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5 March - Proactis, the global spend management and B2B eCommerce company, today announced that it has officially become a certified PEPPOL (Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line) Access Point, reinforcing its commitment to worldwide interoperability and helping organisations to reduce costs.
The PEPPOL network contains public institutions from more than 19 European countries and this accreditation means that customers can access the PEPPOL network via The Business Network from Proactis.
PEPPOL Access Points connect users to the PEPPOL network and enables them to exchange electronic documents with other network users. Proactis can now link up with the PEPPOL eProcurement platform and send electronic invoices to all entities that are members of the network.
The PEPPOL vision is to enable businesses to communicate electronically with any European public sector entities in the procurement process. Before PEPPOL, suppliers were frequently required to connect to multiple electronic trading systems. This single point of connection simplifies business, reduces duplication of efforts and reduces the costs associated with trading with the public sector.
“To thrive in this global, digital economy, interoperability is key. Trading electronically no longer need be a complex and labour-intensive exercise, and PEPPOL represents an important step for interoperability in eProcurement,” stated Sean McDonough, CIO of Proactis. “With Proactis officially becoming a certified PEPPOL Access Point, we will now be able to enhance and expand the reach of our users, while helping them eliminate wasted time, money from their processes.”
https://www.proactis.com/uk/company/news/2019/march/peppol/
Ali Mortazavi who was previously the CEO of Silence Therapeutics is now a major shareholder.
Syncona finds Americans’ offer for Nightstar too good to refuse
'Nightstar Therapeutics, a clinical-stage gene therapy specialist founded by Syncona, the FTSE 250 investment company, has agreed an $877 million sale to Biogen, the $66 billion US-listed biotech group. The deal values Nightstar, which also is listed in the United States, at $25.50 per share, a premium of about 70 per cent'
'Nightstar is developing treatments for rare inherited retinal diseases that would otherwise lead to blindness. Its most advanced asset is a treatment for patients with choroideremia, which is in enrolling patients in a phase III study. The genetic disorder has no treatment at present and affects about one in 50,000 people.'
hTTps://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/business/syncona-finds-americans-offer-for-nightstar-too-good-to-refuse-bfdz0gk9s
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Another gene therapy specialist developing treatments for retinal diseases is bought out and there a very large buys going thro' in RENE.
Current RENE mcap - c£24m.
Something stirring - should find out what soon.
Atgenomix, Yourgene Bioscience Team on NGS Analysis Pipeline
Mar 04, 2019 | staff reporter
NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Taiwanese genomic informatics startup Atgenomix is combining its high-speed data analytics platform with hereditary and cancer mutation analysis workflows from Yourgene Bioscience Taiwan, the companies announced last week.
Through this collaboration, Atgenomix and Yourgene look to offer a unified system for advanced whole-genome sequencing and whole-exome sequencing variant analysis.
Specifically, they will build on the open-source Apache Spark analytics framework to link Yourgene's bioinformatics applications with Atgenomix's computing technology to create a "comprehensive clinical-grade WGS/WES analysis pipeline," the companies said.
"Integrating our solutions will give customers the full spectrum of accelerated whole-genome and exome sequencing analysis with unrivaled bioinformatics expertise, advancing precision medicine from scientific research to clinical use," Atgenomix CEO Allen Chang said in a statement. "Yourgene's global presence also creates an opportunity for Atgenomix to move to the next level of product adoption worldwide."
Atgenomix claims to accelerate workflows 10-fold compared to traditional genomic analysis processes by making even standard desktop computers more efficient in processing genome data.
Yourgene Bioscience Taiwan is a unit of Manchester, UK-based molecular diagnostic company Yourgene Health, formerly known as Premaitha Health. Thermo Fisher Scientific purchased a 9 percent stake in Yourgene Health last month.
https://www.genomeweb.com/informatics/atgenomix-yourgene-bioscience-team-ngs-analysis-pipeline#.XH2lOsD7R6k
Worth noting :
At the date of this Announcement Juke holds 48,238,955 Ordinary Shares (representing approximately 11.5 per cent. of the issued share capital of the Company). The Agreement is therefore deemed to be a related party transaction for the purposes of Rule 13 of the AIM Rules.
WIll they keep or sell?
Handy with an 8-iron perhaps , but lost a wedge? :-)
Roche to buy Spark Therapeutics in $4.8bn deal
Buyout is latest example of rush by big pharma to scoop up promising biotech firms
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Cell therapy produces encouraging first results in eye trial
Richard StainesRichard StainesFebruary 22, 2019
UK-based biotech ReNeuron has announced encouraging results from an early stage trial of its cell therapy for the rare blindness-causing disease, retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
The only results so far are from three subjects in the first cohort in phase 2 of a phase 1/2 trial of the disease.
But this therapy is based on a dose of human retinal progenitor cells, and if approved could be a competitor to Spark/Novartis’s Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec).
Unlike the already-approved gene therapy Luxturna, ReNeuron’s cell-based therapy would not be limited to patients with a disease caused by a certain mutation.
Luxturna is based around a virus delivering genetic material to correct a genetic sight defect, while ReNeuron’s therapy involves human retinal progenitor cells (hRPC) being embedded in the back of the eye.
This creates new photo receptors – and represents the first time new photo receptors have ever been created in humans.
https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/02/25/heres-why-gene-therapy-stocks-are-soaring-today.aspx
What happened
Seemingly every company that mentions the term "gene therapy" or "gene editing" is rising today after Roche announced it would acquire Spark Therapeutics for $4.8 billion. That represents a premium of more than 120% for the gene therapy pioneer, which is bringing a treatment for a rare eye disease to the market. The genetic medicine, branded as Luxturna, will cost $425,000 per eye. It has gotten off to a slow start.
The acquisition of Spark Therapeutics shows there's an appetite among established pharma companies for promising genetic cures and treatments. Or at least that's what investors and Wall Street analysts are hoping. The excitement has sent shares of many related companies higher today.
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31 January 2019
ReNeuron Group plc
("ReNeuron" or the "Company")
New exosome production scale-up data presented
ReNeuron Group plc (AIM: RENE), a UK-based global leader in the development of cell-based therapeutics, is pleased to announce that new data relating to the manufacturing scale-up of its GMP produced, CTX-derived exosomes will be presented today at a leading US forum on the manufacture of cell and gene therapies.
Commenting on the new data, Dr Randolph Corteling, Head of Research at ReNeuron, said: "Exosomes are biological nanoparticles ideally suited to the delivery of oligonucleotide and gene-based therapies due to their natural occurrence and abundance, their ability to protect their cargo from degradation, and their potential for favourable bio-distribution. The ability to scale-up production of our CTX-derived exosomes, as demonstrated by these new results, further exemplifies the capability of ReNeuron's exosome platform."
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Will that do? :-)
Note :
GMR issued an RNS last June with a proposed sell of the same business for a consideration of up to £23.1 million.
https://www.investegate.co.uk/gaming-realms-plc--gmr-/rns/proposed-sale-of-uk-real-money-casino-business/201806271610388092S/
Announced today , consideration of £11.5m.
Tipped in today's Shares magazine.
Sold for less than half as from June last year
Announced on
26 June 2018
Sale of Non-Core Asset for a Consideration of US$532,000
Arc Minerals ("Arc" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has signed a sale and purchase agreement in respect of the sale of its 18.48% shareholding in Andiamo Exploration Limited ("Andiamo") for US$532,000 in cash to AMED Funds ("AMED"), an African focused mining private equity group. The agreement is subject to final due diligence being carried out by AMED.
Announced today
Sale of Andiamo for US$250,000
Arc Minerals is pleased to announce that it has signed a binding sale and purchase agreement in respect of the sale of its 18.48% shareholding in Andiamo Exploration Limited ("Andiamo") to Emerald Ex B.V., a privately owned company, for a cash consideration of US$250,000 (the "Transaction"). The Transaction closes on the 25th February 2019.
https://www.finncap.com/news-events/finncap-research-company-notes-18-february
Yourgene Health announced that it has reached an agreement with Thermo Fisher’s Life Technologies division (TF), whereby: i) TF will convert 41.4m warrants into a c.9% shareholding; (ii) proceeds of £3.8m to be assigned to reducing TF loans outstanding; (iii) TF will write-off the remaining £12.7m loans and accrued interest. Taken with warrant exercise, this reduces liabilities by c.£13.0m and leaves the business essentially debt free. TF will enter into a new commercial agreement obtaining a 3-year period of exclusivity for Yourgene’s NIPT products in Southeast Asia. We raise our target price to 18p to reflect the loan write-off, which implies FY 2020 EV/Sales of 6.9x falling to 5.4x in FY 2021 – justified in our view given the strong (3-year CAGR 35%) revenue momentum and clear progress towards profitability that the debt write-off enables.
Looks like overhang finally gone
Extract from the Times Market Report
Motif Bio, the London-listed antibiotics developer, lost three quarters of its market value after the US Food and Drug administration said it could not approve Iclaprim, the group’s skin infection treatment. The decision was a shock to investors because recent patient trials had shown the drug had a “favourable” safety profile. Peel Hunt analysts said: “With no clear route to approval of commercialisation and a requirement to raise additional capital, we expect this news to be met with a material rebasing of the share price.” The shares fell 29p, or 73 per cent, to 10¾p.
"We had a very busy day yesterday at #MEDLAB2019, we're just as excited for day 2. Come visit us at Z3.B12 to learn more about NIPT and @Yourgene_Health contract development partnerships."
Event is in Dubai 4 - 7 Feb
A must-attend annual event for the international medical laboratory community. MEDLAB develops the value of laboratory medicine in shaping the future of healthcare.
Found this - although perhaps not the reason for the lift today.
Bigblu Broadband Launch Cheaper Satellite Plans for UK Homes
Friday, January 18th, 2019
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2019/01/bigblu-broadband-isp-refresh-cheaper-satellite-plans-for-uk-homes.html
They seem to get things done.
POWERCHINA completes reservoir project in Equatorial Guinea
Updated: 2018-12-04
An inaugural ceremony for the Djiploho Upstream Storage Reservoir in Equatorial Guinea, built by POWERCHINA
The president addressed the ceremony, speaking highly of POWERCHINA for its safe construction procedures and high quality standards.
He said, "In addition to providing Equatorial Guinea with 24-hour uninterrupted and clean electricity, the reservoir has also brought many job opportunities, boosted the country's economic growth, promoted harmonious social development and helped Equatorial Guinea move closer to becoming a modern country."
http://en.powerchina.cn/2018-12/04/content_37423034.htm