Challenger Acquisitions Limited (LON:CHAL) jumped nearly 12% higher on Tuesday, boosted by news of share buying from its chief executive. In a statement, the AIM-listed firm said it has been notified that Gustafson purchased 750,000 shares in the company on May 2 and a further 1,25mln shares on May 4, with both transactions made at a price of 0.3p per share.
SDX Energy Inc (LON:SDX) followed the long weekend with not one but two updates from its busy drilling campaign. In Morocco, it has revealed that the LMS-1 exploration well has unearthed a new conventional natural gas discovery within the 75% owned Lalla Mimouna permit, meanwhile, in Egypt, the company has started drilling the Kelvin-1X exploration well at the South Disouq project.
Greencoat UK Wind PLC (LON:UKW) has exercised an option to increase its stake in Clyde Wind Farms to 28.2%. The wind power specialist will pay £114.2mln to be funded by a placing at 117p to raise up to £118.8mln.
OptiBiotix Health plc (LON:OPTI) is to show off a range of new SlimBiome products and the latest research data on its LPLDL heart health products at a prestigious industry conference in Switzerland next week.
Faron Pharma Oy (LON:FARN) said its lead drug did not meet its goals for efficacy following the initial read-out from its phase III INTEREST study. Chief executive Dr Markku Jalkanen said he and the company's R&D team are now "considering how we can advance Traumakine in clinical development".
HemoGenyx Pharmaceuticals PLC (LON:HEMO) has entered into a collaboration agreement with the Rockefeller University to use its new type of humanized mice for autoimmune disease modelling in an effort to develop new treatment for autoimmune diseases, specifically Lupus.
Advanced Oncotherapy PLC (LON:AVO) has signed a lease with the UK Government’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to establish a testing and assembly site for its LIGHT proton accelerator at the STFC Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire.
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (LON:BMY) said audio stories from its music business-focused imprint, 331/3, are to be available on music streaming service Spotify.
Motif Bio Plc (LON:MTFB) (NASDAQ:MTFB) said two abstracts related to its flagship antibiotic iclaprim will be the focus of poster presentations at the American Society for Microbiology Microbe conference being held in Atlanta from June 7. The first will outline efficacy data from two phase III clinical trials of the drug in patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI).
Custodian REIT PLC (LON:CREI) has announced the disposal of a 15,229 square feet five-unit retail development in Stourbridge for £2.25mln, in line with the 31 March 2018 valuation. The UK property investment company said the property was part of the initial portfolio acquired on the company’s admission to the London Stock Exchange in 2014.
Providence Resources PLC (LON:PVR) has updated investors on it exploration plans for the Newgrange project, off Ireland’s West Coast. The Newgrange exploration partners have now hired Gardline to carry out a new 2D seismic data gathering programme, to examine the crest of the prospect and to provide additional data to support permitting for a future exploration well.
Highlands Natural Resources Plc (LON:HNR) has spudded the sixth and seventh wells at the East Denver Niobrara shale oil and gas project in Colorado.
The boss of AIM-listed oil and gas company Tower Resources PLC (LON:TRP) has hailed the “substantial progress” made towards the end of last year.
Vast Resources PLC (LON:VAST) has highlighted “another record quarter” for the group’s Pickstone-Peerless gold mine in Zimbabwe, where overall gold production and sales increased by 4% and 14% respectively.
KEFI Minerals plc (LON:KEFI) intends to raise more than previously indicated through bond and share issues for the construction of its Tulu Kapi gold mine in Ethiopia. The formal mandate process for the listed infrastructure bonds has now started, though the loan funding is now expected to be US$160mln up from US$150mln, while the amount of equity rises to US$50mln from US$40mln.
Coinsilium Group Limited (AQSE:COIN), the blockchain venture builder, advisor and investor that finances and manages the development of early-stage blockchain technology companies, announced that it has sold 100,000 ordinary shares in the Company from treasury at 9p per share.
Scancell Holdings Plc (LON:SCLP), the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, said it received valid acceptances in respect of 10,142,838 open offer shares representing 60.9% of the maximum available. The company said it has therefore conditionally raised gross proceeds of approximately £1.2mln through the open offer and gross proceeds of approximately £8.7mln in total via the open offer and placing and subscription combined, that it launched on April 18.
Midatech Pharma Plc (LON:MTPH) (NASDAQ:MTP), the international specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercialising products in oncology, has reconfirmed in a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it is unaware of the reason for the recent trading activity in the company's securities. As previously disclosed, the group said, it is reviewing a range of options to meet its cash flow needs, including non-dilutive financing and/or other strategic alternatives.
Collagen Solutions PLC (LON:COS), the developer and manufacturer of biomaterials and regenerative medicines for the enhancement and extension of human life, has confirmed that it will be exhibiting at the prestigious ESSKA conference being held in Glasgow between 9-12 May. The firm said it will be primarily highlighting the recent positive data reported for its most advanced regenerative proprietary product, ChondroMimetic, an arthroscopic, single-surgery, cost-effective solution for osteochondral defect repair.
IronRidge Resources Limited (LON:IRR) has announced that it will be attending the RIU Resource Round-Up conference in Sydney, which takes place between 8 May 2018 and 9 May 2018 at The Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 61-101 Phillip Street, Sydney NSW 2000. The company said it has also today uploaded its updated corporate presentation to the Investor Relations section of its corporate website.