Ip Share Discussion Threads

[p1nkfish] 14/7/2020 09:01

They do like cash right now.
What plans?

[bamboo2] 14/7/2020 08:35

£53.57m added to cash.

[bamboo2] 14/7/2020 08:26

14 July 2020

Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG

Result of secondary placing in Ceres Power Holdings plc

Further to the announcement on 13 July 2020 in relation to a proposed placing of ordinary shares in Ceres Power Holdings plc ("Ceres Power" or the "Company") by IP Group plc ("IP Group"), IP Group has sold 9,156,339 ordinary shares in the Company (the "Placing Shares") at a price of 585 pence per share (the "Placing"). The Placing Shares represent approximately 5.4 per cent of the Company's issued share capital.

The Placing was conducted through an accelerated bookbuild. Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG ("Berenberg") acted as sole bookrunner for IP Group in connection with the Placing. The proceeds of the Placing are payable in cash on usual settlement terms, and closing of the Placing is expected to occur on 16 July 2020.

Following completion of the Placing, IP Group will continue to hold 288,784 ordinary shares in Ceres Power, representing approximately 0.2 per cent of the issued share capital of the Company. These shares are subject to a lock-up which will end 90 days after completion of the Placing.

[wetpantz] 11/7/2020 12:45

Further technical progress at ONT with enhanced accuracy. Illumina's days are numbered.
hxxps://nanoporetech.com/resource-centre/dual-constriction-biological-nanopore-resolves-homonucleotide-sequences-high

[p1nkfish] 11/7/2020 08:52

Ox Nano is one of these enablers. Worth a read on the genomic comments. I agree with her on quite a few things.

[dexdringle] 10/7/2020 22:47

...and....????

[bamboo2] 10/7/2020 20:59

Sustainable aerospace company AMSL Aero will test its electric Vertical TakeOff and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles at the new Narromine Aerodrome Industrial Park, with support from a $950,000 grant from the NSW Government’s Regional Investment Attraction Fund.

The Vertiia, which is designed and built in Australia by AMSL Aero, is envisioned to be a safe aircraft that will take off and land like a helicopter from any vertiport or helipad. It is also 100% electric battery powered, with zero carbon emissions, and can travel at up to 300km per hour.

In a statement Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the flying car will have the potential to revolutionise transport across regional NSW.

“The potential benefits this technology can deliver will overcome the tyranny of distance that we face in regional NSW, meaning people can easily travel to jobs, visit friends and family in remote locations and deliver tourists to hard to reach outback havens,” Mr Barilaro said.

“Imagine the convenience of having a flying car land in your suburb when you need to travel to a regional destination that is not serviced by an airport.”

“It sounds like science fiction but the reality is a future where this is possible, practical and affordable is not that far away and I am proud that our investment attraction grant will help the development of this new technology and support jobs in regional NSW.”

AMSL Aero co-founder and CEO Andrew Moore said he is delighted to partner with the NSW Government to help scale up operations in the state’s Central West.

“We are excited by the opportunity to use this grant to help us prepare for our upcoming launch and build essential testing facilities,” Mr Moore said.

Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said the resiliency of the people and the dynamic workforce in Dubbo makes it the perfect location for a company like AMSL Aero to expand and grow.

“It’s fantastic to see businesses expanding and bringing job opportunities to the electorate of Dubbo, especially given the drought and COVID-19 has forced many locals out of work recently,” Mr Saunders said.

AMSL will be the first operation moving into the new Narromine Aerodrome precinct, which is due to be completed by the end of July 2020 and was made possible by a $750,000 NSW Government Growing Local Economies grant.

AMSL Aero with Narromine Shire Council will begin construction of its facility later this year, with testing expected to commence in early 2021.

The NSW Government’s $20 million Regional Investment Attraction Fund provides grants to eligible businesses that want to invest and grow in regional NSW, creating new jobs and economic opportunities.

[brucie5] 10/7/2020 15:34

Bamboo, what's your thinking about this turnaround. Seems to be like the chart is building a base at 60p, though all year still shows 40p as the rock bottom, and part of me wants a complete clear out before I get any more involved. March saw 40p low.

[bamboo2] 10/7/2020 12:08

Welcome to the IP Group Cleantech Intelligence newsletter, outlining key achievements from the Cleantech team.

Contents
Bosch increases holding in Ceres Power Holdings
Azuri’s rapid growth highlighted in FT1000
Spin-out of RFC Power
Helio Display Materials completes investment round
IP Group's approach to responsible investing

[bamboo2] 09/7/2020 08:26

Ceres [CWR] still doing good business...

CONTINUED FINANCIAL GROWTH AND OPERATIONAL PROGRESS DESPITE COVID-19

CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES TO PLAY A STRATEGIC ROLE IN ECONOMIC RECOVERY

Horsham, UK: Ceres Power Holdings plc ("Ceres", the "Company") (AIM: CWR.L), a global leader in fuel cell technology, is pleased to provide a post period end trading update ahead of the announcement of its interim results for the 12 months ended 30 June 2020, which will be released on Monday 28 September.

The Group has recorded another period of significant growth across all areas of the business alongside continued commercial and operational progress.

Highlights

-- Revenue and other operating income for the 12-month period to 30 June 2020 will be around GBP20 million, 20-25% more than the prior 12-month period

-- Cash and short-term investments were approximately GBP108million at 30 June 2020
-- Bosch has commenced manufacturing of Ceres' cell technology at its pilot facility in Germany and increased its shareholding in Ceres to c.18%, generating gross proceeds for the Company of GBP38 million

-- Weichai relationship is making good progress and both parties remain committed to the joint venture in China, but Covid delays are likely to impact the timeline for JV formation. Weichai also invested a further GBP11 million, maintaining its 20% shareholding

-- Now investing in higher power applications and further development in electrolysis on the back of the GBP49 million gross equity proceeds from the Bosch and Weichai subscriptions

-- Commissioning of the new Redhill manufacturing site began in January. Despite a slower than anticipated ramp up, Ceres' team delivered record production levels in June

-- Work is progressing well with new and existing customer programmes despite some initial disruption during Covid-19

Outlook

-- Expect to sign new customer partnerships in the second half of the year as commercial demand remains strong

-- Ceres plans to invest around GBP5 million in the development of solid oxide electrolysis for hydrogen and potential synthetic fuels over the next 18 months

-- Further investment in additional capacity at Redhill underway, ramping output up from 2MW to 3MW during 2021

[brucie5] 08/7/2020 14:04

Futuristic or what...?!!!

[bamboo2] 08/7/2020 13:09

Ultraleap New research "after Covid19"

Touchscreens may have enabled the widespread use of self-serve kiosks, but there's a hygiene risk associated with using them.

We need to be thinking about touchless interfaces, touchless technology, and the next step towards the kiosks of the future.

[bamboo2] 08/7/2020 12:58

New company from the Australian side.



Australian universities join forces to tackle inflammatory lung disease
A new spin-out company will develop novel therapies designed to help patients with chronic inflammatory lung diseases such as severe asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), supported by investment from IP Group, Monash University (Monash) and The University of Western Australia (UWA).

Globally, COPD is the fourth leading cause of mortality and morbidity, with chronic inflammation being a key feature and driver of disease progression in COPD, cystic fibrosis and severe asthma.

RAGE Biotech is developing new approaches to modulate the receptor for advanced glycation end- products (RAGE), an important target in chronic inflammation with links to COPD and cystic fibrosis.

The company is founded on intellectual property co-developed by leading researchers from Monash University, The University of Western Australia, Murdoch University and the Baker Institute, licensed to RAGE Biotech by Monash Innovation.

The breakthrough discoveries were led by endocrinology expert Professor Merlin Thomas of the Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, in collaboration with Professor Kevin Pfleger of UWA and the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and Professor Steve Wilton of Murdoch University.

Prof Thomas said that standard-of-care treatments fail to adequately control inflammation, leading to an inevitable worsening of disease severity.

“Inflammation is the driving force in many important diseases,” Professor Thomas said.

“RAGE is a key protein that amplifies inflammation, so targeting RAGE helps bring inflammation back under control.

“Often it’s not easy to turn inflammation down without disrupting pathways needed for good health. But RAGE only turns up when things are going wrong, which makes it such a great target.”

RAGE Biotech will test two novel approaches to modulate RAGE. The first was developed in collaboration with Prof Wilton at Murdoch University, who developed the first FDA-approved therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. A second approach was developed in collaboration with Prof Pfleger, Head of Molecular Endocrinology and Pharmacology at UWA’s Centre for Medical Research and the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research.

Professor Thomas added: “This is the beginning of an exciting translational journey towards a new therapy targeting RAGE, that would not have been possible without collaboration and funding from our universities and IP Group.”

Managing Director of IP Group Australia, Michael Molinari, said IP Group was excited to invest to build and support outstanding intellectual-property based companies, embracing early-stage ideas from university partners across the Group of Eight and University of Auckland.

“This is a particularly exciting investment for IP Group in a truly Australian technology, and a great example of what can be done when researchers from our world-leading institutions across the Group of Eight and elsewhere come together.” Dr Molinari said.

Dr Alastair Hick, Senior Director of Monash Innovation, said: “We welcome investment in this program from IP Group, supporting our efforts to translate the research outcome of a true Australian multi-institutional cross-collaboration, further validating the quality of our research and translation teams”

“Universities and medical research institutes are well known as sources of new medicines and being able to partner with IP Group is so important in terms of giving these breakthroughs a chance at being developed and commercialised”, Prof Tim Colmer, UWA’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research said.

About IP Group

IP Group is a leading intellectual property commercialisation company focused on evolving great ideas from its partner universities into world-changing businesses. The Group pioneered a unique approach to

developing these ideas and the resulting businesses by providing access to business building expertise, capital, scientific insight and the supporting infrastructure. In Australia and New Zealand, IP Group works in close partnership with the Go8 Universities and the University of Auckland to identify ground-breaking technologies, rooted in hard science, which have the most promising commercial potential.

IP Group, which is listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the symbol IPO, has a strong track record of success and its portfolio comprises holdings in early stage to mature businesses across life sciences and technology.

About Monash Investment Holdings

Monash University is Australia’s largest and most international university. Its extensive educational offering, delivered across 10 faculties, includes undergraduate, postgraduate and research courses. Monash is a research-intensive university, known for some significant and lasting discoveries that have delivered impact beyond the academic community.

The University is home to a range of world-leading facilities and technologies, giving it wide-ranging capabilities across many fields, sectors and industries. Monash works with a variety of industry, government and community groups, allowing its researchers to share their discoveries with the world.

Monash is a truly global institution, with four Australian campuses, a campus in Malaysia, a joint graduate school in China, a learning centre in Italy, a research centre in India and over 100 international partners.

[brucie5] 06/7/2020 20:43

That's a great document. And along with the ESG footprint some useful reminders of value-

Net val. 108p.
194m gross cash.

[bamboo2] 06/7/2020 20:18

ESG Report 2020

[bamboo2] 06/7/2020 19:52

06 Jul 2020

Mission Therapeutics (“Mission”), a drug discovery and development company focused on selectively inhibiting deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs), today announced that it has raised $15m (£12m) in equity investment. The round was led by existing investor Pfizer Ventures, the venture capital arm of Pfizer Inc. (“Pfizer”)(NYSE: PFE).
Mission and Pfizer Inc. have also expanded their relationship by entering into an evaluation and option agreement for DUB target validation.
Fund raising
Pfizer Ventures has been an investor in Mission Therapeutics since 2013. Today it made a further equity investment into the Company, contributing a super pro rata amount. All other existing investors within Mission joined the round on a pro rata basis. No further financial details have been disclosed.

The new capital will support development of Mission’s world-leading DUB platform, as well as growth of its pipeline of DUB inhibitor programmes.

Expansion of Pfizer collaboration
DUBs have attracted significant interest as potential drug targets. Playing an integral role in protein homeostasis, this large family of enzymes is involved in diverse cellular processes and many disease pathologies.


Under the terms of the evaluation and option agreement, Pfizer will access specific DUB inhibitors from Mission’s platform and test these compounds in phenotypic screens to validate promising drug targets. Pfizer will then have the option to negotiate target exclusivity for each of the DUBs of interest.

The agreement does not include any of Mission’s own lead DUB programs, such as USP30.

Commenting on the agreement, Dr. Denis Patrick, Managing Partner of Pfizer Ventures and Member of Mission’s Board of Directors, said: “Since our initial investment in Mission seven years ago, the company has grown tremendously and the depth of its scientific expertise and capability has grown alongside it. We are proud to expand our relationship with the company and our scientists are looking forward to a successful collaboration in this important area of research.”

Dr. Anker Lundemose, CEO of Mission Therapeutics added: “We are pleased to expand our relationship with Pfizer, one of the world’s premier biopharmaceutical companies. We have benefitted from the valuable contributions of Dr. Denis Patrick as a member of our Board of Directors and we look forward to working with the wider Pfizer team.”

About Mission Therapeutics

Mission Therapeutics is an early-stage drug development company targeting the ubiquitin pathway for the treatment of kidney disease, neurodegenerative disease, rare mitochondrial diseases and fibrosis. The Company has built a leading platform for the discovery and development of first-in-class, small molecule drugs that selectively target deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) – an emerging drug class that is attracting significant commercial interest in the area of protein homeostasis.

Mission has strong links with key academic and research centers, including Prof. Steve Jackson’s Cancer Research UK Laboratories at the University of Cambridge Gurdon Institute, and leading UK centres in neurodegenerative diseases. The Company also has secured major industry partnerships, including its collaboration with AbbVie in November 2018, for the research and preclinical development of specified DUB inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease. The Company is managed by a team with broad international, commercial and clinical-science experience.

To date the Company has received £73 million / $101 million in funding. Its investors comprise blue chip institutional and corporate investors including: Pfizer Ventures, Sofinnova Partners, Roche Venture Fund, SR One, IP Group and Schroders Adveq. Mission Therapeutics was founded in 2011 and is based at the Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK.

[p1nkfish] 06/7/2020 10:18

Agree Brucie.

[brucie5] 06/7/2020 09:15

"Is it virtue signalling window dressing to gain ESG investment pounds without driving fundamental results?"

Well, my take on it, fwiw, is, Yes and No.
Look at the wall of money coming into ESG funds. Use IPX as your exemplar: though not a fund but a fund manager.
(Which is IPO? Certainly it operates on a hefty discount to (partly) known assets, like an IT. But perhaps also has aspects of fund management..?

Either way, once they clarify the business model, get rid of the residual Invesco, and find some way of according proper value to the central proposition, then its technology is in the sweet spot of global investment.

AIMHO.

[p1nkfish] 06/7/2020 09:02

He's very well connected - good.

[p1nkfish] 06/7/2020 09:01

Reads well but we need more business.

Is it virtue signalling window dressing to gain ESG investment pounds without driving fundamental results?

I don't know.

[brucie5] 06/7/2020 08:38

A heavy hitter. But will he have as big an impact on their bottom line, as on their remuneration costs.

"Professor Clark is one of the most influential academics in the world in the field of investment management, particularly in relation to long-term ESG factors such as environmental performance."

[bamboo2] 06/7/2020 08:25

IP Group plc appoints Gordon Clark, Emeritus Professor, Oxford University, and long-term investment expert, as Chair of ESG Ethics Committee

IP Group plc (LSE: IPO) ("IP Group" or "the Group" or "the Company"), the developer of intellectual property-based businesses, is pleased to announce that it has appointed Professor Gordon Clark, Senior Consultant and Emeritus Professor of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, Oxford University, as Chair of its Ethics Committee.

The Group's Ethics Committee has been set up to oversee IP Group's Ethical Investment Framework which sets out the Group's approach to responsible investing. Professor Clark will Chair the Committee, providing advice on investments when required as well as reviewing the framework and ensuring compliance. The Committee will also comprise a member of the executive team, two partners representing the Group's investment focus areas of life sciences and technology as well as representation from the risk and compliance department. Professor Clark will report to the IP Group plc Board on matters regarding the Ethical Investment Framework and Ethics Committee but is not a Board member.

Professor Clark is one of the most influential academics in the world in the field of investment management, particularly in relation to long-term ESG factors such as environmental performance.

Alan Aubrey, Chief Executive of IP Group plc and Board representative for ESG, said: "Responsible investing has long been at the heart of IP Group's ethos, as we aim to address some of the world's most pressing challenges and generate positive social and environmental impact alongside financial returns. We are very pleased to have Professor Clark working with IP Group as we formalise our approach to responsible investment. The recent COVID-19 outbreak has further brought to light the role of investors and companies in ensuring best practice in environmental, social and governance issues. Professor Clark has an excellent insight into this subject and we look forward to working with him."

Professor Clark said: "I look forward to working with IP Group on its ESG and ethics initiative. It's a remarkable time, of course, with the COVID-19 challenge and the issue of climate change - two particularly pressing and substantial issues, which both investors and the public are increasingly vocal about. I am pleased to be part of IP Group's work and contributing to a better understanding of the role that the company can play in addressing these issues."

As well as serving as a Professorial Fellow at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, Professor Clark is also co-Director of the Zurich-Oxford research programme at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. He has been Sir Louis Matheson Distinguished Visiting Professor at Monash University's Faculty of Business and Economics (Melbourne) and is currently a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University's Global Projects Centre (part of the Faculty of Engineering).

[bamboo2] 03/7/2020 09:24

02-Jul-2020

New sequencing technology will help scientists decipher disease mechanisms
New technologies capable of sequencing single molecules in fine detail will help scientists better understand the mechanisms of rare nucleotides thought to play an important role in the progression of some diseases.



A review paper, led by a scientist at the University of Birmingham, describes how emerging sequencing technologies will transform our understanding of these molecules, ultimately leading to new drug targets. The paper is published in the journal Trends in Biotechnology.



Expression of genes to make protein involves making a messenger RNA molecule. Although RNA, like DNA consist of the four nucleotides, some of them carry decorations called the epitranscriptome. These modified nucleotides are important additions to the genetic code whose functions are little understood, but have been linked to disease such as obesity, cancer and neurological disorders.



Although the importance of the epitranscriptome is recognized, its detection is difficult and comes with high error rates.



Scientist have been interested in these rare modified nucleotides since their discovery more than 40 years ago, but they had been very difficult to examine in specific genes due to technical difficulties. However, their importance has been recognized, because many human parasites and viruses have them. Even more, some viruses including coronavirus SARS-CoV2 have their own RNA modification enzymes, originally acquired from their hosts, but then adapted to their needs.



Until recently, the study of these modified nucleotides has been limited because they occur so rarely, and existing technologies have not been sufficiently fine-tuned to detect the modifications.



The new technology, developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies, is promising to overcome current sequencing limitations, with highly selective sequencing capabilities. By identifying specific nucleotide targets associated with particular diseases, drug developers will be able to start to investigate inhibitor drugs that can interfere with the molecules and influence the progression of the disease.



Lead author of this multinational study, Dr Matthias Soller from the University of Birmingham, UK, says: “These modified nucleotides are particularly hard to detect and previously it was impossible to examine their occurrence in the entire genome with high confidence”.



First author and Schmidt Science Fellow Dr Ina Anreiter, University of Toronto, Canada, adds: “Previously, it was only possible to look at one modification at a time, but there a more than just one and they likely hiding a yet to discover code.



“This new technology will really enable a step-change in how we approach modified nucleotides, giving us a ‘real-time’ topographic map of where the molecules are within the genome, and how frequently they occur. This will be really important in instructing further research into their function and providing us with new insights into how these molecules lead to human disease.”



Dr Soller added: “There is plenty of work still to be done to further develop these sequencing devices, including improving the machine-learning capability for interpreting the sequencing signals, but progress is happening rapidly and I think we will be seeing some very exciting results emerging from this technology.”



Co-author, Dr. Sarath Janga from Indiana University, USA says: “SARS-CoV2 RNA virus responsible for the COVID19 pandemic has about 40 RNA modifications and it is already clear, that they are essential for the virus. Hence, understanding their function in virus replication will provide new directions for combating viral infections”

[bamboo2] 03/7/2020 09:06

The two examples above show how IP Group companies are using a partnership approach in the US, rather than going it alone.

This looks far more sustainable than the approach used in the past, where for example TRX, set up a complete manufacturing and trading entity in the US, and almost ran out of money before reaching a critical mass.

============================================

Chart looks well set. 50sma crossing 100sma today.

News due on ONT/Group42, ONT holding/Invesco/Tencent, and anticipating corporate activity at CWR in near future.

[bamboo2] 30/6/2020 14:05

18th June 2020 – CEN Media Group and Ultraleap have signed a deal that will see touchless technology solutions installed into CEN’s digital out-of-home cinema network. As cinemas reopen and respond to life post-COVID-19, this technology will allow brands to continue to engage with consumers in a safe and responsible way.

Starting with 10 city locations, the permanent installation of Ultraleap’s technology will run standard display advertising and touchless interactive content harmoniously...

...The installations will include Ultraleap’s hand tracking and mid-air haptics which will limit the spread of germs and provide safe and natural interaction with content. This will be Ultraleap’s first US network installation at scale in digital-out-of-home.