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This Month's Tiny Gems - December 2009Gold Resource Corp. (OTCBB: GORO)
Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. (AMEX: HEB)
Oilsands Quest Inc. (AMEX: BQI)
Gold Resource Corp. (OTCBB: GORO)
Gold Resource Corp. (OTCBB: GORO) is a mining company focused on production and pursuing development of select, high-grade gold and silver projects that feature low operation costs and produce high returns on capital. The company has 100% interest in four high-grade gold and silver properties in Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca.
Gold Resource chose Mexico as its targeted location as it is one of the world's leading venues for mineral potential with a 500 year history of mining. The Fraser Institute's 2004/2005 Mining Survey ranked Mexico fifth out of 64 worldwide venues in current mineral potential. Mexico also ranked eighth in the same survey for composite policy and mineral potential.
The company's flagship project is the El Aguila Gold Project, which is located in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The property features high-grade gold and silver mineralization with significant base metal credits in two of the property’s three high-grade deposits. Gold Resource plans to mine underground for the second year of production and beyond.
In most recent news regarding the El Aguila Gold Project, Gold Resource reported that it is stockpiling the open pit ore in preparation for commencement of production. The Aguila mill is in the final phase of construction and is targeting gold production this year. Management is very excited with the reality that their company will soon be a low cost gold producer.
Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. (AMEX: HEB)
Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. (AMEX: HEB) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the manufacture and clinical development of new drug entities designed to treat viral and immune-based disorders. Hemispherx’s flagship products include Alferon N Injection® and the experimental immunotherapeutics/antivirals Ampligen® and Oragens®.
The company’s platform technology includes large and small agent components for potential treatment of various viral infections. Hemispherx’s core intellectual property estate consists of more than 100 patents covering various forms of double stranded (ds) RNA and their fields of therapeutic application, a fully commercialized product (Alferon N) and GMP certified manufacturing facilities for its novel pharma products.
Hemispherx is currently engaged in broad-based ongoing experimental studies assessing the efficacy of their products Ampligen®, Alferon N Injection® and Alferon LDO® against influenza viruses as an adjuvant single agent antiviral with the Defence R&D Canada, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo, the Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong and various research affiliates of the National Institutes of Health in the United States.
In the company’s most recently reported quarter, a 29% reduction in net loss and a nearly 10 fold increase in cash/cash equivalents was recorded. The net loss reduction was a result of lower R&D and G&A expenses, while the substantial increase of cash/cash equivalents reflects the net proceeds of two equity placements as well as an equity financing agreement. With $62 million in total current assets and only $1.4 million in total current liabilities, the company maintains a very strong balance sheet.
Oilsands Quest Inc. (AMEX: BQI)
Oilsands Quest Inc. (AMEX: BQI) is engaged in a variety of projects in the oil and gas industry with an emphasis on Western Canada’s oil sands. The company is aggressively exploring Canada's largest contiguous oil sands land holding, which is located in northeast Alberta and northwest Saskatchewan.
The company extended its oil sands land holdings in Saskatchewan to the west with the purchase of strategically located exploration permits just across the border in Alberta. In May of last year, two new areas of interest were identified: Raven Ridge and Wallace Creek. The Alberta properties cover 112,598 acres of the company's total contiguous oil sands holdings of 730,598 acres in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Oilsands Quest's oil shale exploration permits cover 489,730 acres in the Pasquia Hills area of east-central Saskatchewan. The permits provide for the right to explore, mine, quarry and work the permit lands, but not to produce or recover oil shales except for test purposes until a lease has been granted. The permits were granted in 2006 and 2007 and have five-year terms.
Production from the oil sands continues to replace diminishing reserves of conventional crude oil in Western Canada. Today, oil sands production accounts for one out of every two barrels of production in Western Canada. Recognizing the huge potential of this trend, Oilsands is well positioned to capitalize on its portfolio of oil sands land holdings.