Cancer specialist Defence Therapeutics has applied for international patent protection for its versatile Accum™ adjuvant technology. This means that the numerous projects the Company is driving forward in parallel thanks to its platform approach will soon receive a "price tag". Specifically, this involves vaccines against various types of cancer, ranging from skin to pancreatic cancer, some of which will soon be transferred to a Phase I study. The same applies to the promising chemotherapeutic AccuTOX™. We discuss the outlook for the CRISPR "gene scissors," which mRNA study will soon deliver results and the state of takeover activity in the industry.
The question is valid. Is it another tale from "One Thousand and One Nights" like in previous years, or will the ambitious US hydrogen company, led by CEO and marketing specialist Andy Marsh, keep its word this time? After the publication of the ambitious growth targets up to the year 2030 on the occasion of the specially organized Analyst Day, the Plug Power share shot up by more than 60% at its peak. This indicates investors still believe in the story of the fuel cell pioneer. However, the next few months will show whether it can be successfully implemented. Blind faith is likely to be clouded once again by a major capital measure.
Curing skin cancer, lymphoma, lung cancer and even pancreatic cancer - the list of promising projects Defence Therapeutics is advancing is long. But despite the wide range of services, Defence Therapeutics' projects go hand in hand. The reason lies in the Accum™ technology, whose platform approach is now protected by the US Patent Office. Below you can find out about the current status of Defence Therapeutics' projects, where the journey may take us in the coming weeks, and in which area Defence Therapeutics could spring a surprise.
Things continue to go like clockwork at hydrogen innovator First Hydrogen. The Vancouver and London-based company reported better-than-expected test results for its hydrogen fuel cell-powered light-duty vehicles under real-world road conditions. The range of 500 km was exceeded. The Company is also making rapid progress in establishing a complete value chain with the production and distribution of green hydrogen. Despite its excellent business performance, the stock of First Hydrogen has experienced a decline in line with the overall industry trend, which may present an attractive entry opportunity from a long-term perspective.
Governments worldwide agree: Achieving a real turnaround in the fight against global warming requires joint, open discussions about existing technologies and necessary innovations for a more sustainable use of existing resources. The path to a CO2-free future is costly and requires extremely high investments. Green hydrogen is an important building block. The Norwegian pioneer Nel ASA has been well on its way as a global player for several years, but the Company is not yet profitable. However, recent blockbuster orders point to a noticeable acceleration. Here is an assessment of the situation.
Varta AG was one of the high flyers in the MDAX in 2020/2021. The rally led the stock price to over EUR 180 on the expectation of a battery revolution from Ellwangen. But things turned out differently. Problems with the supply chains due to the Corona pandemic, rising raw material and energy costs and sales problems with key customers caused the Group to stumble. Today, 2 years after the joyful rush, the Varta share price has plummeted by 90% and a tough restructuring course is on the agenda. A stocktaking.
In order to achieve the set climate targets, both politicians and industry agree that green hydrogen has been considered a key element of the energy turnaround for years. The rosy outlook proclaimed for the sector by industry experts and financial analysts has created a gold-rush mood among listed companies since the beginning of the decade, and the valuations of market leaders such as Nel ASA and Plug Power have soared to astronomical heights. In contrast, the reported sales and, in some cases, equally high losses of the companies hardly justify the valuations of EUR 2.1 billion and EUR 4.95 billion, respectively, which are still ambitious despite the strong correction. With a market capitalization of only EUR 59.62 million, the Canadian hydrogen specialist dynaCERT's valuation represents only a fraction of these figures. A major order for 3,000 of its patented HydraGEN units has now put a clear exclamation mark on the Company. Further orders are likely to follow.
Despite all the announcements from Berlin, it is immediately clear to the listener that converting our energy supply from fossil fuels to CO2-free sources will first require a lot of resources to get the facilities, including infrastructure, that will be needed in the future, into place. A significant, environmentally damaging effort must first take place to install wind and solar power plants and integrate them into the grid. Canada has understood the problems of the world energy supply and is implementing the requirements of the current difficult times in a politically non-judgmental and consistent manner. Saturn Oil & Gas is an ESG-oriented energy company with strong growth in oil and gas production in Saskatchewan. There are now good drilling results to report for the first quarter.
The opportunities are gigantic, as are the forecasts of experts. The consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, for example, sees hydrogen as a key element of the energy transition and expects an increase from 76 to up to 600 Mt worldwide by 2050. Despite the rosy outlook, buoyed by huge subsidy programs from politicians, companies in the sector are undergoing a sharp consolidation phase. For example, industry leaders such as Plug Power and Nel ASA have recently lost over 40% of their stock market valuation. For a long time, newcomer First Hydrogen was able to escape the correction. After outperforming and gaining over 1,600% since August 2021, the share price halved quickly and is now trading at a prominent support zone. The fundamental data remain excellent so that a second long-term entry opportunity could arise at the current level.
Sentiment toward Germany as a business location has deteriorated significantly among major industrial companies in recent months. The sharp increase in energy and material costs, followed by high wage settlements, are putting pressure on operating margins. BASF is one of the most energy-intensive conglomerates in the country. Management is reluctantly responding with cost-cutting measures that call entire locations into question and mean a significant reduction in the number of employees. It is not only the worsening economic situation that is responsible but, above all, the anti-industry policies from Berlin and Brussels. Managers are therefore turning their attention to much cheaper foreign markets and investing many billions there. Here is an update from yesterday's Annual General Meeting.