NA Proactive news snapshot: Blackrock Gold, The Valens Company, Dyadic, NexTech AR Solutions UPDATE ...

Blackrock Gold Corp (CVE:BRC) is beefing up its land position in Nevada though a deal for the historic Tonopah West project. The Vancouver-based company announced Tuesday it signed a four-year purchase option with Ely Gold Royalties Inc to consolidate the West End and Tonopah Extension properties into the Tonopah West project for US$3 million. The deal gives Blackrock control over the largest claim package in the area and a major foothold in the Tonopah district, which has produced over 174 million ounces of silver and 1.8 million ounces of gold. The Valens Company (CVE:VLNS) (OTCMKTS:VLNCF) said it posted a record financial performance in its 2019 year and became the largest white label product development, manufacturing and third-party extraction firm in Canada In its fourth quarter to end November, adjusted underlying earnings (EBITDA) came in at C$17.7 million, or 57.7% of revenue, compared to adjusted EBITDA of C$9.8 million, or 59.4% of revenue, in the third quarter. Group revenue increased to C$30.6 million, an 86% increase over the third quarter and above the high-end of the guidance range announced on December 16 last year. For the year as a whole, revenue rose to C$58.1 million, while gross profit increased to C$41.4 million. Dyadic International Inc (NASDAQ:DYAI) is joining the campaign to eradicate the coronavirus by collaborating with The Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR), a group set up by Israel to combat such threats. The Israeli scientific organization intends to study the potential of Dyadic’s C1 gene expression platform to express gene sequences and targets developed by IIBR into an rVaccine candidate and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that could address the outbreak of COVID-19 or the coronavirus. “Our collaboration with the IIBR is aimed at finding additional solutions to combat the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak that threatens the lives of people in China and globally,” said Mark Emalfarb, CEO of Dyadic. “There is a global need to apply new platforms and technologies that will facilitate a fast, coordinated and practical response to new infectious diseases during pandemic and epidemic outbreaks or a bioterrorist attack and we believe that Dyadic’s C1 technology is well-positioned to contribute to this global effort.” NexTech AR Solutions Corp (CSE:NTAR) (OTCMKTS:NEXCF) has hired Guillaume Pascual, a sales and marketing veteran of Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and NortonLifeLock Inc (NASDAQ:NLOK) as its director of 3D/AR ads. The augmented reality company expects 2020 to be a major year for its recently-launched 3D/AR network, the company said, and Pascual provides the technology and marketing teams with a solid foundation. Nemaura Medical Inc (NASDAQ:NMRD) announced Tuesday it is planning to initiate a user study comparing its sugarBEAT continuous glucose monitor (CGM) directly against a highly successful major incumbent CGM sensor. The company said its goal with the study is to position sugarBEAT as a non-invasive, daily/flexible, cost-effective alternative to traditional, expensive invasive CGMs. “Our decision to go head-to-head vs a hugely successful CGM sensor was based on positive feedback we received from recent meetings with public health insurers in key territories in Europe,” said CEO Dr Faz Chowdhury in a statement Telson Mining Corporation (CVE:TSN) (OTCMKTS:SOHFF) said Tuesday that its flagship Campo Morado mill has processed nearly 41,000 tons of material since being brought back online in January 2020. The Vancouver-based miner’s mill produced around 3,200 tons of zinc concentrates and 636 tons of lead concentrates to average around 1,900 tons throughput per day over 22 days back in operation. For eleven of those days, the mill exceeded 2,000 tons per day and maxed out at a rate of 2,193 tons per day, Telson CEO Ralph Shearing told investors in a release. Phunware Inc (NASDAQ:PHUN) announced Tuesday that Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO) subsidiary Meraki now features the company’s multiscreen-as-a-service location-based services (LBS) app in its digital marketplace. Cisco Meraki provides cloud-controlled WiFi, routing and security from a centralized dashboard, and the Meraki Marketplace is an exclusive catalog of apps. Phunware’s LBS app offers real-time blue dot indoor positioning, navigation and wayfinding across a campus or facility. The software is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, addressing the needs of anyone who is visually impaired, hearing impaired or who uses a wheelchair, and allows anyone to transition between indoor and outdoor environments. Agile Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:AGRX) will ring the closing bell at the Nasdaq stock exchange on Wednesday February 26, the company said Tuesday. The celebration comes after the Princeton, New Jersey-based company’s lead drug Twirla, a contraceptive patch, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration last week. Agile’s CEO Al Altomari will ring the closing bell at Nasdaq’s market site, a broadcast studio located in Times Square. Shares of Agile traded at US$3.05 on Tuesday morning. Roth Capital is keeping its 'Buy' rating and C$6.25 price target on New Pacific Metals Corp (CVE:NUAG) (OTCMKTS:NUPMF) thanks to the success of the firm's final round of drill results for its 2019 campaign in Bolivia. Of particular importance is the fact that the 37 holes from Snake Hole and Silver Sand main showed higher average grades when compared to the average grade of all prior results at the project. “We view this as positive and believe the next major catalyst for the company should be an initial resource estimate,” wrote the Roth analysts in their most recent note to investors. Arizona Silver Exploration Inc (CVE:AZS) (OTCMKTS:AZASF), the explorer, said Tuesday that it has granted incentive stock options to its officers, directors and certain consultants for them to buy a total of 2.175 million shares at an exercise price of C$0.175 per share for five years in accordance with the provisions of its stock option plan. Zynerba Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:ZYNE) announced Tuesday that it has won a US patent for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with purified cannabidiol (CBD). The new patent, which expires in 2038, is part of an expanding intellectual property portfolio covering the company's flagship transdermal cannabidiol product candidate -- Zygel CBD gel, according to a statement.  Zynerba said it has completed enrollment in the open-label Phase 2 BRIGHT study evaluating the safety, tolerability and efficacy of Zygel for the treatment of children and adolescents with ASD, with 37 patients enrolled. It expects to report top-line data from this trial in the second quarter of 2020. Empower Clinics Inc (CSE:CBDT) (OTCMKTS:EPWCF), a vertically integrated life sciences company, said Tuesday that it intends to leverage its existing clinic network, the developing franchise brand, its 165,000 patients and product development capability, to create psilocybin and psychedelics subsidiaries. The company said it has been conducting market research on advancements in psilocybin and psychedelics in North America and globally, along with building the business case internally on how to create greater shareholder value, utilizing company assets that include clinics, patients, physicians and technology. Medallion Resources Limited (CVE:MDL) (OTCMKTS:MLLOF) revealed Tuesday that its proposed US rare-earth plant has moved a step closer as it has now completed the process engineering design phase. The company aims to produce rare-earth elements via processing monazite tailings using feedstock sourced from the southeast of the US. Antibe Therapeutics Inc (CVE:ATE) (OTCMKTS:ATBPF) is seeing good progress with its Phase 2B study on its lead drug, ATB-346, designed to reduce osteoarthritis pain. The company told shareholders on Tuesday that total patient enrollment in the study has reached 98%, giving it a sufficient number of patients in screening to meet the enrollment target. The last patient is expected to enroll within the next two weeks, Antibe said in a statement. BevCanna Enterprises Inc (CSE:BEV) (OTCMKTS:BVNNF), a manufacturer of cannabis-infused beverages, announced Tuesday that it has launched a set of strategic objectives that will guide the company through 2020 and beyond. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with operations near Osoyoos, in the Southern Okanagan region of British Columbia, and in Sacramento California, BevCanna is a white-label manufacturer of cannabis-infused beverages, vertically integrated from outdoor cultivation to finished cannabis products. Helix Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS:HLIX) has recently expanded its international footprint across two continents, strengthening its existing foothold in Europe and beginning operations in Africa through its industry-leading Biotrack Seed-to-Sale Software. The announcement Tuesday that new clients have been added in The Netherlands and South Africa comes less than a year after Helix began European operations with growers and processors in the UK, according to a statement.   Power Ore Inc (CVE:PORE) said Tuesday that it has agreed to sell its Mann Mine for around C$1.25 million. The Mann silver-cobalt mine is located just west of Cobalt, Ontario and covers 867 acres within a well-known silver area. The property houses nine historic shafts and a ramp descending to the 210-foot level. Carube Copper Corp (CVE:CUC) (OTCMKTS:CARCF) has successfully completed the "company transforming" all paper deal to buy private explorer Latin America Resource Group (LARG) after it has now struck a definitive agreement. The transaction was first reported last August and the deal has now been approved by the  Toronto venture exchange. The consolidated firm will hold a range of quality copper-gold assets from early-stage through to delineation drilling. LARG's main asset is the 5,696 hectare Jasperoide copper-gold project in the highly prospective Andahuaylas-Yauri belt of Peru, host to several large producing copper-gold-molybdenum deposits and mines. Allot Ltd (NASDAQ:ALLT) will present its mobile virtual conference (MVC) today through to February 27. The three-day digital event offers the chance for the Israeli security company to showcase its products in 3D via interactive sessions with executives, demo events and meetings.  Capstone Turbine Corporation (NASDAQ:CPST), the world's leading clean technology manufacturer of microturbine energy systems said that, as a follow-up to alphaDIRECT’s latest Management Virtual Conference Series, Kirk Petty, the company’s senior vice president of Operations, will present an overview of Capstone’s evolving operational model, cost-cutting and tariff challenges, followed by a short question and answer session on Thursday, February 27. The presentation is open to all investors and will be webcast live and available for replay by visiting the Investor Relations section of the company's website at www.capstoneturbine.com and under the alphaDIRECT Investor Center page at www.alphadirectadvisors.com. Petty commented: “We have reached several positive milestones in our manufacturing and operations as we push toward our Adjusted EBITDA objective. There are still a number of additional opportunities for us to capitalize on, and we are looking forward to providing a manufacturing update and business overview to investors.” Metalla Royalty and Streaming Ltd (CVE:MTA) said the TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation relating to its mining royalty purchase and sale agreement, dated February 14, 2020, with BatteryOne Royalty Corp., and SLM Cantaritos, whereby the company has acquired a 25% in a 2% net smelter return (NSR) royalty entitling the company to all payments under the NSR with respect to future gold production from a portion of the La Fortuna deposit and prospective exploration grounds forming part of the NuevaUnion project, located in the Huasco province of Chile. Under the terms of the agreement, Metalla Royalty is required to make aggregate cash payments of $2 million - $750,000 of which was paid on closing; $250,000 payable one year from closing; and $1 million is payable upon the achievement of commercial production of the deposit, of which $500,000 may be payable in common shares.