Prime Highlights:

• Aptamer Group secures a £617,000 contractwith a top five global pharmaceutical company, marking their third collaboration.
• The new multi-target programmeexpands the partnership and reinforces confidence in the company’s Optimer® technology.

Key Facts:

• Aptamer has reached £1.75 million in signed contract valuefor the year so far, a 46% increase from the same period last year.
• The company retains full intellectual property rightsto all developed Optimers, opening up future licensing and revenue opportunities.

Background:

York-based Aptamer Group, which develops synthetic binders for the life sciences industry, has signed a new contract worth up to £617,000 with a major global pharmaceutical company.

This is the third collaboration between the two firms, reflecting the growing confidence in Aptamer’s Optimer® platform, which has outperformed traditional antibodies in earlier projects.

Building on earlier success, the pharmaceutical partner is now expanding the partnership with a multi-target programme. Under the new agreement, Aptamer will design and develop Optimer® binders for three key drug targets and support ELISA assay development. These tools will help the partner validate its drug candidates and could also be used to analyse patient samples during clinical trials, opening the door for potential diagnostic applications.

Importantly, Aptamer will retain full intellectual property rights for all Optimers developed under the contract. This provides the company with future opportunities for licensing revenue across each of the three drug targets.

The deal follows a period of strong business momentum for Aptamer. During the first four months of the current financial year, the company achieved signed contract values totalling £1.75 million, a 46% increase compared with £1.2 million during the same period last year.

Dr. Arron Tolley, Chief Executive Officer of Aptamer Group, said the new contract demonstrates confidence from a leading global player and the company’s ability to deliver advanced solutions.

“The decision by a top five pharmaceutical partner to commission this large-scale, multi-target programme follows the successful completion of a proof-of-concept project where we demonstrated the superior performance of our Optimers compared to traditional antibodies,” Dr. Tolley said.

He added that the company is well-positioned for sustained growth: “With eight months of the financial year remaining, we are on track to build on last year’s performance and continue converting our strong commercial pipeline into long-term value for shareholders.”

Aptamer’s growing partnerships with leading pharmaceutical firms underscore its ambition to become a key player in the development of high-performance molecular binders for drug discovery and diagnostics.