REG - Fusion Antibodies - Update on R&D

Fusion AntibodiesAnnouncement

02/12/2021 07:00

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RNS Number : 2814U  Fusion Antibodies PLC  02 December 2021

Fusion Antibodies plc

("Fusion" or the "Company")

 

Update on R&D

 

Fusion Antibodies plc (AIM: FAB), specialists in pre-clinical antibody
discovery, engineering and supply for both therapeutic drug and diagnostic
applications, announces an update to its research and development catalogue
following on from the emergence of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant, B.1.1.529
("Omicron"). The data on Omicron was added to the Global Initiative on Sharing
All Influenza Data ("GISAID") archive on 22 November 2021. GISAID is an
existing platform for sharing influenza virus sequences and primary
information.

 

In response to the World Health Organisation (WHO) designating Omicron as a
"Variant of Concern", Fusion is developing receptor-binding domain ("RBD")
antigens as part of the Northern Ireland Coronavirus Antibody Development
Alliance (NICADA). The Company has decided to include Omicron RBD, alongside
the alpha, beta, gamma and delta+ RBD variants, in its development programme
with the aim of producing virus-neutralising antibodies. Whilst there can be
no guarantee as to the outcome of the inclusion of Omicron in the development
programme, if successful, these state-of-the-art antibodies would have
affinity to the Omicron RBD and therefore potential neutralisation ability,
while also aiding diagnostic testing efforts.

 

Dr Richard Buick, Chief Scientific Officer at Fusion Antibodies said: "We have
decided to try to progress this opportunity given the appearance of the
Omicron variant, although we must stress that this is in the very early stages
of conception, and we do not have any guarantees in terms of effectiveness or
durability. Omicron has many mutations in the RBD region of the spike protein,
and these mutations could help the virus evade the body's immune response and
make it more transmissible.

 

"However, by leveraging our experience in developing antibodies against the
previous SARS-CoV-2 variants, we would hope that the development of an Omicron
RBD-binding antibody could potentially be much accelerated in comparison to
previous variants. We are conscious that the fight against COVID-19 is a
worldwide effort and as such we are happy to announce our decision to make
these proteins available for research and development purposes."

 

Enquiries:

 

 Fusion Antibodies plc                                  www.fusionantibodies.com
 Richard Jones, Chief Executive Officer                 Via Walbrook PR

 James Fair, Chief Financial Officer

 Allenby Capital Limited                                Tel: +44 (0)20 3328 5656
 James Reeve / Vivek Bhardwaj (Corporate Finance)

 Tony Quirke (Sales and Corporate Broking)

 Walbrook PR                Tel: +44 (0)20 7933 8780 or fusion@walbrookpr.com
 Anna Dunphy                                            Mob: +44 (0)7876 741 001
 Paul McManus                                           Mob: +44 (0)7980 541 893

 

About Fusion Antibodies plc

 

Fusion is a Belfast based contract research organisation ("CRO") providing a
range of antibody engineering services for the development of antibodies for
both therapeutic drug and diagnostic applications.

 

The Company's ordinary shares were admitted to trading on AIM on 18 December
2017. Fusion provides a broad range of services in antibody generation,
development, production, characterisation and optimisation. These services
include antigen expression, antibody production, purification and sequencing,
antibody humanisation using Fusion's proprietary CDRx (TM) platform and the
production of antibody generating stable cell lines to provide material for
use in clinical trials. Since 2012, the Company has successfully sequenced
and expressed over 250 antibodies and successfully completed over 200
humanisation projects and has an international, blue-chip client base, which
has included eight of the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies by revenue.

 

The Company was established in 2001 as a spin out from Queen's University
Belfast. The Company's mission is to enable pharmaceutical and diagnostic
companies to develop innovative products in a timely and cost-effective manner
for the benefit of the global healthcare industry. Fusion Antibodies provides
a broad range of services in antibody generation, development, production,
characterisation and optimisation.

 

Fusion Antibodies growth strategy is based on combining the latest
technological advances with cutting edge science to deliver new platforms that
will enable Pharma and Biotech companies get to the clinic faster, with the
optimal drug candidate and ultimately speed up the drug development process.

 

The global monoclonal antibody therapeutics market was valued at $135.4
billion in 2018 and is forecast to surpass $212.6 billion in 2022, an increase
at a CAGR of 12.0 per cent. for the period 2018 to 2022. In 2017, seven of the
world's ten top selling drugs were antibody-based therapeutics with the
combined annual sales of these drugs exceeding $63.2 billion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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