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The find is significant, given such extraordinary grades that compare favourably to typical production thresholds for the commodity.

These are normally set between 100 and 300 g/t. Indeed, the presence of grades up to 1,500 g/t germanium suggests that Bleiberg’s mineralisation could now be considered “direct refinery grade.”

The mine, located in Carinthia, was the subject of an unpublished government-commissioned report published in 1991, which included detailed sampling and laboratory analysis of historical concentrates and ore material taken from the mine complex and adjacent deposits.

This news is particularly exciting given the need to secure critical minerals in the EU, and so BM8 is looking to the near-term development, commencing tailings sampling and metallurgical test work while also planning drilling.

Aiding this will also be the company’s engagement with potential strategic European downstream partners to progress Bleiberg as a secure source of critical minerals.

“Concentrate samples grading 1,200 to 1,500 g/t germanium are exceptionally rare,” CEO and managing director Nigel Broomham. “These grades are potentially sufficient for direct chemical refining by European refiners, which could allow the material to bypass conventional zinc smelting.”

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Mr Broomham continued: “If confirmed, this would represent a meaningful advantage in terms of ESG performance and project economics – particularly given market conditions and geopolitical dynamics.”

BM8 has been trading at 5.1 cents.

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Listen to the HotCopper podcast for in-depth discussions and insights on all the biggest headlines from throughout the week. On Spotify, Apple, and more.

The study analysed the effects of the drug candidate on Tessara’s RealBrain 3D human tissues model – a 3D model of the brain – and found both NUZ-001 and NUZ-001 Sulfone (which was also included in this particular study) were safe when applied to a healthy human brain.

The two tested drugs also reportedly provided neuroprotective properties against neurotoxic insult (damage to the brain and nervous system caused by toxic substances) and encouraged the health of brain tissues.

Additionally, they may potentially boost neuronal branching, enabling neuroplasticity.

Tessara’s Principal Scientist Dr Mark Greenough will be presenting the results of the study at the AD/PD 2025 Advances in Sciences & Therapy Conference, with AD/PD being the most prestigious international conference addressing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The conference will be held in Vienna.

Further research is being done to explore how the NUZ-001 Tessara’s ADBrain model might have therapeutic benefits for sporadic Alzheimer’s disease

Results on that front are expected this quarter, the company has today confirmed.

“These findings indicate short-term treatment with NUZ-001 and NUZ-001 Sulfone maintains an excellent safety profile in Tessara’s RealBrain micro-tissues,” Tessara’s managing director and CEO Dr Christos Papadimitrio said.

In addition, the compounds appear to offer neuroprotective effects against ferroptosisand encourage neural branching, potentially boosting plasticity by enabling neurons to form additional connections.

“While further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms responsible… data suggests longer-term treatment may enhance network density and plasticity.”

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“In humans, this could translate into tangible benefits in cognition, learning, memory, or resilience to neurodegenerative processes involved in diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.”

Neurizon shares have been trading at 13 cents this morning.

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The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

A historical sample showed GE-76 was present at an atom abundance of 7.41%, marking a pivotal development for Bleiberg as a project of strategic significance for the tech sector.

The latter is bolstered by the fact the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in December 2024 identified Germanium to be one of only a dozen raw materials now “essential” for defence and energy security.

During its 700-year history, the Bleiberg mine has produced around 172 tonnes of germanium, amongst other critical minerals.

BM8 is looking ahead now to an extensive exploration program through the 2025 calendar year, with a maiden drilling permit to be submitted early on.

Battery Age CEO Nigel Broomham said he was pleased the company had pinned down this particular feature of Bleiberg.

“This is a significant milestone and further reinforces our belief in Bleiberg’s potential as a key supplier of critical materials for the rapidly growing semiconductor industry,” he said.

“Given the increasing demand for germanium and the recent supply chain challenges, thisconfirmation of potential quality comes at a crucial time.

“We are excited to continue advancing the Bleiberg project and look forward to sharing further results with the market in coming months.”

BM8 has been trading at 9 cents.

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The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

Last week, BM8 announced it had raised A$1 million to progress exploration at its Bleiberg zinc-germanium project in Austria, with this coming shortly after the company announced fieldwork at the site to happen later in October, chasing up 6 kilometres worth of drill targets, and guided by more than 100 years of historical data.

The latter gives investors some insight into the value of the Bleiberg asset: comprising 116 claims stretched across 65.8 square kilometres, the landholding includes the historic Bleiberg zinc-lead-germanium mine, which was ranked the world’s sixth largest producer of the latter metal before its closure in 1993.

The whole Bleiberg region is recognised as a historic lead and zinc district, with mining activity starting there in the 14th century. But germanium is also found there in world-beating grades, in addition to gallium recorded at between 90 and 110 grams per tonne.

The maiden fieldwork program at Bleiberg will see BM8 chief executive officer Nigel Broomham join chief geological advisor Dr Simon Dorling to undertake reconnaissance geological traverses to support mapping efforts at the project, as well as collecting surface samples, conducting assessment of scale, and establishing drilling targets.

Mr Broomham – who spent six years in senior geologist and superintendent roles at Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX:PLS) leading the team from Exploration through to Production – joined BM8 before its re-listing to the ASX last year, and said the decision had been guided by both its assets and team.

“It’s pretty similar to my investment strategy as well, (BM8) has a capable board, very strong register, and some really exciting projects which I felt had a huge amount of potential,” he said.

“That’s our lead-zinc-germanium project in Bleiberg Austria – where we have the best exposure to the strategic metals of germanium and gallium on the ASX – and also our lithium asset in Ontario Canada, Falcon Lake.

“It became apparent to me that after 6 years at Pilbara Minerals, playing a part in the success story there at Pilgangoora, that I wanted to get out and find the next one, and I saw Battery Age as the perfect opportunity.”

BM8’s Falcon Lake lithium project in Canada has been progressing side-by-side with Bleiberg throughout 2024, pulling up impressive results from a summer exploration program which kicked off in July.

This included intercepts of 28.25 metres at 1.30% Li2O (lithium oxide) and 18.40 metres at 1.88% Li2O – both reported in September based on a seven-hole program of drilling, in with significant mineralisation found in six of these.

With a prospective corridor of 5 kilometres in focus, this drilling was able to expand the mineralised zone – particularly at the Falcon Little Lake target, where a 40 metre thick pegmatite was intersected.

This boosted expectations and built on previous exploration carried out in 2023 at the project – which is located in a strong mining jurisdiction in Ontario.

Mr Broomham said being able to play a role in emerging critical minerals stories here and in Europe was a great position to be in.

“For me, sitting in Western Australia and being part of the lithium industry here for a quite a time, watching the emerging North American supply chain with a lot of excitement, and I really feel that’s the next frontier,” he said.

“With that comes our ventures in Europe as well, where we have strategic metals germanium and gallium as well as zinc – these are all future-facing commodities.

“We feel there’s a real need for these metals outside of the China controlled supply chain, and we believe we’re well placed to capitalize on them as they emerge.”

Nevertheless, he acknowledged that companies in the lithium sector in particular had been doing it tough, given the historically significant weakness in that commodity’s price seen recently, as when it steadied at a three year low of 71,500 Chinese yuan per tonne in September.

Mr Broomham was optimistic that the price had reached its lowest point, and that the cycle would turn around soon.

“It’s been difficult, much like many of our peers, to attract new investment in the sector,” he said.

“But what we’ve seen and what we believe is that we are at the bottom, or close to the bottom, especially when considering lithium and other battery metals globally.

“What we believe that’s done is essentially suppress capital flowing to the next producer, the next developer and the next discovery.”

He added that this suppression would lead to a lack of projects, in turn causing a higher price environment which could be capitalised on when the market turned.

Indeed, given reports in September that the world’s biggest battery producer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd (CATL) had closed down its lithium mine in China’s Jiangxi province have suggested that the oversupply narrative may be coming to an end.

“Nobody likes to be at the bottom of commodity cycles. However, to me this is 2019 all over again – we’ve seen a huge amount of supply come off line,” Mr Broomham said.

“And essentially the current pricing is below incentive pricing which means that these projects will not be coming on line as originally predicted, therefore supply won’t keep up with forecast, and ultimately that will result in high prices for longer.

“Demand is not going anywhere, despite the murmurings up and down St George’s Terrace.”

Crucial to this would be continuing consumer drive for electric vehicles, he added.

“What we know globally is that EV sales continue to grow in the largest markets in the world,” Mr Broomham said.

“Actually now it’s more affordable to buy an EV in the US than it is on a like for like basis as an internal combustion engine.

“So people are going to be voting with not only their heads but with their wallets now.”

BM8 has been trading at 11 cents.

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The campaign will see company CEO Nigel Broomham and chief geological advisor Dr Simon Dorling undertaking infield geological works, including reconnaissance geological traverses to boost mapping efforts and the collection of surface samples, assessment of scale, and establishment of drilling targets.

When it comes to drill targets in particular, BM8 is building on its integration of more than 100 years historical geological data, with this confirming the presence of mineralisation-hosting stratigraphy and also highlighting areas with historical mining evidence.

And of course, keeping in mind that Bleiberg is a historical and world-class mining district: with the historic mine of the same name being known as one of the largest producers of germanium in the world while it was in production, and the area hosting some of the highest grades of this mineralisation, as well as gallium grading between 90 and 110 grams per tonne.

With the prices of both these minerals growing significantly in the past 12 months – as a result of supply chain disruptions, increased demand and market speculation – BM8 believes now is the time to strike, as the Bleiberg project has grown in strategic significance.

Germanium’s price has increased 97.34% since the beginning of 2024, while gallium’s has risen 37% in the same time.

BM8 CEO Nigel Broomham commented said the maiden field work was an important milestone for the company.

“We are excited to announce the upcoming field campaign at our Bleiberg Zinc Lead-Germanium Project, which marks a crucial step in our exploration efforts,” he said.

“By leveraging over a century of historical geological data, we are not only validating our drill targets but also positioning ourselves to tap into the significant opportunities presented by the rising prices of zinc, germanium and gallium.

“Our team is committed to optimising our drilling strategy and maximising explorationoutcomes, and we believe the Bleiberg area, with its rich history, holds tremendous potential for both our company and our stakeholders.”

Battery Age Minerals has been trading at has been trading at 10.5 cents.

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ECM Lithium AT GmbH is a subsidiary of Critical Metals Corp, a company in which European Lithium holds a majority (83.03 percent) of shares, with this arrangement reflecting Critical Metals’ plans to become a key supplier of lithium-ion batteries as part of a European supply chain.

Wolfsberg – located 270 kilometres south of Vienna – is a project in development, comprising 22 original and 32 overlapping exploration licences and a mining licence over 11 mining areas issued by the Austrian government.

It holds a measured, indicated and inferred mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 10.98 million tonnes at 1 percent lithium oxide.

Chairman of European Lithium Tony Sage said BMW’s interest in obtaining material from the project pointed to its viability within the region’s market for lithium.

“This is a huge milestone for the Wolfsberg project which now paves the way for the next financing steps,” he said.

European Lithium has been trading at 5.0 cents.

It’s a re-listing focussed on the Falcon Lake lithium project in Ontario, Canada, with secondary projects targeting copper in Morocco and zinc, lead and germanium in Austria.

As part of the relisting process, BM8 has raised $6.5 million through a capital raise at a share offer price of 40 cents with a one-for-one attaching option at 50 cents.

Battery Age has been restructured as an international explorer focussed on highly-sought future-facing minerals through the acquisition of its three assets.

The company plans to begin a maiden drilling program at Falcon Lake in the first half of this year.

It will also progress exploration at the unexplored Tidili copper-gold project in Morocco, as well as the Beliberg zinc, lead and germanium project in Austria. Germanium is a key element in the production of semiconductors, microchips and other high-value applications.

Battery Age is led by an experienced board and management team including Chairman Robert Martin and CEO Gerard O’Donovan.

Mr O’Donovan worked as a project manager at lithium producer Pilbara Minerals (PLS) during its growth phase and led the development of the world-class Pilgangoora lithium-tantalum mine and processing facility. He also managed the upgrade, recommissioning and restart of the Njungaju mine and processing facility.

Mr O’Donovan said the Falcon Lake project had been explored sporadically during the 1950s and again between 2010 and 2016.

“Previous explorers generated significant intercepts of spodumene mineralisation and defined at least three known lithium occurrences which have been very lightly explored,” he said.

“We are excited to re-launch the company on the ASX as Battery Age Minerals, giving investors exposure to a diversified portfolio underpinned by a high-quality lithium exploration asset.”