REG - Aptamer Group PLC - Half Year Trading Update

AptamerAnnouncement

28/01/2025 07:00

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RNS Number : 8631U  Aptamer Group PLC  28 January 2025

 

28 January 2025

 

Aptamer Group plc

 

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

 

Half Year Trading Update

 

Revenue growth and significant commercial and technical progress

 

Aptamer Group plc (AIM: APTA), the developer of novel Optimer(®) binders
to enable innovation in the life sciences industry, is pleased to announce a
trading update for the six months ending 31 December 2024 (H1 25).

 

Trading update

The Company has made significant advances in its key asset development
programmes which are targeted at longer-term and higher-value revenue
opportunities as well as its short term fee-for-service work.

 

Unilever deodorant trials are on track

In partnership with Unilever, Aptamer continues to progress the development of
Optimers as a novel active ingredient in deodorants. Trials of the binders
with human skin samples were initiated on schedule during Q4 2024. Results
from the initial tests at Aptamer showed the binders to be stable indicating
suitability for use in personal care products. These tests are being
replicated by Unilever and will move to on-person trials shortly.

 

Validation of Alzheimer's biomarker in clinical samples

Optimer binders to Neuro-Bio's innovative Alzheimer's disease biomarker have
demonstrated exceptional performance in biosensor assays on clinical samples.
Our assay was validated with patient samples and revealed the highest 4-star
level of statistically significant distinction between Alzheimer's patients
and healthy individuals (p<0.00001 or 1:100,000 probability of occurring by
chance). Aptamer now has a robustly validated binder to this biomarker that is
driving the development of two point-of-care diagnostic solutions in
partnership with Neuro-Bio. This offers the potential for both in-clinic and
at-home testing applications. Commercial terms are currently being negotiated
on these highly valuable and novel assets.

 

Advancing therapeutic candidate delivery vehicles for the treatment of
fibrotic liver disease

Development of the fibrotic liver delivery vehicle has demonstrated robust
performance across multiple different siRNA payloads, all with anticipated
gene silencing effects. This shows therapeutic potential for diverse treatment
strategies in fibrotic liver disease. The collaboration with AstraZeneca, to
examine the performance and versatility of this delivery vehicle has
demonstrated the in vitro portion of the agreement, and both parties will now
move towards assessing the performance in animal models of liver fibrosis.

 

Additionally, internal lab-based tests have demonstrated that when a specific
siRNA, designed to interfere with the fibrosis pathway, is delivered using our
technology, it can reverse markers of liver fibrosis, suggesting that a
potential candidate therapeutic approach has been identified.

 

Fee-for-service work

Commercial progression has been significant with the following key highlights:

 

·   Revenue - the Group's unaudited revenue for the year's first half was
£0.7 million, representing significant growth compared with £0.3 million
over the same period during the last financial year.

 

·    Order intake - the Group has secured commercial contracts with a
value of up to £0.7 million. Newly signed contracts over the first half of
the financial year include five fee-for-service development projects with the
top 20 pharmaceutical companies. Four of these secured contracts represent
repeat business, highlighting the Group's ongoing relationship with its
blue-chip customer base. The Group is also progressing potentially lucrative
licensing discussions with multiple customers regarding developed assets for a
range of applications.

 

·     Order book - at 31 December 2024, the Group had approximately £0.5
million of contracted work in preparation for processing through the
laboratory, which the Group expects to recognise as revenue in the second half
of the financial year.

 

·   Sales pipeline - at 31 December 2024, the sales pipeline stands at
£4.8 million, including £3.4 million in advanced negotiations. The Group
anticipates converting a portion of this pipeline during the second half of
the financial year, further enhancing our revenue outlook for the second half
and into next year.

 

The Group continues to capitalise on the increased interest in its services
and has the security of a significant cash runway.  The commercial
progression evident for H1 25 is expected to develop further, and revenue from
the Company's fee-for-service work is expected to continue to extend this cash
runway until the Group ultimately becomes at least self-sustaining from this
part of its operations.

 

Dr Arron Tolley, Chief Executive Officer of Aptamer Group, commented: "In the
first half of the year, we have achieved significant commercial and technical
progress across the Group. Our strategic assets have successfully advanced
through key milestones such as moving into on-person deodorant studies with
Unilever and our technology is validated to the highest level of statistical
significance in clinical samples with Neuro-Bio.

On the therapeutic front, we have successfully demonstrated our fibrotic liver
delivery vehicle with multiple siRNA payloads, underscoring its broad
therapeutic potential. Additionally, our genetics medicine partner progressed
another Optimer delivery vehicle Aptamer has developed to the final commercial
stage following their successful internal validation. This continued success
is enhancing our portfolio of assets and moving us incrementally closer to a
value inflection point with licensing opportunities starting to come to
fruition.

From a commercial perspective, revenue has improved substantially, and forward
visibility is supported by a robust pipeline of projects which are advancing
in our labs. Many of these are repeat business from major pharmaceutical
clients, reinforcing and further validating the growing demand for our
innovative technologies across the life sciences industry."

 

- 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 / Jade Bayat
 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 is a leading global developer of aptamer-based ligands that help
scientists remove the limits to discovery and innovation. Leveraging several
proprietary discovery and development platform, Aptamer delivers custom
affinity ligands, supported with a complete suite of characterisation and
validatory assays that enhance the translation of its binders and optimise
scientific outcomes for customers.

 

Aptamer's cutting-edge technology spans healthcare, research, personal care,
and industrial processes, delivering new affinity solutions for novel targets,
advanced diagnostics, and precision therapies. By working with industry
leaders in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, personal health, academic, and
clinical research sectors, Aptamer is accelerating science through the custom
development of tools and therapies.

 

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