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RNS Number : 2890M
Avacta Group PLC
15 July 2014 
 
Avacta Group plc 
 
("Avacta" or the "Group") 
 
Major Japanese Distributor Signed 
 
Avacta Group plc (AIM: AVCT), the global provider of proprietary diagnostic
tools, consumables and reagents for human and animal healthcare, is pleased to
announce that it has appointed Cosmo Bio Co Ltd (Cosmo), one of the leading
Japanese life sciences R&D suppliers, as distributor in Japan for Affimers. 
 
Cosmo has been selling reagents such as antibodies and enzymes, cell and
tissue culture materials, separation and purification systems and protein
engineering products in Japan for over 30 years to academic laboratories,
research institutes and testing organisations. With a network of around 200
agents throughout Japan and servicing over 400 international manufacturers,
Cosmo is one of the largest and most established life sciences reagents and
equipment suppliers in Japan. 
 
Affimers are an engineered alternative to antibodies. They have been designed
to address many of the negative performance issues currently experienced with
antibodies; namely, the time taken to generate new antibodies, specificity and
batch to batch variation. Affimers can be engineered to bind with high
specificity and affinity to a wide range of protein targets thereby creating a
very large menu of affinity reagents to address gaps in the antibody reagents
market and compete directly with existing antibody products. 
 
Avacta is now focusing on the commercialisation of Affimers via its custom
Affimer services and, later in the year, through an on-line catalogue of
reagents. Avacta has secured first sales of Affimers through its services
activity in which its extensive library of Affimers is screened to generate
binders to new targets provided by the customer. This screening service takes
seven weeks from receiving the target to providing the customer with samples
of the fully characterised Affimer to be used in the their assay or other
process or product. This is in comparison with the many months or even years
it can take to generate high quality antibodies to new targets. Avacta is
making good progress in populating its Affimer catalogue which will launch in
late summer with a range of Affimers against some common targets and also
against some high value targets for which antibody companies have failed to
generate antibodies. 
 
Cosmo will market and support both the custom Affimer services and the
catalogue reagents sales in Japan which is the world's second largest life
sciences market according to UK Trade Investment. 
 
Alastair Smith, Chief Executive of Avacta said: "Japan is an important market
for us and Cosmo are an excellent partner who are associated with some well
known reagent suppliers. They have an excellent reputation for customer
support and a wide network throughout Japan. We expect to begin generating
revenues in Japan first through our custom Affimer services and, later in the
year through sales of Affimers from our catalogue which Cosmo will market and
support.  I look forward to updating the market on this activity and on other
partnerships for Affimers in due course." 
 
Toshiaki Kasamatsu, President of Cosmo said: "We are proud to distribute the
custom Affimer services and the catalogue reagents into the Japanese research
market. Affimers are a quite unique recombinant protein research tool showing
specific binding activity. They also show long stability and reproducibility
as an alternate to antibodies, and we hope this technology will be used widely
in the life science research field. We have a keen desire to support the
development of the life science market, and are proud to introduce the Affimer
technology in Japan which provides specific advantages to researchers who
pursue new understanding in life sciences. Cosmo Bio is pleased to be the best
partner for researchers in this field." 
 
Enquiries: 
 
 Avacta Group plcAlastair Smith, Chief Executive OfficerTim Sykes, Chief Financial Officer                          Tel:  +44 (0) 844 414 0452www.avacta.com        
                                                                                                                                                                    
 Numis Securities Limited     Michael Meade / Freddie Barnfield - Nominated AdviserJames Black - Corporate Broking  Tel:  +44 (0) 207 260 1000www.numiscorp.com     
                                                                                                                                                                    
 Media EnquiriesWalbrook PR LtdMike Wort / Anna Dunphy                                                              Tel: +44 (0) 207 933 8780avacta@walbrookpr.com  
 
 
About Avacta Group plc - www.avacta.com 
 
Avacta Group plc is a global provider of innovative technologies, consumables
and reagents for the life science markets, from drug discovery to diagnostics.
Avacta operates through three divisions: 
 
 Avacta Analytical www.avactaanalytical.com      High throughput analysis instrument, Optim, to help reduce the cost and risk of drug development.                                                                                       
 Avacta Animal Healthwww.avactaanimalhealth.com  Veterinary diagnostics reference laboratory, diagnostic kits and newly launched in-clinic blood analyser, Sensipod.                                                                     
 Avacta Life Scienceswww.avactalifesciences.com  Novel non-antibody affinity reagents called Affimers, with a wide range of Life Science applications in diagnostics, drug and biomarker discover and biotech research and development.  
 
 
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange