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Jason Pedrick Joins Aniview as Vice President of Publisher Partnerships in North America

Aniview

Aniview, a leader in video ad technology, is excited to welcome Jason Pedrick as its new Vice President of Publisher Partnerships for North America. With over 16 years of experience in Ad Tech, Jason has been at the forefront of fostering fruitful relationships between publishers, advertisers, and technologies that power content distribution and monetization across the globe. Before joining Aniview, Jason was a key figure at SpringServe, where his leadership played a critical role in expanding the company’s presence, particularly within the CTV market. His tenure at SpringServe was distinguished by his ability to forge strong, trusting relationships with publishers and advertisers, significantly boosting the company’s market share and influence. In his new role at Aniview, Jason will focus on fortifying and expanding North American partnerships, utilizing Aniview’s full spectrum of video solutions, including Aniview’s Ad Server for Web and CTV, Server Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) tech, CMS, and Marketplace. His objective is to deliver unparalleled value to all stakeholders in the ad tech ecosystem. Jason shared his enthusiasm: "Joining Aniview is a thrilling new chapter for me. I look forward to leveraging my experience to foster growth and innovation in video advertising, ensuring our partners achieve unmatched success." Alon Carmel, CEO of Aniview, expressed his excitement about Jason joining the team, "We are thrilled to have Jason on board. His extensive experience and deep industry relationships are invaluable as Aniview continues to expand its reach in North America. Jason’s vision for the future of publisher partnerships aligns perfectly with Aniview’s mission to innovate and drive value for publishers across Web, Mobile, and CTV. We look forward to the leadership and energy he brings to our team.” Jason's appointment marks a significant step forward for Aniview in its mission to power efficient and effective advertising through innovation, trust, and transparency. His expertise and leadership are expected to drive Aniview's growth in the North American market and beyond. About Aniview Aniview is a global adtech and media company whose platform is playing an increasingly central role in delivering efficient and effective video advertising across the open web. The company’s end-to-end solutions are highly flexible and transparent, and they operate on desktop, mobile, in-app, connected TV, and over-the-top formats. Aniview’s patented video player technology, high-performance ad server, and video marketplace provide flawless video delivery to 1000+ premium websites and apps, powering video advertising for prominent platforms like Outbrain and OpenWeb. Founded in 2013, Aniview now delivers, on average, 15 billion ad impressions per month. For more information, please visit www.aniview.com. Contact Details Vaibhav Pandey info@aniview.com

April 11, 2024 09:09 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Concentrated Global Equity Fund Tourbillon Announces Availability to Qualified US Investors

Tourbillon

Tourbillon Investment Management Ltd. (an appointed representative of Eschler Asset Management LLP) today announced the availability of their concentrated global equity fund to qualified US Investors. Led by experienced investors Ben Beneche and Ramesh Narayanaswamy, the fund invests in 15 to 25 durable, high-quality companies globally which they believe are priced to deliver superior absolute returns over the long-term. As long-time friends and now partners, Beneche and Narayanaswamy share a common value investing philosophy. Focusing on first-principles thinking, they identify high-quality businesses through the lens of three ‘deep truths’: symbiotic loops, fulcrum assets and outlier management. “We believe that forward-looking qualitative judgments are far more important than backward-looking quantitative approaches,” said Beneche. “Our emphasis, always, is identifying businesses which we believe can endure over decades, a feat that very few companies achieve.” While many asset managers are focused on relative performance based on short-term earnings beats and misses, Tourbillon invests with a 5-10 year horizon, prioritizing absolute returns, management alignment, and valuing companies on distributable cashflows or ‘owner earnings’. “The world is just emerging from a long period of low interest rates,” said Narayanaswamy. “Looking out over the next decade and beyond, our absolute value orientation and focus on durable quality will serve clients well. Though we measure our investment results over years and decades, we are pleased with our returns profile as we approach the first anniversary of our launch.” The firm invests in companies across geographies, sectors, and market caps. This unconstrained approach, combined with a focus on a select few investments, has resulted in a distinctive collection of unique companies in its portfolio. “As a fund, we are concentrated in the best companies where we have the most conviction,” said Beneche. “Although our mandate is broad, there are very few companies which fit the criteria we are looking for, and even fewer which trade at prices that make sense to us. Today, we are finding the most interesting opportunities outside the US, specifically in smaller companies based in the UK and Japan.” Beneche and Narayanaswamy, co-founders and Portfolio Managers, bring extensive yet complementary experience in asset management. Beneche was a senior portfolio manager and co-lead of international equities at Pictet Asset Management, a global financial institution with a 200-year pedigree serving some of the world’s largest pension funds, financial institutions, sovereign wealth funds and intermediaries. For 10 years, he managed several billion dollars in all-cap international portfolios for predominantly institutional clients. Narayanaswamy previously served as partner and portfolio manager at Veritas Asset Manager LLP, a leading global and Asian equities manager of funds and segregated portfolios for institutional investors globally. In this role, Narayanaswamy spent 11 years in global cross-sector fundamental equity research in concentrated equity strategies, as well as portfolio management. Before Veritas, he was a global industrials and utilities analyst and sector portfolio manager at Fidelity Management & Research for 5 years. “The investment management industry does not always put the client first. But we do,” Narayanaswamy said. “Our core value is shared ownership. Ben and I share equal ownership of the business and our portfolio. We invest in companies that share our long-term orientation. We seek clients who share our philosophy, investing alongside them on the same terms. We also pledge to donate a portion of our profits to charity.” About Tourbillon Investment Management Tourbillon Investment Management is a long-only public equity fund investing in 15 to 25 businesses globally using a fundamental, value-oriented approach. Named after the mechanism in a mechanical watch that prevents errors caused by gravity, Tourbillon Investment Management favors companies that seemingly defy gravity by remaining durably high quality. The firm aims to deliver superior absolute returns over the long term without taking undue risk. Tourbillon Investment Management’s fund is designed to deliver strong risk-adjusted returns with significant variance from market averages. Tourbillon Investment Management Ltd is an appointed representative of Eschler Asset Management LLP which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (# 510079) and a registered Investment Advisor with the SEC. Contact Details For Tourbillon Investment Management portfoliomanagers@tourbillonpartners.co.uk Company Website https://www.tourbillonpartners.co.uk/

April 11, 2024 09:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Autonomix Medical (NASDAQ: AMIX) Is Cracking the Code Of The Peripheral Nervous System With Its Breakthrough Technology To Treat Diseases

Autonomix Medical, Inc.

By Faith Ashmore, Benzinga The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is the network of nerves that extend from the brain and spinal cord to all parts of the body. Its main function is to facilitate communication between the central nervous system (CNS) and the rest of the body. The PNS is divided into two components: the somatic nervous system, which controls voluntary movements and senses, and the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary bodily functions like heart rate and digestion. Simply put, the PNS plays a crucial role in nearly every disease because it is responsible for transmitting signals and information throughout the body. Overactive nerves, disruption, or dysfunction in the PNS can lead to a variety of health issues, including conditions like pain, cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, as well as gastrointestinal disorders. While many biotechnology companies are looking to treat symptoms for various conditions, Autonomix Medical Inc. (NASDAQ: AMIX) is targeting the root of the issue, which they associate with the PNS. The company’s first-in-class technology platform includes a catheter-based microchip sensing array that can detect and differentiate neural signals and perform nerve ablations, killing the nerve. This technology has the ability to sense individual neural signals with up to 3,000 times greater sensitivity than currently available technologies. The company says this breakthrough technology opens new possibilities in electrophysiology and pain management. Autonomix Medical aims to provide a comprehensive solution that combines the detection and treatment of nerve-related disorders in a single procedure, streamlining the process and potentially improving patient outcomes. Unlike the conventional ablation approaches, Autonomix Medical reports that its technology works like a GPS, allowing doctors to identify, treat and verify the right nerves causing the issue. The company is initially evaluating pancreatic cancer pain to demonstrate the ability of its technology. With current treatment options, pancreatic cancer-related pain can be particularly challenging to manage because it is located near critical nerves and vessels, leading to severe and treatment resistant pain. Traditional pain treatments can often prove inadequate, leaving patients in need of more effective solutions; some patients turn to opioids for relief. If Autonomix Medical’s ongoing trial is successful, it could pave the way for the company to target larger disease markets and expand the total opportunity for their technology, which they estimate exceeds $100 billion. Additionally, Autonomix believes it has the potential to decrease nationwide reliance on opioids, which could be a win for patients and physicians alike. Featured photo by Stefano Bucciarelli on Unsplash Autonomix is a medical device company focused on advancing innovative technologies to revolutionize how diseases involving the nervous system are diagnosed and treated. The Company’s first-in-class technology platform includes a catheter-based microchip sensing array that has the ability to detect and differentiate neural signals with approximately 3,000 times greater sensitivity than currently available technologies. We believe this will enable, for the first time ever, transvascular diagnosis and treatment of diseases involving the peripheral nervous system virtually anywhere in the body.We are initially developing our technology for pancreatic cancer pain, a condition that can cause debilitating pain and needs an effective solution. However, our technology constitutes a platform with the potential to address dozens of indications, including in cardiology, renal denervation and chronic pain management across a wide disease spectrum. Some of the statements in this release are “forward-looking statements,” which involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, the timing of the completion of patient enrollment in the trial and the Company’s ability to successfully meet the milestones set forth in this press release on a timely basis, if at all. Such forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as ‘should,’ ‘may,’ ‘intends,’ ‘anticipates,’ ‘believes,’ ‘estimates,’ ‘projects,’ ‘forecasts,’ ‘expects,’ ‘plans,’ and ‘proposes.’Although Autonomix Medical, Inc. (or Autonomix) believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. You are urged to carefully review and consider any cautionary statements and other disclosures, including the statements made under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the offering circular filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on January 26, 2024. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the document in which they are contained and Autonomix does not undertake any duty to update any forward-looking statements except as may be required by law. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details JTC Team, LLC autonomix@jtcir.com Company Website https://autonomix.com/

April 11, 2024 08:55 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Only 27% Of Chinese Citizens Have Visited Amusement Parks, And Demand Is Now Growing – Golden Heaven (NASDAQ: GDHG) Plans To Ride The Wave

Benzinga

By Meg Flippin, Benzinga The amusement park industry is having a moment in China, with interest in this form of entertainment growing. It doesn’t hurt that only 27% of the population in China has visited a theme park, presenting a big opportunity to reach the 1.4 billion people who live there. Habits learned during the pandemic are helping drive growth in the industry. With heavy restrictions on international travel, local trips became the only option. That attitude toward travel remains today, which is driving the popularity of amusement parks. In 2019, the Chinese amusement park market was valued at RMB 40 billion. By the end of 2025, McKinsey projects it will grow to over RMB 90 billion. One company that appears to be benefiting from this trend is Golden Heaven Group Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: GDHG). The amusement park operator, which developed and manages six amusement parks across China, is seeing an increase in the number of visits to its theme parks. During the Chinese Spring Festival holiday which ran this past February 10 to 17, park attendance was up 28.4% year-over-year. Attendance of 100,362 sets a new record, reports Golden Heaven. Nearby For Many The company’s six parks occupy approximately 426,560 square meters of land in aggregate and are located in geographically diverse markets across the south of China. Due to the geographical locations of the parks and the ease of travel, the parks are easily accessible to an aggregate population of approximately 21 million people, Golden Heaven says. The parks offer a broad selection of thrilling and family-friendly rides, water attractions, gourmet festivals, circus performances and high-tech facilities. For 2024, Golden Heaven wants to expand its presence in the amusement park market, enhance operational efficiency and increase investments in technology to elevate visitor experiences and improve overall customer satisfaction. As it stands, the company is already in expansion mode, opening parks and inking deals to support long-term growth. Take Seven Rainbow Park in Anshun City, Guizhou Province. Trial operations of the 15,000 square-meter park – which has a range of attractions including a Ferris wheel, luxury carousel, zoo, ocean hall, pirate ship and bumper cars – kicked off in January. The construction of the park was completed ahead of schedule. “The trial operation results have met our expectations,” said Qiong Jin, the CEO and Chairman of Golden Heaven. “The park offers a valuable model for future projects. Our goal is to establish the park as an entertainment hub in the local area while advancing the Company's sustainable development and profit objectives." Golden Heaven is also utilizing the capital markets to broaden its presence in the amusement park industry. It also recently made a deal with PT BESTAR JAYA, an Indonesian trading company that services large-scale supermarkets nationwide. Golden Heaven was hired to develop, staff and manage 30 to 50 indoor amusement parks in major shopping centers and supermarkets across Indonesia. Bringing In The Revenue Beyond opening parks and expanding its market presence, Golden Heaven is entering into lease agreements that give it recurring revenue. Two worth mentioning include deals with Nanping City Dacheng Culture Communication Co., Ltd. and Zigong City Dragon Culture & Arts Co. Ltd. Golden Heaven is leasing certain land and property to Dacheng Culture to host a range of activities, including wedding photography, family photography, marriage proposal planning, Hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing) photography and various celebratory events. Dacheng Culture is paying RMB 6 million, payable quarterly, over the contract period, which extends from March 29, 2024, to March 28, 2025. Meanwhile, Zigong Culture is paying RMB 8.73 million to lease certain land and property to host a range of outdoor activities including seasonal excursions, extracurricular activities, physical competitions and talent shows. The contract period runs from March 11, 2024, to March 10, 2025. All of this is positioning the company for what it says should be profitable growth in 2024. Travelers in China want to stay close to home and are willing to spend money to do it. They are increasingly choosing amusement parks as the preferred form of entertainment. That’s good news for companies like Golden Heaven that are making several moves to capitalize. Featured photo by Thomas Stadler on Unsplash. Benzinga is a leading financial media and data provider, known for delivering accurate, timely, and actionable financial information to empower investors and traders. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

April 11, 2024 08:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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NRX’s (NASDAQ: NRXP) NMDA Modification Therapy And Its Multiple Applications From Mental Health To Chronic Pain

Benzinga

By Meg Flippin, Benzinga The nation may be in a mental health crisis, with many people from the young to the old suffering from depression, anxiety, PTSD and suicidal ideation. The latter is particularly true for patients with bipolar depression. The disease, which afflicts 2.8% of the U.S. population, is marked by high highs and low lows. Thoughts of suicide accompany the depressive lows for nearly half of sufferers. Devastatingly, between 4% to 19% will commit suicide. There are medicines available to help manage the highs and lows of bipolar disorder, but not a single-dose treatment. Typically, it requires one to manage mania and another for depression. They may not work for everyone and come with their own set of side effects. Modifying The NMDA Receptor NRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: NRXP), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, believes it has the answer with NRX-101. It’s the biopharmaceutical company’s FDA-designated investigational Breakthrough Therapy for suicidal treatment-resistant bipolar depression and chronic pain. The company is targeting life-threatening diseases that often go untreated with NRX-101, which is a patented, oral fixed-dose combination of two FDA-approved drugs: D-cycloserine, an NMDA receptor modulator at certain dosage ranges; and Lurasidone, a 5-HT2a receptor antagonist. Combined, the drugs target the NMDA receptor which is critical for memory function and the formation of new thoughts in the brain. At excessive rates of NMDA activity, ideas including the creation of new ones are slowed down. People with bipolar disorder tend to ruminate on fewer and more negative thoughts in that state. When the NMDA channel is blocked, thoughts can flow rapidly and incoherently, leading to hallucinations and psychosis. The challenge is to strike a healthy balance between the two. By modulating the NMDA, NRx believes it can improve the function of the thought-forming cells in the brain and thus reduce suicidal ideation. If approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other health regulatory agencies, the company says it would be the first medicine regimen targeted to treat severe bipolar depression in patients with both acute and sub-acute suicidal ideation or behavior (ASIB and SSIB). Trial Over-Enrolled The company is taking steps to make that a reality, recently completing enrollment of a phase 2b/3 study of NRX-101 for 74 patients suffering from bipolar disorder. Enrollment exceeded the original target of 70 patients, to enhance the statistical power of the study, NRx said. Top-line data is expected later this month. "To our knowledge, NRX-101 is the first and only oral medication to have demonstrated reduced suicidal ideation in patients with bipolar depression,” said Dr. Jonathan Javitt, Founder, Chairman and Chief Scientist of NRx Pharmaceuticals. “On the basis of our previous trial, it was awarded Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA and we aim to confirm its effect on depression and suicidal ideation in this trial.” NRX teamed up with Alvogen Pharmaceuticals for the development and marketing of the combined therapy. During its fourth quarter, NRx said Alvogen advanced its first $5.1 million milestone payment. A successful readout from the phase 2b trial and FDA interaction will trigger an additional $4 million milestone payment together with the transfer of future development costs to Alvogen. The partnership provides for potential milestones of $329 million and a royalty reaching 15% on net sales, according to NRx. Beyond Bipolar Disorder It’s not just bipolar disorder that NRx is aiming to treat with its NMDA therapy platform. The company is making inroads in using its lead compound in chronic pain, betting results of a 200-person efficacy trial conducted by Northwestern University could create a multibillion-dollar opportunity for NRx. Chronic pain is another condition that plagues more than 50 million Americans in which the available treatments have mixed results. Then there’s its new drug application for IV ketamine in acute suicidality. NRx said it is building a specialty pharmaceutical business around ketamine it expects to yield positive cash flow by the end of 2024. Called HOPE Therapeutics, NRx plans to submit a new drug application with the FDA this year. In advance of FDA approval, HOPE partnered with national 503b and 503a pharmacies to address the ketamine shortage reported by the FDA since 2018. The goal is to spin HOPE out into a stand-alone company owned by NRx, current NRx shareholders via a tax-free dividend and new investors. NRx said prospective anchor investors offered $60 million in new investment dollars once HOPE is publicly listed. NRx said HOPE is presenting data from four randomized, prospective trials demonstrating safety and efficacy in 800 patients as the clinical basis for its new drug application (NDA) for HTX-100 (IV Ketamine). And if that’s not enough, NRx recently received Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) and Fast Track designation from the FDA for NRX-101 in the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) and pyelonephritis. It's a condition the company says affects 3 million people in the U.S. resulting in over 15,000 deaths annually. NRx is currently seeking partners with active involvement in urology, infectious disease and/or women's health for commercialization of NRX-101. "2023 was a pivotal year for NRx in which we advanced from a single clinical trial in a single indication to a dramatically streamlining operation with a 50% reduction in overhead costs, a 25% reduction in overall costs and a $0.20 per share improvement in negative earnings, while completing our clinical trial objectives,” says Stephen Willard, J.D., Chief Executive Officer and Director of NRx Pharmaceuticals. ‘We expect data from two key trials this month and predict our first commercial revenue by the end of 2024.” Featured photo by Fernando @cferdophotography on Unsplash. Benzinga is a leading financial media and data provider, known for delivering accurate, timely, and actionable financial information to empower investors and traders. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

April 11, 2024 08:40 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Potential Supply-Demand Imbalance? The Growing Role Of Uranium And Copper Amid The Global Energy Transition

Benzinga

By Austin DeNoce, Benzinga The global renewable energy landscape, spurred by the green transition, is marked by growing demand for a number of commodities. Among those, two critical materials in particular are gaining traction: uranium and copper. This trend is intricately linked to the worldwide shift toward zero-carbon emissions and the pursuit of more reliable and efficient energy sources. The projected 86 % increase in electricity demand by 2050, underscores the critical need for energy-related commodities in the energy transition. Uranium, vital for nuclear energy, and copper, essential for any kind of electrical transmission, are at the forefront of this shift, presenting potential investment opportunities as their demand likely outpaces supply in the coming years. Uranium’s Role In The Energy Industry And Green Transition One uranium fuel pellet can produce energy equivalent to 149 gallons of oil or one ton of coal, yet the commodity still managed to take a back seat to fossil fuels over the last several decades – despite being a much cleaner energy source. However, uranium seems to finally be claiming its pivotal role in the energy sector, primarily driven by the resurgence of nuclear power as a reliable and low-carbon energy source. The global expansion of nuclear energy, highlighted by numerous new reactor constructions in countries like China, reflects a global commitment to diversifying energy sources and minimizing carbon footprints. Nuclear energy's density, reliability and efficiency make it an attractive option for powering high-demand sectors, such as data centers and computationally demanding AI models that require massive amounts of baseload power. Unlike wind, solar and many other renewables, nuclear power can more easily supply energy around the clock. And unlike fossil fuels, it doesn’t produce direct carbon dioxide emissions. In other words, nuclear power could potentially offer the best of both worlds. The only catch is that nuclear power plants take a long time to be built and brought online, and there currently seems to be an undersupply of uranium due to underinvestment in mining. However, uranium miners are working to catch up. Copper’s Role In The Energy Industry And Transition to Cleaner Energy Copper is another metal that often flies under the radar in regard to the energy transition, but it is fundamental to the energy sector's evolution, especially in the upgrade and expansion of energy grids and the global shift toward the electrification of vehicles. Copper’s high electrical conductivity positions it as an essential commodity used in construction, power generation and increasingly in the electric vehicle (EV) and renewable energy sectors. As the world strives to meet its net-zero emission goals, the demand for copper looks poised to soar, driven not only by its traditional roles but also by its critical function in renewable energy technologies and electricity networks. This anticipated surge in demand juxtaposes a looming supply challenge, with projections suggesting that existing mines and projects under construction may only meet 80% of the copper requirements by 2030. This scenario, similar to that of uranium, underscores the urgency for strategic investments in copper mining and production to bridge the potential supply-demand gap. For copper to play its indispensable role in facilitating a sustainable, electrified future, it is likely going to take a lot more investment to bring more supply to market. Sprott’s Uranium And Copper ETFs For investors looking to tap into the burgeoning markets of uranium and copper, Sprott Asset Management offers targeted investment solutions through its specialized exchange-traded funds (ETFs). For those interested in uranium investments, Sprott’s offerings include the Sprott Physical Uranium Trust (OTCMKTS: SRUUF), the Sprott Uranium Miners ETF (NYSE: Arca: URNM) and the Sprott Junior Uranium Miners ETF (NASDAQ: URNJ). These funds aim to provide investors with diversified exposure to the uranium sector through physical uranium and uranium mining companies. Similarly, the Sprott Copper Miners ETF (NASDAQ: COPP) and the Sprott Junior Copper Miners ETF (NASDAQ: COPJ) offer investment avenues in the copper industry, focusing on pure-play mining companies that stand to benefit from copper's critical role in the energy transition. Pure-play means that the companies in the holdings earn more than 50% of their revenue from the mining and production of copper. Together, Sprott's ETFs represent a possible strategic opportunity for investors to engage with the essential materials driving the global shift toward renewable energy and sustainability. Investment Insights In A Clean Energy Future Uranium's resurgence in the nuclear sector and copper's critical function in electricity transmission and renewable technologies highlight their growing roles in the global energy landscape. Sprott says its specialized ETFs provide investors with opportunities to gain exposure to these vital sectors, and a way to participate in the growth potential of the energy transition. As the demand for clean and efficient energy sources continues to rise, uranium and copper could potentially drive significant returns in the pursuit of a greener future. Featured photo by Riccardo Annandale on Unsplash. Benzinga is a leading financial media and data provider, known for delivering accurate, timely, and actionable financial information to empower investors and traders. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

April 11, 2024 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Elicio Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ELTX) Makes Strides In Growing Cancer Vaccination Industry

Benzinga

By Jeremy Golden, Benzinga Founded in 2011, Elicio Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: ELTX) has made several significant strides in the last 13 years. The immunotherapy company has completed multiple successful preclinical trials and has been featured in publications like Nature Medicine and Cancer Immunology Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). With promising potential treatments in its pipeline, Elicio Therapeutics’ future seems even brighter than the achievements it made in its past. AMP Platform For Cancer Immunotherapies Elicio Therapeutics is working to re-engineer the body’s immune response to defeat cancer and infectious diseases with potent lymph node-targeted immunotherapies and vaccines. This approach differentiates Elicio from its competitors and could be highly promising for enhancing anti-tumor immune responses and improving therapeutic efficacy. Elicio’s proprietary Amphiphile or “AMP” platform is being used in the development of cancer immunotherapies for patients facing limited treatment options and often poor outcomes. The platform combines expertise in materials science and immunology to develop novel immunotherapies, including cell therapy activators, immunomodulators, adjuvants and vaccines for an array of aggressive cancers and infectious diseases. Key immune cells are located in the lymph nodes – critical sites that are not engaged by conventional immunotherapies. AMP is built for targeted delivery of payloads to the lymph nodes, guiding the payloads into the lymphatics. This approach is intended to harness the natural ability of the lymph nodes to enhance the magnitude, potency and durability of immune responses to drive antitumor activity. Through this platform, Elicio Therapeutics has developed an innovative pipeline of cancer immunotherapies with the potential to address critical unmet needs, with three vaccine candidates currently in its pipeline: ELI-002, ELI-007 and ELI-008. ELI-002 is Elicio’s lead investigational asset, targeting Kirsten rat sarcoma (KRAS) driven cancers caused by a mutation of the KRAS gene designed to stimulate an immune response against the seven KRAS mutations driving 25% of solid tumors. While early mKRAS-targeting efforts in the clinical setting show promise, there remains a considerable unmet need for the development of effective therapies. Many traditional vaccines and immunotherapies do not target the lymph nodes. Small molecule-based immunomodulators easily pass through the blood vessel walls at the injection site. As a result, they are rapidly flushed away into the systemic circulation, limiting access to the lymph nodes. Often, this results in a failure to realize the full potential of the immune response. Worse yet, it can lead to the development of dangerous toxicities at other sites in the body. This is where ELI-002 stands out from previous methods. A structurally novel AMP therapeutic vaccine, ELI-002 is comprised of AMP-modified mutant KRAS peptide antigens and AMP-modified immune-stimulatory oligonucleotide CpG adjuvant. The AMP mKRAS peptides and AMP CpG are targeted to the lymph nodes to enhance the action of key immune cells and educate T cells on how to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. Early clinical studies have shown encouraging results. In a preliminary phase 1 ( AMPLIFY-201 ) study involving patients with pancreatic and colorectal cancers, the vaccine elicited strong T cell responses, with most patients having reduced tumor biomarkers and some having complete clearance following treatment with ELI-002 monotherapy. Increased Awareness Of Cancer Vaccines Is Leading To Market Growth The global cancer vaccine market size was estimated at $7.31 billion in 2022, Grand View Research reports. It’s expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.04% by 2030. With the rising prevalence of cancer and increased awareness about cancer vaccination, the market is growing amid a rise in government funding and investments. In January, Elicio presented a Trial in Progress poster on the design of the AMPLIFY-7P trial at the ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in San Francisco, California. The poster describes the phase 1 and randomized phase 2 study of ELI-002 7P, an investigational therapeutic cancer vaccine administered as an adjuvant monotherapy treatment for patients with KRAS-mutated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (“PDAC”). In addition, the company announced that the first patient had been dosed as part of the randomized phase 2 ( AMPLIFY-7P ) study of ELI-002 7P. Initial interim data on ELI-002 7P monotherapy from the phase 1A arm is expected to be shared in the second quarter of 2024, the company said. Featured photo by Louis Reed on Unsplash. Benzinga is a leading financial media and data provider, known for delivering accurate, timely, and actionable financial information to empower investors and traders. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

April 11, 2024 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Kartoon Studios (AMEX: TOON) Is Keeping Stan Lee's Legacy Alive With Its Brand New Stan Lee Store On Amazon And YouTube Channel

Benzinga

By Faith Ashmore, Benzinga In 1941, a little-known editorial assistant at Timely Comics published his first comic, ‘Captain America Foils the Traitor's Revenge’. That someone then went on to gain fame as Stan “The Man” Lee – and the world of comics and superheroes was forever changed. Stan Lee was a towering figure in the industry, creating classics like Spiderman, Iron Man, Black Panther and many others. His legacy is everywhere and central to the world of superheroes. As of November 2023, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had earned more than $29 billion, making it the biggest movie franchise ever. While Stan Lee has passed, the world he created is long-lasting and is showing no signs of slowing down. Kartoon Studios (AMEX: TOON) is one of the global companies working hard to keep Stan Lee’s vision alive. It is a global company specializing in creating, producing, distributing, marketing and licensing entertainment brands. With a diverse portfolio of original animated content, including popular shows such as Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten, Shaq's Garage, Rainbow Rangers and Llama Llama, Kartoon Studios seems to have established itself as a prominent player in the entertainment industry. Kartoon Studios, which is the controlling partner of "Stan Lee Universe, LLC," has recently unveiled a new dedicated storefront on Amazon, exclusively featuring products related to Stan Lee. This Stan Lee storefront, powered by Meteor, offers a wide range of branded apparel and merchandise adorned with graphics that pay homage to the legendary "Godfather of Comics." This new storefront further enhances the brand's connection with its digital community of passionate fans. “The launch of our first Stan Lee dedicated storefront with Amazon and Meteor is game-changing for our brand because it offers an incredible, far-reaching, and trusted e-commerce store to provide Stan’s legion of tens of millions of devoted fans globally, access for the first time to Stan Lee merchandise,” shared Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Kartoon Studios. “In building an engaged community, we are also providing the framework for recurring revenue and growth opportunities. We are confident this program has the capacity to significantly grow Stan Lee Universe both in the U.S. and globally.” In a divided world, Stan Lee’s pen often brought communities together. Stan Lee is well-known throughout the industry as someone who not only created amazing stories of heroes triumphing over evil but as someone who decried injustices in real life. The legend spent a lifetime condemning racism and creating characters that every little boy and girl could relate to, regardless of their background and heritage. Kartoon Studios is firmly intent on keeping Stan Lee’s legacy alive. The company has also announced the launch of the " Stan Lee Presents " channel on YouTube. With a subscriber count of already over 300,000, this newly rebranded channel, previously known as "Cinematica," will be managed by Frederator Networks, a subsidiary of Kartoon Studios and one of YouTube's largest animation networks. “Stan Lee’s immense creativity, his relatable characters, and his groundbreaking storytelling style had a significant global influence on the world of entertainment and pop culture, from Star Wars to The Simpsons. To honor his incredible legacy, we are launching ‘Stan Lee Presents’ to continue to share his vision of storytelling to his millions of fans around the world,” shared Heyward. Dedicated to everything Stan Lee, "Stan Lee Presents" will feature a diverse range of content sourced from Stan's personal archives, digital Stan Lee comic books, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, seldom-seen historical materials as well as sneak peeks of upcoming projects from the Stan Lee Universe. The channel will be an exclusive destination for clips, trailers, interviews and more related to Stan Lee. “Stan Lee’s popularity and fan base continue to grow with new generations of fans discovering his talent and magic, and we will continue to create opportunities for fans to engage whether it be through the Amazon storefront or new products and experiences we have in the pipeline,” shared Lloyd Mintz, SVP of Global Consumer Products, Kartoon Studios. Featured photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash. Benzinga is a leading financial media and data provider, known for delivering accurate, timely, and actionable financial information to empower investors and traders. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

April 11, 2024 08:25 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Meet VantagePoint, Inventor Of The World’s First AI-Powered Software For Independent Traders That Launched In 1991

Benzinga

By Faith Ashmore, Benzinga Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking the world by storm, from healthcare to Big Tech and everything in between. According to data obtained by Finbold, the AI industry's estimated market size was $207.9 billion in 2023 and is expected to increase dramatically by 788.64% to reach $1.87 trillion by 2030. While AI is being integrated into society with great vigor today, unbeknownst to many, AI is not a new concept. With the recent attention on AI, many traders are looking for platforms that include AI – but one company has been using it all along. Lane Mendelsohn, president of VantagePoint, is here to explain how the company was one of the first to embrace AI in the 20th century and its journey along the way. Benzinga: It seems like AI is just now becoming popular and mainstream, but it's not new. Who first came up with AI and when was that? Lane Mendelsohn: Artificial intelligence was invented and created back in the 1950s at Carnegie Mellon. That's where my father went to college and in the 1960s [Lou Mendelsohn] had the opportunity to work with AI on the mainframes. He saw that it had capabilities, but at that time, he didn't have a real application for it. Fast forward to the 1980s, he had developed the first commercial trading software in the world that did historical backtesting and simulations, and he was in who's who in the financial world for that invention. Then in the late 1980s, my father began implementing AI to financial market forecasting and introduced to the world in 1991 the first-ever AI forecasting trading software for individual traders, and that was the introduction of VantagePoint. Benzinga: VantagePoint has been using and offering AI since 1991. How has it been able to stay at the forefront of this technology for so long? Lane Mendelsohn: It’s a matter of continuing to develop and refine the technology consistently. We’ve been forecasting the markets with AI for over 3 decades, so that’s a lot of historical data that’s all in the AI’s learning. We all know the markets are constantly changing and, honestly, AI and technology are constantly changing. For us to ensure that we're continuing to provide that cutting-edge technology, we have to stay vigilant. We must persist in further developing the technology and refining it. That's a commitment that we've made and continue to make. We forecast for over 2,300 stocks, ETFs, Futures, Forex Pairs, commodities, and cryptocurrencies every single day. Each one uses anywhere up to 90 input values to calculate daily predictive indicators. Each input uses up to seven values to be calculated. That makes up to 630 data points per market or 1,450,000 for all supported markets daily. But then you add in our forecasts for Options traders, and you’re looking at over 1 billion data points per day. That’s something no human could handle in a day, let alone years, and VantagePoint can handle it through the research, development, innovation, and training we’ve devoted to it over the years. Over the last ten years, we've invested over $10 million into research and development. And we’re never done. We continue to work on training and accuracy every day. That commitment to constant innovation gives VantagePoint traders a tremendous advantage in the markets. And our goal is to continue to provide that edge every trading day. Benzinga: What differentiates VantagePoint from the recent surge of AI for traders that have emerged in this market? Lane Mendelsohn: [VantagePoint has] three key elements – proven accuracy, longevity, and patents. No one else in this space has third-party verified accuracy up to 87.4%. No one has been around for 45 years as a company while providing AI for traders since 1991 like VantagePoint has. And lastly, no one has two proprietary U.S. patents on performing intermarket analysis using neural networks and calculating predictive technical indicators. [VantagePoint’s] neural network has three different parts to it. There's the input layer, hidden layer, and output layer. The input layer is ingesting all of the raw data it's fed; millions and millions of data points go in the hidden layer. The neural networks are made of individual nodes, these individual neurons that are built to simulate a human brain, but obviously much more powerful and can do a lot more. Each one of those neurons has its own specific role, its own specific function, in the neural network. Each one on its own is not capable of coming up with the answer, but what happens is they all have a very specific job that they're trained on, and they're trained to do one specific thing very well. And then the findings from each of those individual neurons and nodes are pushed to the output layer where they're reassembled together to give you the answer. In the case of market forecasting, the answer is, ‘Here’s what the price of Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) or Meta (NASDAQ: META) is going to do tomorrow.’ Benzinga: You mentioned two patents. Can you elaborate on those two U.S. patents VantagePoint holds in the AI domain and how they contribute to the software's forecasting reliability and proven accuracy? Lane Mendelsohn: Certainly. To start, each patent on their own stands on its own two legs. It’s when you have both combined that the unparalleled edge is found. One of those patents is for intermarket analysis and analyzing global market data. So, it's identifying for Nvidia stock, for example … It's going to look at the 30 most closely related markets that drive impact and influence the price of Nvidia. Now, if you want to know where Nvidia's going to go or any stock for that matter, you should look at what factors are driving and pushing that particular market. VantagePoint identifies what those individual markets are, and then through this proprietary process, we're weighing those, because it's not like every one of those 30 markets drives, impacts and influences Nvidia to the same degree. They're all weighted, and those weightings adjust over time. So, the patent identifies the markets, weighs them, and then uses that information for pattern recognition, forecasting what's going to happen next. The second patent takes traditional lagging indicators, for example Bollinger Bands, MACD, Stochastics, and so on, which only give you past data, and turns them into leading indicators. And that's the second patent, Calculating Predictive Technical Indicators. So, when you combine those two proprietary advancements together, that's what really stacks the odds in the favor of independent traders and they're now able to do something that on their own would've been humanly impossible. Benzinga: What advice do you have for traders who are considering adopting AI for their trading strategies? Lane Mendelsohn: You've got to do your due diligence. You've got to make sure the AI is doing something that makes sense for a trader, that it serves a purpose, that it’s doing something you couldn't have done on your own, and that it's consistently highly accurate. It needs to be proprietary AI that has gone through deep learning, specifically for predicting the markets and considering global market analysis. You don’t want some open-source code licensed from a new AI company with a pretty bow slapped on it. So far, VantagePoint is the only AI for traders I’m aware of that checks those must-have boxes. For traders and investors looking to get an edge in the markets, VantagePoint could be a solution with its long history, dual-patented technology, and a commitment to continuing innovation. Visit them at www.vantagepointsoftware.com Featured photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash Benzinga is a leading financial media and data provider, known for delivering accurate, timely, and actionable financial information to empower investors and traders. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

April 11, 2024 08:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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