The key elements of the collaboration include:
– Agreement of commercial terms to enable the initial phase of the collaboration
– Positive progress with development of initial Optimer candidates
Aptamer Group and ValitaCell have entered a long-term collaboration with the agreement of commercial terms regarding the development of a next-generation biologic screening platform. The existing agreement enables Aptamer Group to work together with ValitaCell to engineer the platform, in which aptamers – short sequences of DNA or RNA – are used in ValitaCell’s high throughput screening processes.
The companies have worked together to prioritise targets of interest, including Fab fragments, that can be integrated into the platform. Aptamer Group are developing Optimer binders to the specified targets. The Optimer binders will allow simple identification and quantification of these new biologic targets to help accelerate development and manufacturing, to bring new drugs to market faster.
Dr Arron Tolley, CEO of Aptamer Group, said: “I am delighted that our collaboration with ValitaCell is continuing in this positive manner. Bringing the Optimer platform to broaden ValitaCell’s capabilities in this way is a great endorsement of our binders and will offer a valuable tool to the drug development industry to improve efficiencies throughout the development process.
Dr. Jerry Clifford, CEO of ValitaCell, said: “We’ve enjoyed a positive and energetic collaboration with Aptamer Group to date and we’re delighted to collaborate strategically to co-develop solutions for biomanufacturing challenges”.
