Matt Birney

ASX-listed clinical-stage oncology group, PharmAust, has taken the next significant step towards establishing whether its cancer fighting drug, Monepantel, can also inhibit COVID-19. The Perth-based company has struck an agreement with an internationally renowned biomedical research university in the Netherlands that will examine the suitability of Monepantel and Monepantel Sulfone for the all-important preclinical ex-vivo stage of testing that precedes the critical clinical trials.

88 Energy has tuned up its Peregrine oil project on Alaska’s lucrative North Slope by using detailed seismic analysis to demonstrate a favourable comparison with its neighbour, the giant Willow oil field operated by major US oil company, ConocoPhillips. According to the company, the work has identified many similarities between its key prospects and neighbouring oil fields and could potentially tweak the interest of potential farm-in partners.

Aspiring Indonesia gold producer, Sihayo Gold, is set to kick off a first-pass 22-hole diamond drilling program totalling about 5,500m at the exciting Hutabargot Julu prospect at its Sihayo gold project in North Sumatra. The ASX-listed, Brisbane-based company is looking to start drilling next month once drill rigs have been flown in by helicopter and assembled in the mountainous jungle terrain.

Kairos Minerals is on the trail of two new gold anomalies with an extensive footprint it has sniffed out at the Skywell project about 70km south-west of the burgeoning Hemi gold discovery. The project forms part of the company’s overarching Pilbara gold projects hub as it continues to generate a pipeline of targets in the Pilbara it says has the potential to host intrusion-related gold mineralisation similar to De Grey Mining’s Hemi discovery.

ASX-listed emerging gold producer, Wiluna Mining, is on the verge of delivering a global mineral resource upgrade for its historic Wiluna project in WA’s north-eastern Goldfields, as further high-grade gold hits continue to underpin its low-CAPEX pathway towards gold production expansion later next year.

Calidus Resources continues to gain momentum in its run up to gold production in the Pilbara, securing ownership of a further 219,000-ounces of high-grade gold resources from the Blue Spec mine north of Nullagine in WA just 70km south east of the company’s developing Warrawoona gold project. Blue Spec’s in-ground resource comes at a stunning grade of 16.3 g/t gold.

ASX-listed PharmAust plans to start a phase one clinical trial of its cancer fighting drug, Monepantel, next year to see if it can help patients suffering from Motor Neurone Disease. The clinical-stage oncology company was recently awarded a grant of $881,085 from FightMND that will be used to conduct the trials. Melbourne-based FightMND was co-founded by former AFL player and coach, Neale Daniher, and is the largest independent funder of MND research in Australia.

Great Southern Mining has extended the strike length at its Cox’s Find gold project near Laverton in WA by 1km to the north. The best result from the recent RC drilling at two key target areas returned 8m at 1.1 g/t gold from 91m, including 2m at 3.2 g/t gold. Other notable hits were 6m at 1.0 g/t gold from 114m and 13m at 0.7 g/t gold from a relatively shallow 34m.

ASX-listed gold explorer, Venus Metals, has teased out some encouraging deeper gold hits from drilling at the Sovereign discovery at its joint-ventured historic Youanmi gold project in WA’s Murchison region. The most notable intersection was 8m going 5.03 grams per tonne gold from 160m including 2m at 15.83 g/t from 160m and 3m at 2.86 g/t from 165m.