REG - Aptamer Group PLC - Agreement extended with genetic medicines customer

AptamerAnnouncement

07/11/2024 07:00

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RNS Number : 2676L  Aptamer Group PLC  07 November 2024

 

 

7 November 2024

 

Aptamer Group plc

 

("Aptamer", the "Company" or the "Group")

 

Aptamer extends agreement with genetic medicines customer

 

Progressing to final commercial development stage of Optimer delivery vehicles

 

Aptamer Group plc (AIM: APTA), the developer of novel Optimer(®) binders to
enable innovation in the life sciences industry, is pleased to announce that a
genetic medicines customer has selected to progress to the final commercial
development phase for Optimer delivery vehicles.

 

Over the past ten months, Aptamer has successfully developed Optimer delivery
vehicles and shipped Optimer test material to the customer during October
2024. The performance of these delivery vehicles has been validated by the
customer, indicating that the Optimer delivery vehicles can specifically
target the required cell type, with the potential to be used as part of a
precision therapy, which would deliver downstream licensing revenue for
Aptamer.

 

The same customer has also successfully demonstrated Optimer binding to the
target cells from a panel of different animal species. This pan-species
specificity is highly desirable to facilitate progression through preclinical
development, where testing in multiple animal species is often used before
testing in humans. Due to the targeting specificity, multiple species binding,
and reproducibility of the results, the customer has committed to progressing
to the final commercial development stage for the therapeutic delivery
vehicle.

 

More generally, the targeting of genetic medicines to specific cell types
remains a major challenge within the field. Optimer technology offers a
cutting-edge approach to innovative delivery solutions to address this issue.
Aptamer can develop highly selective delivery vehicles targeting cell types
that have been difficult to achieve with other technologies.

 

This is exemplified in Aptamer's pipeline, where the Group is developing
delivery vehicles that target fibrotic liver cells in collaboration with
AstraZeneca. Proven selective targeting and significant gene therapy effects
have been shown using the Optimer. Development of this fibrotic liver delivery
vehicle continues to progress for genetic medicine payloads, aiming to move to
preclinical studies that will be pivotal in demonstrating the effectiveness of
the technology for this additional specific application.

 

Dr Arron Tolley, Chief Executive Officer of Aptamer Group, said: "We are
delighted with our customer's decision to advance to the final stage of
Optimer development. The customer's results align with those seen within our
own laboratories and validate the hard work of our scientific team to develop
novel, high-performance delivery vehicles.

 

As this Optimer advances through the final development stages, we continue to
move closer to demonstrating the strength of our Optimer platform in
generating high-value, therapeutic targeting assets. This represents our
second drug delivery asset with licensing potential, alongside our liver
fibrosis targeting Optimer, which has already shown good effectiveness in
delivering functional genetic medicines to specific cells. These could enable
new approaches to precise drug delivery across the field of genetic medicines
whilst underpinning our business model with passive income from licensing.
We look forward to updating shareholders on future progress in due course."

 

- Ends -

 

For further information, please contact:

 

 Aptamer Group plc                                               +44 (0) 1904 217 404 

 Arron Tolley, Chief Executive Officer
 SPARK Advisory Partners Limited - Nominated Adviser             +44 (0) 20 3368 3550 

 Andrew Emmott / Adam Dawes 
 Turner Pope Investments (TPI) Limited - Broker                  +44 (0) 20 3657 0050 

 James Pope / Andrew Thacker 
 Northstar Communications Limited - Investor Relations           +44 (0) 113 730 3896

 Sarah Hollins

 

 About Aptamer Group plc

 

Aptamer Group  develops custom affinity binders through its proprietary
Optimer(®) platform to enable new approaches in therapeutics, diagnostics,
and research applications. The Company strives to deliver transformational
solutions that meet the needs of life science researchers and
developers. Optimer binders are oligonucleotide affinity ligands that can
function as an antibody alternative. The global affinity ligand market is
currently worth over $170 billion.

 

Aptamer has successfully delivered projects for a range of global pharma
companies, diagnostic development companies, and research institutes, covering
multiple application areas with the objective of establishing royalty-bearing
licenses.

 

 

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