RNS Hotlist: Angle, Bezant, Condor, Contango, MyHealthChecked, Open Orphan, Sovereign, Woodbois

Open Orphan (ORPH), a specialist contract research organisation, announced that hVIVO, a subsidiary of Open Orphan, has signed a £7.2m contract with an existing top 5 global pharmaceutical company to test its orally administered antiviral product, using hVIVO's respiratory syncytial virus Human Challenge Study Model. The study will commence in June 2022, with the revenue being recognised in 2022 and 2023. This contract is the latest in a long line of material deals ORPH has signed in the recent past.

Bezant (BZT), the copper-gold exploration and development company, reported the results of the Gorob drill programme targeting previously untested near-surface copper - gold mineralisation on the Hope and Gorob Project in Namibia. The company said it was “very pleased” with the results in that all previous narratives and testing of the deposit neglected the first 150m from surface, based on the assumption that the deposit was either absent or in oxide form, which in the 1970s was very difficult to treat.

ANGLE (AGL), a liquid biopsy company, said that researchers at King's College London, UK, have published data investigating the role of invasive cellular protrusion, known as invadopodia, activity in prostate cancer, and a potential role in the formation of circulating tumour cells. This novel finding has the potential to provide a new target, within the metastatic process, for the development of novel therapeutics in the prostate cancer setting.

Condor Gold (CNR) announced a placing at 28p to raise approximately £3.25m. The company said the  proceeds will be primarily used to complete a Feasibility Study at the La India Project, increasing the confidence of the Project, incorporating a Feasibility Level engineering design, and +/- 15% capital and operating costs. The Feasibility Study will be a key document as the company seeks to secure Project financing ahead of Project construction.

Contango (CGO), the London listed natural resource company, said it has entered into an offtake agreement with AtoZ Investments (Pty) Ltd ("AtoZ"), a specialist coal trading company based in South Africa, for Contango's initial coking coal production. Following a detailed recent review of the composition and quality of the coking coal at Lubu, AtoZ has entered into an agreement to purchase 10,000 tonnes per month of washed coking coal.

Sovereign Metals (SVML) said it has requested an immediate voluntary trading halt in its shares on the ASX, pending an announcement regarding an expanded scoping study at Kasiya. The company has requested that the trading halt remain until the earlier of an announcement to the market regarding the above or the opening of trade on ASX on 16 June 2022.

Woodbois (WBI), the African focused sustainable forestry and timber trading company, has received a request to convert $50,000 of 2023 0% Convertible Bonds into 1,000,000 shares. The Convertible Bond terms specify conversion is at an exchange rate of £:$1.25 and 4p per Ordinary Share.

MyHealthChecked (MHC), the consumer home-testing healthcare company, has launched five new at-home cheek swab DNA wellness tests, enabling individuals to make more informed choices about their health and well-being by providing a better understanding of their genetic disposition. The tests are designed to give individuals the power to be more proactive in unlocking their health potential through the management of diet and lifestyle.