Aptamer Group
plc
("Aptamer", the "Company" or
the "Group")
Aptamer and Kairos Biotech
partner for Optimer+ transplant rejection
therapies
- Partnership will use the new Optimer+ platform
- Optimer+ EM molecules to be developed to help prevent
transplant rejection
Aptamer Group plc (AIM: APTA), the
developer of novel Optimer® binders to enable innovation
in the life sciences industry, today announces the progression of a
partnership with Kairos Biotech, an early-stage company developing
novel therapeutic solutions for transplant rejection.
As part of this agreement, Kairos
Biotech will leverage Aptamer's new Optimer®+ affinity
ligand platform in development of their pipeline of 'EM' molecules
that specifically target pathways involved in transplant rejection.
The approach will improve transplant access for difficult to
transplant patients and improve the chances of transplant
success. Additionally, EM molecules can be used for
transplant monitoring and improving pre- and post-transplant
diagnostics. These novel treatments are targeting an £800 million
transplant diagnostic sector and a potential £2 billion transplant
immunotherapy market.
Success in the proof-of-concept
project will allow expansion of the collaboration to deliver
potentially over a hundred Optimer®+ molecules enabling
targeting a greater variety of transplant rejection molecules.
There is additional scope for the developed Optimer®+
binders to be used as diagnostic reagents to profile a patient's
immune system before treating them with the tailored
therapy.
Kairos Biotech is one of the first
partners to undertake fee-for-service projects using Aptamer's
cutting-edge Optimer®+ platform. Adopting this
innovative technology to explore potential therapeutic solutions
provides Kairos Biotech with access to a new therapeutic modality
that can deliver the high affinity and high specificity binders
required to meet the complex needs of such large-scale,
multi-target therapeutic solutions.
Optimer®+ uses a modified
oligonucleotide library to create hybrid DNA-peptide binders
engineered with a scaffold structure for stability, ease of
manufacturing and engineering. The new binders bridge the gap
between traditional aptamers and protein-based affinity ligands,
combining the flexibility, manufacturing, and stability benefits of
its current technology with the functional diversity and binding
capability of a protein.
Dr
Arron Tolley, Chief Technical Officer of Aptamer Group,
said: "We're delighted to bring our
proprietary Optimer®+ platform to support Kairos Biotech in this
game-changing theranostic application. Initial animal studies have
shown the Optimer®+ binders to be well tolerated for
therapeutic approaches, and the exquisite specificity of these
binders is ideally suited to such a large-scale diagnostic and
therapeutic project. The team at Kairos has an exciting scientific
approach to immunosuppression that could offer an improved outlook
for transplant patients, and we look forward to working with them
to advance this using Optimer®+."
Dr
Mike Bunce, Chief Executive Officer at Kairos Biotech Ltd,
said: "We are excited to work with
Aptamer Group combining their Optimer®+
platform with our novel bioengineering approaches in transplant
diagnostics and targeted immunosuppression. The Optimer®+ platform
is expected to deliver real advantages in developing our pipeline
of immune targeted molecules which in turn will help improve
transplant success in the future.
- ENDS
-
For further information, please
contact:
Aptamer Group plc
Steve Hull
|
+44 (0) 1904 217
404
|
Kairos Biotech Ltd
Mike Bunce
|
+44 (0) 7549823564
|
SPARK Advisory Partners Limited - Nominated
Adviser
Andrew Emmott / Adam
Dawes
|
+44 (0) 20 3368
3550
|
Turner Pope Investments (TPI) Limited -
Broker
James Pope / Andrew
Thacker
|
+44 (0) 20 3657
0050
|
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.
About Kairos Biotech Ltd
Kairos Biotech is a North Wales
early-stage company developing a pipeline of small molecules for
next generation immunotherapy and diagnostics. The
company aims to improve transplant options and help remove barriers
to transplantation with novel diagnostic and immunotherapy
applications.
Kairos Biotech is founded and funded
by transplant diagnostics pioneers with a track record of
developing transplant diagnostics over the last thirty years.
EchiumBio Holding B.V., a private holding of Wietse Mulder PhD is
the major source of funding for Kairos Biotech.