity posture, these innovations will drive enterprise efficiencies for the Army by eliminating costs associated with redundant ICAM manpower, hardware, software, and services." "To combat an evolving array of cybersecurity threats, the Army needs a scalable solution to modernize its identity management and access controls system," said Keith Runtz, an Accenture Federal Services managing director and defense portfolio lead. "Accenture Federal Services is excited to deliver a fast, secure, and auditable ICAM solution that enables interoperability across the Army, DoD, and mission partners."

09:06 EDT Lucy Scientific Discovery announces launch of new sleep aid product - Lucy Scientific Discovery announces the launch of "Twilight" - a blend of Amanita and Reishi mushrooms that include a variety of other nootropics promoting improved cognitive function and enhanced sleep quality. "We are incredibly excited to present Twilight to our customers, and offer them a nightly solution for improved sleep," stated Chanel Perez, Director of Marketing of Lucy Scientific Discovery Inc. "Sleep disorders, a pervasive issue faced by a significant proportion of the population, can significantly affect one's overall well-being. After the encouraging reception of Mindful by Lucy, we are confident that Twilight will follow its success and enhance the lives of our customers."

09:06 EDT RCI Hospitality reports Q3 club & restaurant sales up 8.9% y-o-y - Sales do not include non-core operations and are preliminary. 3Q23 financial results are expected on or around August 9. CEO Eric Langan said: "Q3 sales reflected the benefit of acquisitions, partially offset by macroeconomic uncertainty, which negatively affected same-store sales. Projects coming online should contribute new sales in 4Q23 and FY24."

09:04 EDT Shutterstock announces expansion of its partnership with OpenAI - Shutterstock announced the expansion of its partnership with OpenAI. Through a new six-year agreement, Shutterstock is set to solidify its position as a leading provider of high-quality training data for OpenAI models, propelling transformative capabilities for brands, digital media, and marketing companies. As part of this expanded collaboration, OpenAI has secured a license for access to additional Shutterstock training data including Shutterstock's image, video and music libraries and associated metadata. Shutterstock also gains priority access to the latest OpenAI technology and will continue to leverage DALLE's groundbreaking generative text-to-image capabilities directly into the shutterstock.com platform. In addition to text-to-image generation, the integration will also provide Shutterstock customers with synthetic editing capabilities, allowing them to not just create new content, but also to simply edit and transform any image in the entire Shutterstock library to accelerate ideation and production. Shutterstock and OpenAI will work in collaboration to bring generative AI capabilities to mobile users through Shutterstock's newly acquired GIPHY platform.

09:04 EDT STMicroelectronics, Wurth Elektronik cooperate for high-performance power tool - Wurth Elektronik and STMicroelectronics jointly developed a demo using a Wurth power tool. The design, which efficiently drives a low-voltage Brushless DC motor, is ideal for handheld power-tool applications. Moreover, the design includes all the necessary user interfaces required to control the motor's trigger, speed, and direction. The demo is based on the STDES-PTOOL3A reference design, in which the Gerber files, Bill of Materials, schematics and all other reference materials are downloadable from ST.com without charge. "Working with Wurth Elektronik, ST has shown its capability to work with partners to extract the best performance from its product offer and to jointly develop system solutions addressing the most challenging and complex application needs," said Ricardo De Sa Earp, Executive Vice President, General-Purpose Microcontroller Sub-Group, STMicroelectronics.

09:03 EDT Academy Sports names Carl Ford as CFO, succeeding Michael Mullican - Academy Sports + Outdoors announced that Carl Ford has been promoted to Executive Vice President and CFO, effective July 12, 2023, succeeding Michael Mullican, who recently transitioned to President. In his new role, Ford will oversee Finance, Accounting, Tax, Treasury, Loss Prevention, Internal Audit, and Investor Relations. Ford has served as Academy's Senior Vice President, Finance since January 2019. Prior to joining Academy, he served as Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis at Belk, Inc. where he spent 15 years.

09:03 EDT CareCloud appoints Steenvoorden as Chief Financial Officer - CareCloud announced the appointment of Larry Steenvoorden as the new chief financial officer, CFO. With a distinguished career and extensive financial and strategic expertise, Steenvoorden brings valuable experience from his previous roles. Before joining CareCloud, he served as the executive vice president and CFO at Chembio Diagnostics, where he implemented strategic initiatives and improved profitability.

09:00 EDT Wingstop appoints Anne Fischer as Chief Growth Officer - Wingstop appointed Anne Fischer as Senior VP, Chief Growth Officer. She will lead Wingstop's marketing and digital strategies. Prior to joining Wingstop, Fischer held the Chief Marketing & Digital Officer title at Papa John's International, where she spent eight years of her career. She has more than 20 years of combined experience in QSR and hospitality industries, including marketing and sales leadership roles at The Walt Disney Company and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.

08:51 EDT Grid Dynamics appoints Valery Zelixon as SVP, sales - Grid Dynamics announced the appointment of Valery Zelixon as its Senior Vice President of Sales. The addition of Zelixon to the executive team supports Grid Dynamics' commitment to expand its client base and increase revenue growth. Prior to joining Grid Dynamics, he served as the Vice President and Head of North American Hunting Sales at EPAM.

08:50 EDT Gaucho Group - Buenos Aires unveils leather Travel Collection - Gaucho Group Holdings announced its luxury leather goods and accessories brand Gaucho - Buenos Aires will debut its new leather Travel Collection during Miami's annual fashion event, Miami Swim Week. Gaucho - Buenos Aires introduces its Travel Collection-a fusion of Buenos Aires allure, elegance, and vibrant energy-with an unforgettable runway show amidst the exciting atmosphere of the Miami Design District, on Saturday July 15 at 4 PM. Crafted from luxurious calfskin leather, Gaucho - Buenos Aires' Travel Collection showcases a weekender duffle bag, travel kit, crossbody belt bag, messenger bag, and backpack. The versatility extends with sleek leather belts, wallets, and more. Timeless appeal is enhanced by variant colors like classic black, cognac, peony pink, and eucalyptus green. Meticulously crafted, these travel essentials epitomize style and functionality. Embark on a journey of sophistication and experience Gaucho - Buenos Aires' new leather collection at its finest.

08:46 EDT Adial Pharmaceuticals provides woking summary on AD04 development plans - Adial has assessed the impact of the regulatory guidance on the future business and operating plan requirements to meet the needs of the FDA and EU regulators for submission and approval of AD04 to treat genetic subtypes of AUD. While the Company is in the process of confirming the impact on the clinical development plans and timing with its external advisors and ongoing partnership discussions, the following provides a working summary subject to final discussions with the regulatory agencies. Regulatory feedback indicates that even though a single additional Phase 3 trial with convincing data may suffice for approval, it would be a review issue for the agencies following trial completion to determine if the data was sufficient for approval. Therefore, while possible to file for registration with one additional trial, current planning assumptions are that Adial will need to conduct two Phase 3 trials with AD04, where the active arm of patients will be compared to placebo and the second trial may include a biomarker negative patient arm to satisfy any ongoing questions from the regulators regarding efficacy parameters. This is expected to support potential approval in the shortest time frame possible and removes future regulatory filing and review risk that would be associated with conducting a single additional trial, as the Company would plan to run the studies in parallel. Adial believes that conducting two trials in parallel is the best strategy to minimize risk, optimize timing and costs, as well as improve the probability of regulatory authority acceptance and approval in the US and Europe. The new clinical development plan includes both the US and EU endpoints and will be designed to satisfy both US and EU AD04 submission requirements. Confirmation of the clinical development plan and pathway is currently being conducted by Adial's clinical development and regulatory advisors. Safety Requirements: FDA agreed to Adial's plan to comply with ICH E1A by adding a long-term safety follow-up to the planned Phase 3 trial, thereby exposing at least 100 patients to AD04 for one year. A thorough QT study will not be required. FDA noted it may potentially reduce certain safety requirements such as food effect, ECG monitoring and bioequivalence pending review of additional manufacturing data establishing that AD04 has an identical formulation to Zofran. Incorporating the above assumptions into the business and clinical development plan would bring AD04 to registration with the FDA in Q3 of 2025, assuming the two trials are successful. The trials are expected to cost approximately $25 million in total to complete. Adial is currently in active discussions with potential commercial partners that have expressed an interest in supporting the trials and advancing commercialization in both the US and European markets.

08:42 EDT Eterna appoints Binder, Wagner to board of directors - Eterna Therapeutics announced the appointment of Brant Binder and Richard Wagner, Ph.D. to its Board of Directors. Concurrently, Charles Cherington and Nicholas Singer have stepped down from the Board. Since 2007, Binder and Dr. Wagner have worked together in the biotechnology field. They recently co-founded and operate Bonito Biosciences, an oligonucleotide therapeutics company.

08:41 EDT Real Good Food announces launch of two new entrees, expansion into Publix - The Real Good Food Company announced the expansion of their Global Entrees platform into Publix, along with the addition of two new flavors; Tika Masala and Korean BBQ.

08:40 EDT Salesforce increasing list prices average of 9% in August - In a post on its corporate site, Salesforce stated: "In August, Salesforce will be increasing list prices an average of 9% across Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Industries and Tableau. Salesforce's last list price increase was seven years ago, and since then the company has delivered 22 new releases, thousands of new features-including recent generative AI innovations-and invested more than $20 billion in research and development... With Salesforce, customers can reduce complexity and see fast time to value by working with a single company to deploy innovative technology across sales, service, marketing and commerce, and more... New list pricing will go into effect globally for new customers and existing customers purchasing new clouds in August 2023. The new list prices will be Professional Edition $80 USD (up $5), Enterprise Edition $165 USD (up $15) and Unlimited Edition $330 USD (up $30). These editions will be priced comparably in other currencies. Similar list price increases will go into effect for Industries, Marketing Cloud Engagement and Account Engagement, CRM Analytics and Tableau." Reference Link

08:39 EDT Bridgeline Digital partners with Interpublic's RafterOne - Bridgeline Digital (BLIN) announced its new partnership with Interpublic Group's (IPG) RafterOne Salesforce Summit Partner, to optimize and streamline the ecommerce experience for businesses around the globe. "We are thrilled about the massive potential that this partnership with RafterOne unlocks," said Ari Kahn, CEO of Bridgeline Digital. "Our combined capabilities will allow businesses to optimize their digital marketing strategies and customer engagement."

08:38 EDT Journey Medical achieved co-primary endpoints in MVOR-1, MVOR-2 studies - Journey Medical Corporation (DERM) announced positive topline results from the two Phase 3 multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, active-comparator and placebo-controlled clinical trials, Minocycline Versus Oracea in Rosacea-1 and Minocycline Versus Oracea in Rosacea-2, evaluating Minocycline Hydrochloride Modified Release Capsules, 40 mg for the treatment of moderate-to-severe papulopustular rosacea in adults. DFD-29 is being developed for the treatment of rosacea in collaboration with Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (RDY). The primary objective of both studies was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of DFD-29 compared to placebo for the treatment of papulopustular rosacea. The secondary objective was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of DFD-29 compared to Oracea. Both clinical trials achieved the co-primary and all secondary endpoints, which compared the efficacy of DFD-29 to Oracea and placebo for the treatment of rosacea. Additionally, the reduction in the total inflammatory lesion count from baseline to week 16 in the DFD-29 group was statistically superior to Oracea and placebo groups. There were no major safety issues and no serious adverse events related to study products in both MVOR-1 and MVOR-2 trials. The number of treatment emergent adverse events and their severity were similar between the treatment groups. The number of TEAEs related to study products were also similar between the groups.

08:37 EDT ToughBuilt reports $3.61M in Q2 sales through Amazon - ToughBuilt Industries announced that the Company's gross sales for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023, through Amazon.com were $3.61 million, which remains consistent with our quarter-over-quarter sales of $3.56 million in Q2 of 2022. In total, sales for the first six months of 2023 have increased by 5.3% to approximately $7.41 million, compared to $7.01 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022, last year.

08:36 EDT Runway Growth Finance funds four new investments in Q2 - Runway Growth Finance provided an operational and portfolio update for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023. In the second quarter of 2023, Runway Growth funded four new investments in existing portfolio companies. These include: Completion of a $15 million follow-on investment to existing portfolio company CloudPay. CloudPay provides a cloud-based proprietary platform for global payroll and treasury services; Completion of a $20 million follow-on investment to existing portfolio company EBR Systems. EBR Systems is a clinical-stage medical device company that has developed the only leadless pacemaker for the left ventricle to assist in cardiac resynchronization therapy; Completion of a $2 million follow-on investment to existing portfolio company Epic IO Technologies. Epic IO is the global technology holding company for IntelliSite and Broad Sky Networks. Epic IO is focused on wireless connectivity and solutions powered by AI and Internet of Things that seek to make customers safer, smarter, and more connected; and Completion of a $13.9 million follow-on investment to Kin Insurance. Kin is a direct-to-consumer homeowner's insurance business. The company's end-to-end platform handles all aspects of the business in-house, from lead generation to bind-and-quote/underwriting to claims. Subsequent to June 30, 2023, Runway Growth completed a $20 million investment to Elevate. Elevate is a global alternative legal services provider and legal process outsourcer that serves members of the Fortune 500 and 60+ global law firms with outsourced consultancy, technology, and managed services. The company has a suite of products and services across several different operating business units including contracts, contract lifetime management and insights, ElevateNext, med legal, ElevateFlex, consulting, and software. During the second quarter ended June 30, 2023, Runway Growth experienced four prepayments totaling $88.7 million and scheduled principal amortization of $2.8 million. The prepayments include: Full principal repayment of senior secured term loan to INRIX, Inc. of $45 million;; Full principal repayment of senior secured term loan to Mustang Bio of $30 million; Full principal repayment of senior secured term loan to Revelle Aesthetics, Inc. of $12.5 million; and Partial principal repayment of senior secured term loan to Pivot3, Inc. of $1.2 million. Runway Growth's portfolio continues to be concentrated on first lien senior secured loans with a focus on what it believes to be the latest stage, highest quality companies in the venture debt market. Runway Growth continues to deploy an extremely high bar for evaluating investments, in an increasingly lender friendly environment, with its priority being to deliver consistent shareholder value. As of June 30, 2023, the Runway Growth portfolio included 33 debt investments to 31 portfolio companies and 58 equity investments in 43 portfolio companies, including 25 portfolio companies where Runway Growth holds both a debt and equity investment. Investments were comprised of late and growth-stage businesses in the technology, life sciences and consumer services and products industries. Runway Growth's normal business operations include frequent communication with portfolio companies. Runway Growth is a credit-first organization, positioned as a preferred lender in the venture debt space given its consistent and close support for its partners. The Company has proven risk mitigation methods that deliver attractive returns for shareholders, and it remains confident in the durability of its portfolio, which has industry-leading low loss rates. The team continues to see strong demand for its creative financing solutions and will maintain a heightened level of selectivity in the second half of 2023.

08:35 EDT Adeia renews IP license agreement with Enseo - Adeia announced that it has renewed its agreement with Enseo to license Adeia's media intellectual property portfolio. Enseo provides technology solutions that improve the in-room digital entertainment experience of hotel and resort guests. "Enseo is addressing the evolving needs of hotels and resorts to deliver best in class in-room digital entertainment experiences to guests," said Dr. Mark Kokes, Adeia's chief licensing officer and general manager, media. "The video consumption needs of today's travelers have evolved significantly. This agreement further validates Adeia's market-leading technology as an enabler of digital entertainment experiences, which offers competitive differentiation in the hospitality industry. We look forward to continuing to deepen and extend our relationship with Enseo."

08:34 EDT Lisata Therapeutics announces retirement of Ruoslahti from board of directors - Lisata Therapeutics announced that Erkki Ruoslahti, M.D., Ph.D., has decided to retire from its Board of Directors effective today, July 11, 2023. Dr. Ruoslahti will remain associated with the Company, however, in a scientific advisory position. Dr. Ruoslahti cites the arduous requirements of international travel as well as his confidence in both the progress made with the Company's lead asset, LSTA1, and the strategy that Lisata is taking to exploit the full potential of this asset as contributing to his decision.

08:33 EDT 3D Systems, Oerlikon enter agreement for metal additive manufacturing - 3D System and Oerlikon AM announced the companies have entered a collaboration agreement to further scale metal additive manufacturing. Combining both organizations' deep process and applications expertise with 3D Systems' Direct Metal Printing platform and Oerlikon AM's surface engineering capabilities will enable a faster path to market for applications in high-criticality industries such as semiconductor and aerospace. As part of this agreement, Oerlikon AM is acquiring its fourth 3D Systems DMP Factory 500 system, the first Oerlikon AM is adding in the U.S., to be part of the manufacturing workflow in its North Carolina facility. This will help expand Oerlikon's end-to-end supply chain solution for high-precision, complex aluminum components for the U.S. market. 3D Systems' Application Innovation Group collaborated with Oerlikon AM's Application Engineering to develop this solution.

08:33 EDT Anixa Biosciences issued Canadian patent for CAR-T cancer therapy technology - Anixa Biosciences announced that the Canadian Intellectual Property Office has issued a Canadian Patent covering Anixa's novel Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T cell - CAR-T - cancer treatment technology, which has been licensed from The Wistar Institute and is being developed in partnership with Moffitt Cancer Center. The patent covers a nucleic acid that encodes a chimeric protein whose domains can be used to treat certain types of cancer by binding to specific hormone receptors and activating T cells. The patent was invented by doctors formerly of The Wistar Institute, to which the patent is assigned, along with Anixa's majority-owned subsidiary, Certainty Therapeutics, which is the exclusive, world-wide licensee.

08:32 EDT Vaxcyte advances to second stage of ongoing Phase 2 study of VAX-24 - Vaxcyte announced that the ongoing Phase 2 study of VAX-24 in healthy infants is advancing to the second and final stage of the study. The independent Data Safety Monitoring Board approved advancing to the second stage of the study following the review of the safety and tolerability results from the first stage. The Phase 2 study is evaluating the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of VAX-24, the Company's lead, broad-spectrum 24-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate designed to prevent invasive pneumococcal disease. Vaxcyte expects to share topline data from the primary three-dose immunization series of the study by 2025, followed by topline data from the booster dose approximately nine months later. "Today's news illustrates the steady momentum of our VAX-24 infant clinical program and underscores our commitment to progressing the evaluation of VAX-24 relative to the broadest-spectrum standard-of-care PCV available for this vulnerable population," said Grant Pickering, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Vaxcyte. "We designed VAX-24 to deliver broader coverage and improved immune responses and we look forward to sharing topline data from the primary three-dose immunization series by 2025."

08:31 EDT Salarius receives FDA clearance for IND application of SP-3164 Phase 1 trial - Salarius Pharmaceuticals announces U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, clearance of the company's investigational new drug, IND application to commence a Phase 1 clinical trial with SP-3164 in patients with relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Salarius expects to begin treating patients in the dose-escalation portion of the trial in the second half of 2023 to evaluate safety, clinical activity, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. "FDA clearance of the SP-3164 IND marks another significant milestone for Salarius and demonstrates our continued focus and commitment to bringing new therapies to patients in need of new treatment options," said David Arthur, president and chief executive officer of Salarius, "We now plan to enroll NHL patients in the dose-escalation portion of the clinical trial and will then focus on patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the second portion of the trial."

08:27 EDT Purple Biotech reports results of CM24 dose escalation - Purple Biotech announced the completion and data maturity of its Phase 1 dose escalation study of CM24, a first-in-class anti-CEACAM1 monoclonal antibody addressing multiple tumor types. In the dose escalation part of the study, 11 refractory, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients whose cancer progressed following two lines of prior therapies were treated with CM24 at 10, 15 and 20mg/kg once every two weeks and nivolumab at 480mg once every four weeks. The investigational immunotherapy combination was well tolerated across all dose levels with no recorded Drug Limiting Toxicities. Grade 3 adverse events were reported in 6 of the patients and none was considered related to the study drugs. No Grade 4 or deaths were reported. Overall Survival data across all dose levels from this study with Purple's chemo free CM24 in combination with nivolumab, demonstrated comparable OS rate in comparison to historical data of third line patients treated with chemotherapy, which demonstrate an OS median rate in a range of 3 to 4 months. Among the patients who demonstrated a response or disease control from the CM24 + nivolumab treatment, one third line patient has survived for 14.6 months. The patient had Microsatellite Stable and PDL-1 IHC 2+ and 5% staining, features not expected to respond to immuno-oncology therapy. Based on the study's safety, tolerability, efficacy, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data, the recommended Phase 2 dose of CM24 in combination with nivolumab was determined to be 20mg/kg. We believe that these encouraging and confirmed final results provide additional support to the rationale for conducting the already initiated Phase 2 randomized study of CM24 in combination with nivolumab and standard of care chemotherapy vs. standard of care chemotherapy alone, in the second line PDAC setting. This randomized Phase 2 study is being conducted as part of Purple Biotech's clinical collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb.

08:24 EDT SmileDirectClub opens 18 new SmileShop locations in the U.S. - SmileDirectClub announced the opening of 18 new locations of its patented SmileShop concept, bringing the Company's retail footprint to 128 locations across the globe. The expansion comes as SmileDirectClub celebrates its two millionth aligner customer served through its orthodontic telehealth platform. These SmileShop openings mark the first expansion of the Company's retail footprint in the U.S. since the beginning of the 2020 pandemic. The additional locations will provide even more consumers with the opportunity to begin their smile journey through the Company's doctor-directed digital orthodontia telehealth platform.

08:22 EDT Middlefield Banc's Middlefield Banking names WInters SVP, CHRO - The Middlefield Banking Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Middlefield Banc (MBCN), announced the appointment of Sarah Winters as the Senior Vice President, SVP, Chief Human Resource Officer, CHRO. In this role, Winters will be responsible for Middlefield's HR strategy including talent management, succession planning, and organizational development. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President, Workforce Strategy and Enterprise Return to Office Executive at Keycorp (KEY).

08:21 EDT Whole Earth Brands retains Jefferies as financial advisor to special committee - Whole Earth Brands announced that the special committee of the Company's board of directors has retained Jefferies as financial advisor to assist the Special Committee in the review and evaluation of the previously disclosed non-binding proposal received by the Company on June 25, 2023 from Sababa Holdings FREE to acquire for cash all of the outstanding shares of the Company's common stock that it does not already own for $4.00 per share, as well as any other proposals or strategic alternatives that may be available to the Company, including remaining as a standalone publicly-traded company. Nothing in this communication shall constitute a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell shares of the Company's common stock. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be made, that any agreement will be executed or that this or any other transaction will be approved or consummated.

08:19 EDT Strata Skin Sciences announces publication of review in JCAD - STRATA Skin Sciences announced the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, JCAD, published a review and an expert perspectives article in the June 2023 Supplemental edition titled, "Photopneumatic Technology for the Treatment of Mild-to-Moderate Acne Vulgaris." In the review, Gilly Munavalli, MD, highlighted the TheraClearX system, which included its mechanism of action, key features of the device, and the clinical outcomes experienced. "The TheraClearX review and expert perspectives article highlights the device's safety and efficacy and emphasizes the visible improvement patients often experience soon after beginning treatment," stated Bob Moccia, Chief Executive Officer of STRATA Skin Sciences. "Importantly, the information presented in the JCAD supplement expands on how the TheraClearX device fits into the acne treatment landscape and how the device can be seamlessly integrated into a physician's practice."

08:18 EDT PDS announces Canadian IP Office has allowed patent for Versamune, PDS0301 - PDS Biotechnology announced the Canadian Intellectual Property, IP, Office has allowed patent number 2,876,656 titled, "Cationic Lipid Vaccine Combinations and Methods of Use," governing composition of matter and uses for Versamune in combination with PDS0301. The intellectual property provides broad protection for treatments utilizing Versamune based therapies, including PDS0101, in combination with PDS0301 as a potential treatment for cancer. This patent expands PDS Biotech's market coverage and adds to the world-wide patent portfolio including the patent granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Patent No. 11,401,306, covering the combination of Versamune and cytokines including Interleukin 12. "This newly allowed patent adds to the intellectual property governing Versamune(R) based therapies in combination with PDS0301, which we believe represent a potentially transformative treatment approach for advanced cancer patients," said Dr. Frank Bedu-Addo, CEO of PDS Biotech. "Possessing multilayered IP for our immunotherapies is an important value driver for PDS Biotech and is a key component of our business strategy. We anticipate that Canada will constitute an important market as we begin our commercialization and partnership strategies."

08:16 EDT Longeveron appoints Agafonova as CMO - Longeveron (LGVN) announced the appointment of Nataliya Agafonova, M. D., as the Company's Chief Medical Officer, CMO, effective as of July 1, 2023. As CMO, Dr. Agafonova will lead Longeveron's global clinical development and regulatory strategy for the Company's investigational products. Dr. Agafonova joins Longeveron from Otsuka Pharmaceutical (OTSKY), where she served as Clinical Development Lead, Senior Medical Director, and Product Development Chair.

08:16 EDT Voip-Pal.com provides update on recent developments in patent litigation - VoIP-Pal.com (VPLM) provides a legal update of recent developments in the current patent litigation. Recent case dismissals in VoIP-Pal's lawsuits against Google (GOOG), Meta (META), and Samsung (SSNLF) have resulted in the termination of all motions for judgment on the pleadings under section 101 in the Northern District of California filed against the Mobile Gateway patents and 8 IPR petitions filed with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The Court granted VoIP-Pal's motion for reconsideration in case VoIP-Pal.com, Inc. v. Amazon.com (AMZN), Inc. et al., No. 6:20-CV-00272-ADA, and modified its final claim construction as proposed by VoIP-Pal. This case asserts RBR Continuation Patent No. 10218606 and is currently in the discovery phase with a trial expected in the first half of 2024. On June 26, 2023, a joint stipulation of dismissal was filed by the parties in VoIP-Pal's case against Amazon asserting VoIP-Pal's Mobile Gateway Patents. The cases vs Verizon (VZ) and T-Mobile (TMUS) continue to move forward with trials scheduled in October.

08:14 EDT Dare Bioscience announces data from exploratory Phase 2b RESPOND study - Dare Bioscience and its collaborator Strategic Science & Technologies announced additional positive data from the exploratory Phase 2b RESPOND study evaluating topical Sildenafil Cream, 3.6% as a treatment for female sexual arousal disorder. Additional data reported support continued clinical development of Sildenafil Cream to evaluate its potential to treat FSAD and/or female sexual interest/arousal disorder. Specifically, an exploratory endpoint regarding sexual desire demonstrated a statistically significant improvement from baseline to the 8-week mark after randomization in women in the intent to treat population who used Sildenafil Cream compared to placebo. The improvement in sexual desire at the 8-week mark compared to baseline in the Sildenafil Cream ITT group persisted through 12 weeks post-randomization.

08:12 EDT INmune Bio announces novel MRI biomarker data to be presented at AAIC - INmune Bio reveals new findings from data to be presented at the annual Alzheimer's Association International Conference, AAIC, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. AAIC is the largest medical meeting focused on Alzheimer's Disease, AD. "One of the difficulties in developing drugs for AD is the inability to quantify the disease and measure changes at the tissue or microstructure level. The current approaches to measure brain changes utilize imaging techniques that measure the whole brain," said RJ Tesi, M.D., INmune Bio's Chief Executive Officer. "To observe whole brain changes in AD often takes a year or longer. Because whole brain changes are a sum of microstructural changes, we can more quickly assess the potential of a therapy through microstructural measurements such as Cortical Disarray Measurement." Emerging imaging techniques that assess microstructural changes are rapidly advancing. INmune Bio is a pioneer in the use of novel microstructural neuroimaging biomarkers to measure pharmacodynamic activity of treatment with XPro in patients with AD. INmune previously reported that treatment using XPro improved microstructural changes in the white matter tracts that are most affected in AD patients in participants from our Phase 1b trial. This new analysis reports similar findings in the gray matter of these same participants. The results demonstrate a dose dependent enhancement in gray matter measures throughout the brain in AD patients treated with XPro.

08:11 EDT MAIA Biotechnology provides update on THIO-101 trial disease control data - MAIA Biotechnology announced updates on disease control data in the Part A safety lead-in of its ongoing THIO-101 phase 2 trial, evaluating THIO in sequential combination with cemiplimab in patients with advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, or NSCLC. Of the first 11 patients enrolled in THIO-101 to complete at least 1 post baseline response assessment, nine met the primary endpoint of disease control. All patients enrolled have previously failed two or more prior lines of treatment including an immune checkpoint inhibitor and platinum-based chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC. No new safety analysis was conducted at this time.

08:11 EDT Tritium becomes first manufacturer to win NEVI fast charger order - Tritium DCFC announced that the company will provide all fast chargers for the State of Hawai'i's first round of National Electric Vehicle Infrastructureless than NEVI, Formula Program funding. The company believes Tritium is now the first manufacturer to secure a fast charger order through NEVI program funding. "Hawai'i is recognized nationwide and around the world for its commitment to sustainability and has long been at the forefront of the e-mobility transition," said Tritium CEO Jane Hunter. "We're not surprised to see the state act so quickly to ensure their community benefits from the emissions reductions that a rapid technology transition to electric vehicles secures. The NEVI funding is designed to ensure this transition occurs quickly and equitably, and Tritium is pleased to partner with the state and its representatives to bolster Hawai'i's EV charging infrastructure."

08:10 EDT Global convenience brand taps Mobivity Holdings' Connected Rewards - Mobivity Holdings announced that a major global convenience store brand successfully acquired thousands of digital consumers through Mobivity's Connected Rewards. Using Mobivity's Connected Rewards, the brand was able to leverage its owned media to promote various casual mobile games while Mobivity's reach to more than 200 million highly receptive mobile gamers provided reciprocal advertising to promote the brand's digital programs. The program resulted in the brand acquiring over 158,000 new consumers nearly 30% faster with an 82% lower acquisition cost than their common digital advertising channels previously employed such as social media, influencer marketing, and digital ad networks. Additional results included double-digit improvements in the brand's opt-in and opt-out rates compared to stand-alone brand offers without game promotions. This new digital audience helped drive increased loyalty memberships and digital sales.

08:09 EDT Monday.com appoints Daniel Lereya as chief product, technology officer - Monday.com announced the appointment of Daniel Lereya as chief product and technology officer, effective immediately. This dual leadership CPO/CTO model will allow Lereya to simultaneously lead the charge on the product and technology disciplines to drive innovation within Monday.com. Lereya will continue bringing a strategic and analytic perspective to bolster Monday.com's unique approach of integrating the product and technology process with Design. He will continue to report to co-CEOs Roy Mann and Eran Zinman.

08:09 EDT Semler Scientific appoints Renae Cormier as CFO - Semler Scientific appointed Renae Cormier as CFO. Cormier will continue as Semler Scientific's head of corporate communications and business strategy, a role she has held since May 2022. Cormier has a background in finance and accounting, having worked as an investment analyst and auditor for several years before joining Semler Scientific.

08:08 EDT Axcelis announces multiple shipments of Purion Power Series implanters - Axcelis Technologies announced multiple shipments of the Purion Power Series ion implanter systems to leading silicon carbide power device chipmakers worldwide. The shipments, all delivered in the second quarter, included a Purion H200 SiC evaluation system for a leading SiC power device manufacturer in the United States as well as multiple revenue systems for customers in Asia. The models of Purion Power Series implanters shipped included the Purion H200 high current, Purion EXE high energy, the Purion XE high energy and the Purion M medium current implanters. The systems will be used in high volume production of power devices supporting automotive industry electric vehicle applications. Several of the systems shipped from the Axcelis Asia Operations Center in South Korea.

08:07 EDT Cingulate announces results from Phase 3 trial of CTx-1301 - Cingulate announced positive top-line results from its Phase 3 adult trial of its lead candidate, CTx-1301, a novel, investigational treatment being developed as a true, once-daily stimulant medication for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, upon approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA. The Phase 3 CTx-1301-022 study, which assessed efficacy and safety along with onset and duration of CTx-1301 in 21 adults with ADHD in an adult laboratory classroom setting, demonstrated a meaningful trend in improving ADHD symptoms with a rapid onset of action and entire active-day duration. The overall effect size showed a trend toward significance with a p-value of 0.089 despite the modest sample size. A Meta-Analysis conducted by Faraone and Glatt using 11 published studies with long-acting stimulants in adults demonstrated the average effect size to be 0.73. Subjects randomized to CTx-1301 demonstrated an effect size of 1.41 at 30 minutes and an effect size of 0.98 at 16 hours. Effect size represents the magnitude of a change in an outcome or the strength of a relationship, the practical significance. The practical significance shows that the effect is large enough to be meaningful in the real world. The larger the effect size the more meaningful the outcome. In addition, the secondary outcome using the Clinical Global Impression Scale for severity of illness was associated with a decrease in the severity of illness in subjects randomized to CTx-1301 compared to placebo. CTX-1301 was well tolerated; 9% of the subjects that were randomized to CT-x-1301 experienced treatment emergent adverse events, while 30% of subjects that were randomized to placebo experienced TEAEs. Patient reported outcomes on the overall satisfaction with CTx-1301 compared to subject's prior ADHD medication was favorable.

08:06 EDT West to divest SchoolMessenger for $300M - West Technology Group has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its SchoolMessenger business to PowerSchool for $300 million. Since 1999, school administrators have trusted SchoolMessenger solutions to connect with parents, staff, and community members in multiple languages on any device. Products and services include notifications, digital forms, attendance management, two-way chat messaging, and customized websites, dramatically improving workflow management. Utilization of SchoolMessenger solutions reduces time spent on administrative tasks, improving both efficiency and cost. Serving over 28 million students, districts and schools in all 50 U.S. states and Canada depend on SchoolMessenger products to achieve their communications goals. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2023, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the sale in accordance with its credit facility and indentures governing its outstanding notes.

08:06 EDT PowerSchool to acquire SchoolMessenger for $300M in cash - PowerSchool announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SchoolMessenger, "a leading provider of K-12 communication tools in North America," the company said. Once completed, PowerSchool's acquisition of SchoolMessenger will represent an expansion of its commitment to provide a comprehensive platform to support personalized education and help students realize their full potential in their own way PowerSchool has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire SchoolMessenger from its parent company, West Technology Group, for $300 M in cash, which PowerSchool expects to fund principally with cash on hand and existing credit facilities. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2023, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval. Until the transaction closes, PowerSchool and SchoolMessenger will continue operating as separate entities, maintaining business as usual. More information will be provided once the transaction has closed.

08:05 EDT Armata Pharmaceuticals: Dr. Deborah Birx to succeed Dr. Brian Varnum as CEO - Armata Pharmaceuticals (ARMP) announced that it has entered into a credit and security agreement with Innoviva Strategic Opportunities LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Innoviva (INVA). The gross proceeds of the credit agreement at closing are $25M before transaction-related expenses. Armata also announced a leadership transition whereby Dr. Deborah Birx will succeed Dr. Brian Varnum as the CEO of the Company, effective immediately. Dr. Birx will also join Armata's Board of Directors.

08:04 EDT Science 37, Synlogic partner on study for investigational drug phenylketonuria - Science 37 Holdings (SNCE) has been chosen by Synlogic, (SYBX). Synlogic chose Science 37 to provide virtual clinical trial technology and services for Synpheny-3, its ongoing pivotal, Phase III trial of investigational drug labafenogene marselecobac as a potential treatment for phenylketonuria, a rare, genetic metabolic disorder. The Synpheny-3 trial aims to study the effectiveness of labafenogene marselecobac, an orally administered, investigational medicine based on a genetically engineered probiotic, in PKU patients. Synlogic anticipates enrolling approximately 150 patients who have the potential to receive the investigational drug and to be monitored for up to three years. The Science 37 Metasite will expand access to the trial for patients who may be unable or prefer not to travel to research sites for study visits. Science 37 will also provide its unified platform to the study's physical research sites, ensuring end-to-end data quality and consistency, no matter where or how data is captured.

08:03 EDT Celldex completes enrollment in Phase 2 study of barzolvolimab - Celldex Therapeutics announced that patient enrollment has been completed in the Company's Phase 2 clinical study of barzolvolimab for the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria. Barzolvolimab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that specifically binds the receptor tyrosine kinase KIT with high specificity and potently inhibits its activity, which is required for the function and survival of the mast cell. "We are extremely grateful to the investigators and patients who supported this trial and are pleased that we were able to complete enrollment well ahead of schedule," said Anthony Marucci, President and Chief Executive Officer of Celldex Therapeutics. "CSU is an often serious and debilitating disease with significant impacts on patient quality of life, and there is a high unmet need for new treatment options. We believe barzolvolimab holds significant promise as a potential new treatment for patients with chronic urticarias and look forward to presenting topline data from the CSU study before the end of the year."

07:47 EDT Jacobs selected to design integrated mental health complex in Sydney - Jacobs was selected by Health Infrastructure New South Wales to design a new mental health facility in Western Sydney, Australia. Jacobs will deliver architectural design and health planning services for the project, which includes a new 10-storey, contemporary Integrated Mental Health Complex located in the Westmead Health Precinct. The NSW Government announced its commitment to the $334M project in 2022, with an anticipated complex opening in 2026. As the largest mental health facility in NSW, the new Integrated Mental Health Complex will deliver care and transform mental health services across Western Sydney with contemporary therapeutic environments.

07:39 EDT Camping World opens manufacturer exclusive location in Jayco Oklahoma City - Camping World Holdings announced the opening of another manufacturer exclusive location, Jayco Oklahoma City. Camping World Chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis commented, "It's our goal to increase our store count by 50% over the next five years, through a combination of acquisitions and new store openings. We're proud to open Oklahoma City's first Jayco exclusive dealership."

07:37 EDT Sonder Holdings adds 5 new properties to existing EMEA portfolio - Sonder Holdings continues to expand in Europe, adding 5 new properties to its existing portfolio of 54 properties across key travel destinations in EMEA.

07:34 EDT Brainsway accelerates international expansion in India - BrainsWay announced the expanded market penetration of its Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation technology in India. After the most recent in a series of successive multisystem orders, Asha Neuromodulation Clinics and its affiliates will own 25 Deep TMS systems, substantially increasing access to BrainsWay's patented technology for mental health patients suffering from a range of conditions including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and smoking addiction. "We are pleased that our unique form of therapy is gaining real traction in India," said Hadar Levy, Chief Executive Officer of BrainsWay. "This is further proof of BrainsWay's strategic commitment to expanding its international footprint, and allows us the ability to make a true difference in the lives of patients in the world's most populous country. We are proud to partner with the ANC team in making this shared vision a reality."

07:33 EDT Dragonfly Energy partners with Battle Born Batteries - Dragonfly Energy announced that the Company's lithium-ion batteries will be standard equipment in all nuCamp RV travel trailer and truck camper products beginning in the 2024 model year. Battle Born Batteries have previously been offered as an upgrade option for nuCamp customers since 2022, and this agreement expands that partnership to fully integrated power systems supplied by Battle Born Batteries including lithium-ion batteries, inverters and additional necessary components. "We have been working with nuCamp since early 2022 and we believe the relationship has been incredibly synergetic," Wade Seaburg, Chief Revenue Officer for Dragonfly Energy, said. "The nuCamp team prioritizes quality, craftmanship, and providing the best experience for their customers. They were quick to see how Dragonfly Energy power systems can help them reach that goal. We started out testing by providing some full power systems on a small scale, and the response from their customers was very positive which we believe has led to making Battle Born Batteries power systems standard for nuCamp."

07:33 EDT B. Riley Financial acquires Crawford & Winiarski, terms not disclosed - B. Riley Financial announced it has acquired Crawford & Winiarski, a boutique forensic accounting and litigation consulting firm based in Detroit, Michigan. The addition of Crawford & Winiarski is the latest in a series of strategic acquisitions by B. Riley to expand its financial consulting division. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

07:32 EDT Soligenix expands Phase 2a trial of SGX302 - Soligenix announced the expansion of its Phase 2a trial of SGX302 for the treatment of mild-to-moderate psoriasis after demonstration of biological effect in the initial five subjects. The study is expected to enroll at least an additional five subjects, exploring the use of SGX302 in the standard of care psoriasis setting, prior to undertaking the larger phase of the study. Evaluation of the initial five subjects enrolled demonstrated a clear biological signal, with the majority of patients recording an improvement in the PASI score. Enrolling additional patients will enable Soligenix to evaluate the use of SGX302 in the context of accelerated light treatment and additional adjunct treatment.

07:23 EDT Peraso, Jaguar Wave announces PtP, PtMP solutions for 60GHz FWA networks - Peraso and Jaguar Wave announced production readiness of the JW-PTP6150/51 product family from Jaguar Wave, a new Point-to-Point and Point-to-Multipoint solution for 60GHz unlicensed Fixed Wireless Access networks utilizing Peraso's mmWave technology. The Jaguar Wave PTP/PtMP products are designed to withstand the harsh outdoor environments where FWA equipment is frequently deployed. More specifically, these products achieve the following stringent reliability ratings. IP rating: IP 67; Lightning protection: 6KV; Electrostatic: 15KV. The PTP6150/51 products utilizing Peraso's 60GHz integrated circuits are focused on accelerating time to market and reducing the cost of designing a module that is capable of being manufactured in high volume, while also providing unmatched quality and reliability. Peraso's mmWave solutions offer low latency, high reliability, multi-gigabit throughput and can be configured to support unique capabilities that enable PtP and PtMP FWA applications.

07:19 EDT Regenxbio provides update on interim results of retinal and Duchenne programs - Regenxbio announced new interim data from the Phase II AAVIATE and ALTITUDE trials of ABBV-RGX-314 suprachoroidal delivery in wet AMD and diabetic retinopathy - DR -. The company also provided a comprehensive Duchenne program overview including initial safety data for RGX-202 and a new exon 53 program. Interim results from Phase II AAVIATE and ALTITUDE trials of dose level 3 cohorts with short-course prophylactic steroid eye drops resulted in zero cases of intraocular inflammation. Initial safety results from Cohort 1 of the AFFINITY DUCHENNE study support well-tolerated profile to date; initial efficacy data to be presented at World Muscle Society meeting in October. A new program in Duchenne with preclinical data using innovative science to produce near full-length wild-type dystrophin; expects to file IND to the FDA in the first half of 2025.

07:16 EDT Bullfrog AI appoints Enrique Garcia-Rivera as VP, AI - BullFrog AI Holdings announced the appointment of Enrique Garcia-Rivera, Ph.D., as its new Vice President of Artificial Intelligence. The appointment will further advance BullFrog AI's best-in-class proprietary bfLEAP AI platform that is engineered to enable more accurate predictions of patient disease progression and improve the design of clinical trials to speed safe and effective drug development. Prior to joining BullFrog AI, Dr. Garcia-Rivera held leadership roles at ROME Therapeutics and nference in Cambridge, MA.

07:14 EDT Pima County selects mdf Commerce's source-to-contract solution - mdf commerce announces that Pima County, Arizona has signed a 3-year agreement for the usage of our source-to-contract solution. This new initiative will allow Pima County to streamline and simplify its procurement processes while fully leveraging the data and analytics benefits of source-to-contract technology.

07:13 EDT Lithium Ionic reports assay results from Bandeira property - Lithium Ionic reports assay results from its 100%-owned Bandeira property, located within the lithium-rich Aracuai district in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. These results form part of an ongoing 50,000 metre expansion and definition drilling program for H2 2023 targeting the Bandeira and Outro Lado lithium deposits, as well as other prospective regional targets, including Salinas and Itira. On June 27, 2023, the Company announced a maiden National Instrument 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate of 7.57 million tonnes grading 1.40% lithium oxide of Measured and Indicated and 11.86Mt grading 1.44% Li2O of Inferred resources. The holes reported from Bandeira today have improved drill spacing and established continuity of mineralization between previously drilled holes, which is required to upgrade the mineral resource estimate from Inferred to M&I, and ultimately to mineral Reserve estimate in the future. Currently, approximately 39% of the MRE is classified in the M&I categories. Bandeira Drill Intercept Highlights 1.69% Li2O over 7.79m; 1.32% Li2O over 9.15m; 1.39% Li2O over 8.41m; 1.74% Li2O over 6.39m; 1.55% Li2O over 7.01m ; 1.86% Li2O over 5.70m. Blake Hylands, P.Geo., CEO of Lithium Ionic, commented, "We continue to see strong and consistent results from Bandeira. Eight of the 13 drills on our properties are at Bandeira, further defining the deposit and improving drill spacing to establish a mineral Reserve estimate for the Definitive Feasibility Study targeted for completion by the end of 2023. We are drilling approximately 7,000 metres per month in the region and look forward to sharing results from other regional targets in the near-term."

07:12 EDT GXO Logistics successfully pilots robotic 3D sortation system - GXO Logistics announced the successful deployment of GRS, Global Robotics Services, robots in a 3D sortation system. The installation in Stradella, Italy, the first of its kind in Europe, exemplifies the company's industry-leading position in technology. "GXO invested in a pilot program using robotic sortation technology to increase productivity, accuracy and operational efficiency for one of our major fashion industry customers," said Alessandro Renzo, Managing Director, Italy and Switzerland, GXO. "We are constantly looking for and testing innovative technologies to meet our customers' rapidly evolving needs, and we expect a successful trial to lead to a larger installation at the site."

07:11 EDT Next Hydrogen Solutions receives funding for technology development - Next Hydrogen Solutions is receiving advisory services and up to $750,000 in research and development funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program toward the development and demonstration of the Company's next generation products.

07:10 EDT Privia Health, Velocity enter partnership to embed research into practice sites - Velocity Clinical Research and Privia Health announced a partnership to open embedded clinical research sites within Privia's practice network. The partnership is intended to establish integrated research sites within existing Privia Care Center locations that do not currently conduct clinical trials. Velocity will staff and operate the joint research sites, bringing management experience in clinical trial operations and patient recruitment. The first of these sites is in West Texas Health, a clinic in Abilene, Texas, led by Thomas Headstream, MD. The partnership gives Velocity access to a large, integrated network of multi-specialty providers, which will expand its therapeutic base in specialty care and increase the number of physicians becoming Principal Investigators at a time when there is a chronic long-term decline in investigator numbers.

07:10 EDT Quest Diagnostics launches first consumer-initiated genetic test - Quest Diagnostics announced the launch of its first consumer-initiated genetic test, now exclusively available through the company's consumer health business at questhealth.com. Called Genetic Insights, the new offering helps people understand their potential risk of developing certain inheritable health conditions, with advanced technology and end-to-end support that includes personalized health reports and access to genetic counseling. Using a saliva specimen, Genetic Insights analyzes 36 genes to identify potential risk of nearly two dozen inheritable conditions, including breast and colon cancer; a number of heart and blood disorders; and carrier status for cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, and Tay-Sachs disease. Designed to address gaps in existing consumer genetic tests, the new test is powered by advanced next-generation sequencing technology, which can analyze thousands of DNA variants in genes associated with disease and looks at more regions in a person's genome than microarray testing technology.

07:08 EDT CytoSorbents, Humedics announce theranostic collaboration - CytoSorbents Corporation have announced a theranostic collaboration in the field of liver disease. CytoSorbents and Humedics will collaborate on a joint product promotion and comarketing program aimed at increasing market awareness, adoption, usage, and sales of their respective technologies in the liver field. A key goal is to generate new customer leads for both CytoSorb and LiMAx through cross-training and selling amongst the companies' combined sales teams at relevant accounts. The program will commence immediately starting in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Poland. CytoSorbents and Humedics also plan to work together to bring new innovative solutions to the market which may include future collaboration opportunities in clinical studies, new therapeutic areas and indications, and new product concepts.

07:06 EDT CareDx: dd-cfDNA molecular testing service receives Medicare coverage - CareDx announced that CareDx's AlloSure Lung donor-derived cell-free DNA or dd-cfDNA, molecular testing service has received Medicare coverage. The MolDX technology assessment program has determined that AlloSure Lung will be covered under the existing Medicare Local Coverage Determination for Molecular Testing for Solid Organ Allograft Rejection for use in the surveillance setting in lung transplant patients, effective May 9, 2023.1 "CareDx was the first to receive MolDX coverage of dd-cfDNA with AlloSure for kidney and heart transplant patients, and we are now proud to be the first approved for lung transplant patients. We are 100% committed to transplant patients and today's milestone approval represents a monumental day for lung transplant patients," said Reg Seeto, CEO and President of CareDx. "Notably, in 2021, we were the first in the field to deliver this type of non-invasive solution to monitor rejection in lung transplantation. We did so because of the significant unmet need where it is estimated that 1 in 2 lung transplant patients are expected to have their transplant fail five years post-transplant."

07:05 EDT Ginkgo Bioworks advances collaboration with Novo Nordisk - Ginkgo Bioworks (DNA) announced the completion of the pilot phase of their previously announced partnership with Novo Nordisk (NVO). With the pilot phase completed and the first milestone achieved, the two companies will now move into the development phase to work towards making a more effective production process. Achievement of the first milestone included extensive modification and testing of a microbial expression system to understand the impact of the modifications on key performance parameters.

07:05 EDT Silence Therapeutics to receive $4M milestone payment from Hansoh - Silence Therapeutics announced that it will receive a $4M cash payment from Hansoh Pharmaceutical following the achievement of two undisclosed preclinical milestones. Silence and Hansoh entered a collaboration in October 2021 to develop siRNAs leveraging Silence's proprietary mRNAi Gold platform for three undisclosed targets. Under the terms of the agreement, Silence has exclusive rights to the first two targets in all territories except the China region. Hansoh has the exclusive option to license rights to those two targets in Greater China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and global rights to the third target. Hansoh made a $16M upfront payment to Silence and the company is eligible to receive up to $1.3B in development, regulatory and commercial milestones. Silence is also eligible to receive royalties tiered from low double-digit to mid-teens on Hansoh net product sales.

07:04 EDT TransAlta to acquire TransAlta Renewables for $13.00 per share in cash - TransAlta and TransAlta Renewables announced that they have entered into a definitive arrangement agreement under which TransAlta will acquire all of the outstanding common shares of RNW not already owned, directly or indirectly, by TransAlta and certain of its affiliates, subject to the approval of RNW shareholders. Under the terms of the Agreement, each RNW Share will be exchanged for, at the election of each holder of RNW Shares: 1.0337 common shares of TransAlta, or $13.00 in cash. The consideration payable to RNW Shareholders is subject to pro-rationing based on a maximum aggregate number of TransAlta Shares that may be issued to RNW Shareholders of 46,441,779 and a maximum aggregate amount of cash of $800 million. The transaction will be effected by way of an arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act. The consideration payable to RNW Shareholders represents an 18.3% premium based on the closing price of RNW Shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange as of July 10, 2023. The total consideration paid to RNW Shareholders is valued at $1,384,051,812 on July 10, 2023, of which $800M will be paid in cash. The combined company will operate as TransAlta and remain listed on the TSX and the New York Stock Exchange, under the symbols "TA" and "TAC", respectively. If all approvals are received and other closing conditions satisfied, the Arrangement is expected to be completed early in the fourth quarter of 2023.

07:02 EDT Bristol-Myers' Opdivo shows survival benefit in Phase 3 carcinoma trial - Bristol Myers announced that the sub-study of the Phase 3 CheckMate -901 trial met the dual primary endpoints of overall survival, or OS, and progression-free survival, or PFS, at final analysis. Results of the sub-study showed that Opdivo - nivolumab - in combination with cisplatin-based chemotherapy followed by Opdivo monotherapy demonstrated statistically significant benefits in OS and PFS compared to standard-of-care cisplatin-based combinations as a first-line treatment for patients with unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who are eligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The combination of Opdivo with cisplatin-based chemotherapy in first-line urothelial carcinoma had a tolerable safety profile consistent with the known safety profiles of the individual components of the regimen. No new safety concerns have been identified. The company will complete a full evaluation of the available data. In addition to resectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, Opdivo and Opdivo-based combinations have shown significant improvements in OS in Phase 3 clinical trials across several tumors, including advanced renal cell carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma, metastatic melanoma and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

07:02 EDT Synlogic grants Fast Track designation from FDA for SYNB1934 - Synlogic announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, has granted Fast Track designation to labafenogene marselecobac, SYNB1934, for the treatment of phenylketonuria. Labafenogene marselecobac has also received Rare Disease Designation and Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA and orphan designation from the European Medicines Agency. "We are pleased that this potentially transformative therapy has now received three important regulatory designations from the FDA, and orphan designation from the EMA, reflecting a shared understanding of the urgent need for new medical treatment options that can effectively and safely lower Phe levels in patients with PKU," said Aoife Brennan, M.B. Ch.B., Synlogic President and Chief Executive Officer. "This milestone re-enforces our own urgency as we execute our pivotal study, Synpheny-3."

06:53 EDT PVH Corp. announces additional headcount reductions under streamlining plan - In a regulatory filing, PVH Corp. said, "PVH Corp. announced in its press release dated August 30, 2022 that the Company would be taking steps to streamline its organization and simplify its ways of working, with plans to reduce people costs in its global offices by approximately 10% by the end of 2023 to drive efficiencies and enable continued strategic investments to fuel growth, including in digital, supply chain and consumer engagement. The Company expects these reductions will generate annual cost savings of more than $100M, net of continued strategic people investments. In connection with these plans, the Company incurred pre-tax costs of $20M in 2022 consisting of severance related to the initial actions taken. The Company announced additional headcount reductions under these plans on July 11, 2023 for which it expects to incur approximately $50M of severance expense, primarily in the second quarter of 2023. Cash payments related to this expense are expected to be made over the next 12 months. These severance costs will be excluded from the Company's results on a non-GAAP basis and were not included in the Company's previously provided fiscal 2023 earnings guidance. In the third quarter of 2023, the Company expects to take additional actions under these plans for which severance costs cannot be estimated at this time. The Company expects substantially all actions under these plans to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2023."

06:52 EDT Ring Energy sees Q3 total sales volume 18,100-18,600 Boe/d, 68% oil - Sees Q3 Capital spending $37M-$42M.

06:51 EDT Ring Energy announces $75M Central Basin Platform asset acquisition - Ring Energy has entered into an agreement to acquire the Central Basin Platform assets of Founders Oil & Gas IV for $75M in cash. Founders' CBP operations are located in the Permian Basin in Ector County, Texas and are focused on the development of approximately 3,600 net acres that are similar to Ring's CBP assets acquired in 2022. Total consideration of $75M consists of $60M in cash at closing and $15M deferred cash payment due four months after closing. The transaction will be funded with cash on hand and borrowings under Ring's recently reaffirmed senior revolving credit facility. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Ring's shareholders, including production, reserves, Adjusted Free Cash Flow and other key metrics; total consideration is approximately 2.3x the assets' next twelve months' Adjusted EBITDA. The transaction is expected to close in Q3 with an effective date of April 1. Q2 production was approximately 2,500 net Boe/d, 86% oil. Total Proved SEC year-end 2022 reserves calculated by Ring management is 9.2 MMBoe, 80% oil, characterized by shallow declines and long lives. Existing infrastructure provides takeaway capacity and opportunities to reduce costs and improve efficiencies.

06:46 EDT Nutrien curtails production at its Cory potash mine - Nutrien announced that it has curtailed production at its Cory potash mine due to the loss of export capacity through Canpotex's Neptune terminal as a result of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada strike at the Port of Vancouver. Nutrien expects full-year 2023 Potash adjusted EBITDA will fall below the bottom end of its previous guidance range due to factors impacting offshore sales through Canpotex, including the ILWU strike, Portland terminal outage and lower global potash prices than previously anticipated. We will provide updated full-year 2023 guidance reflecting these impacts at the time of our second quarter results on Wednesday, August 2, 2023. "The disruption at the Port of Vancouver has resulted in the curtailment of production at our Cory potash mine and if prolonged could also impact production at our other potash mines in Saskatchewan. We urge the parties in this dispute to come to a swift resolution to prevent further damage to the Canadian economy," said Ken Seitz, Nutrien's President and CEO.

06:38 EDT Equitrans Midstream comments on Jefferson National Forest authorizations - Equitrans Midstream , released a statement related to the July 10 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit regarding construction in the Jefferson National Forest for the Mountain Valley Pipeline project. "We are disappointed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit's remarkable decision to grant a one-sentence stay halting all construction in the Jefferson National Forest with no explanation. The Court's decision defies the will and clear intent of a bipartisan Congress and this Administration in passing legislation to expedite completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline project, which was deemed to be in the national interest. We believe the Court also exceeded its authority, as Congress expressly and plainly removed its jurisdiction. Further, the fact that the Court issued the stay prior to receiving full briefing from the federal government and Mountain Valley is particularly telling and demonstrates why Congressional intervention was appropriate. We are evaluating all legal options, which include filing an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Unless this decision is promptly reversed, it would jeopardize Mountain Valley's ability to complete construction by year-end 2023."

06:34 EDT Air Lease announces Q2 activity update - Air Lease announced an update on aircraft investments, sales activities, and financing occurring in the second quarter of 2023. As of June 30, 2023, ALC's fleet was comprised of 448 owned aircraft and 80 managed aircraft, with 359 new aircraft on order from Boeing and Airbus set to deliver through 2029. Aircraft Investments: Delivered 19 new aircraft from ALC's order book including three Airbus A220-300s, two Airbus A320neos, seven Airbus A321neos, two Airbus A330-900neos, one Airbus A350-900, one Airbus A350-1000, two Boeing 737-9s, and one Boeing 787-9. Aircraft investments in the quarter totaled approximately $1.5B. Sales: Sold eight aircraft to third-party buyers. Aircraft sales for the quarter totaled approximately $600M. Financing: Entered into approximately $900M of financing transactions during the quarter.

06:32 EDT Hansa Biopharma announces provisional Australian TGA approval for Idefirix - Hansa Biopharma announced that the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration, or TGA, has provisionally approved Idefirix as desensitization treatment for highly sensitized patients prior to kidney transplantation from both living and deceased donors. The provisional approval has a duration of two years and was based on data from Hansa's phase 2 studies that included highly sensitized patients who received a kidney from either a living or deceased donor following desensitization treatment with imlifidase. There is a high unmet need for very highly sensitized kidney transplant candidates in Australia. Of the more than 1,000 patients on the deceased donor kidney transplant waiting list as of end of 2020,6 21% are classified as very highly sensitized against a donor organ having a calculated Panel Reactive Antibody of 95% or higher. Even under the Australian allocation system, which gives priority to candidates with cPRA greater than80%, and the Australian and New Zealand Paired Kidney Exchange, very highly sensitized patients continue to have markedly reduced rates of transplantation and are forced to wait for very protracted times, or indefinitely, for a suitable match to become available. Of a total of 875 kidney transplantations performed in Australia in 2021, 202 were from living donors and 644 were from deceased donors.7 Enabling transplantation from living donors expands the number of potential organs available to patients and increases the chances for these patients to receive a life altering transplant. Data submitted to the Australian TGA was generated in Hansa's phase 2 studies that demonstrated the efficacy and safety of imlifidase as a desensitization treatment to enable incompatible kidney transplantation for highly sensitized patients.The submitted data included a sub analysis of highly sensitized patients that received a kidney transplant from a living donor following desensitization treatment using imlifidase. In line with the EMA's conditional approval, full approval in Australia will require submission to the TGA of further safety and efficacy data from studies that are currently underway.

06:13 EDT Vivani Medical reports feasibility study for Orion visual cortical prosthesis - Vivani Medical's wholly-owned subsidiary Cortigent, a company pioneering neurostimulation to recover critical body function, has completed the fifth year of its Early Feasibility Study of profoundly blind patients implanted with the Orion Visual Cortical Prosthesis System. The NIH-funded Orion EFS commenced in 2017 and enrolled six subjects at two universities. Five years after implantation of the Orion device on the surface of the visual cortex area of the brain, the three subjects who are still participating in the study have reported no device malfunctions and continue to be able to use their systems at home and in their communities. A single serious adverse event was reported during initial testing in the first three months after implantation which resolved quickly and resulted in no permanent harm. No SAEs have been reported since then. The Orion system is being developed with the goal of providing useful visual perception to people who are profoundly blind due to many common causes, comprising more than 82,000 Americans according to a company-sponsored report. All five were reported to have performed significantly better with the Orion system turned on versus turned off. Two of the five subjects achieved measurable "Grating Visual Acuity," which is an established metric of visual function. All four subjects who completed the FLORA evaluation had positive or mildly positive results with Orion turned on versus turned off, indicating that the system was providing real-life benefits. Cortigent anticipates extending the EFS by one year to allow further observation of the long-term safety, reliability, and visual function provided by the Orion System.

06:08 EDT ZeroFox's threat advisories added to Cyware Partner Advisory Marketplace - Zerofox announced that Cyware, a provider of threat intelligence management, security collaboration, and cyber fusion solutions, has added the company to the Cyware Partner Advisory Marketplace, making select ZeroFox threat advisories available to Cyware customers including all ISAC and ISAO sharing communities powered by Cyware. The Cyware Partner Advisory Marketplace provides a platform for security vendors to make intelligence feeds easily available to Cyware's network of direct customers, and members of ISACs, ISAOs, and other intelligence sharing communities. These vendors can make free or subscription-based premium feeds available to thousands of enterprises using the Cyware Collaborate solution. These advisories include timely alerts on malware, vulnerabilities, threat actors, attack campaigns, and other critical threats.

06:08 EDT Immuron: Ateria Health launches Juvia in Australia - Immuron is pleased to announce that Ateria Health Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Ateria Health Limited, has launched Juvia in Australia. Immuron completed settlement of a strategic investment in Ateria on 16 November 2022 (17.5% shareholding). Ateria is a UK based biotech company that develops and distributes supplements for overall health, including products that strengthen the gut microbiome.

06:05 EDT Li-Cycle, EVE Energy launch battery recycling collaboration - Li-Cycle Holdings and EVE Energy, a lithium-ion battery technology company, are pleased to announce that they have signed a memorandum or understanding to collaborate and explore lithium-ion battery recycling solutions for EVE battery materials. The MOU includes a framework to explore global sustainable recycling solutions for EVE lithium-ion battery materials in the North American market, as well as battery manufacturing scrap generated at EVE's planned lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing facilities in Malaysia and Hungary. The collaboration is also expected to support EVE's environmental goals through a closed-loop supply solution and continue to support the global movement towards electrification. EVE is one of the world's largest lithium-ion battery cell manufacturers, with global manufacturing facilities and customers that include global automakers.

06:03 EDT Global Net Lease to sell California office property for $50M - Global Net Lease, announced today that it has signed a definitive purchase and sale agreement to sell an office property it owns in San Jose, CA for a contract sale price of $50M. The Company had originally acquired the property in 2014 for $52.5M.

05:20 EDT Innate Pharma doses first patient in Sanofi-sponsored SAR'514 / IPH6401 trial - Innate Pharma (IPHA) announced that the first patient was dosed in a Sanofi-sponsored (SNY) Phase 1/2 clinical trial, evaluating SAR'514 / IPH6401 in relapsed/refractory Multiple Myeloma and Relapsed/Refractory Light-chain Amyloidosis. SAR'514 is a trifunctional anti-BCMA NKp46xCD16 NK cell engager, using Sanofi's proprietary Crossodile multi-functional platform, which comprises the Cross-Over-Dual-Variable-Domain, or CODV, format. It induces a dual targeting of the NK activating receptors, NKp46 and CD16, for an optimized NK cell activation, based on Innate's Anket proprietary platform. The purpose of the dose escalation and dose expansion study is to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics and preliminary efficacy of SAR'514 in monotherapy in patients with RRMM and RRLCA.

05:13 EDT BAE Systems secures new orders worth GBP 280M to supply munitions to UK MOD - BAE Systems has secured new orders for the supply of munitions to the UK Ministry of Defence, or MOD. The orders, worth GBP 280M, with the option to increase to more than GBP 400M, will create more than 200 new jobs in the North of England and South Wales, boosting the company's UK munitions workforce. Building on the existing GBP 2.4B 15-year partnering agreement, the new orders will significantly increase the production of vital defense stocks such as 155mm artillery shells, 30mm medium calibre rounds and 5.56mm ammunition. These are core products which the British Army relies on to deliver maximum effectiveness on the battlefield.