Aptamer Extends Agreement for Drug Delivery Vehicles

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Aptamer Group announced on Nov. 7, 2024 that one of its customers has advanced use of the company’s Optimer binders for the commercial phase of its product. The customer has used the Optimer delivery vehicle for the product’s development phase and Aptamer shipped test materials to the customer in October 2024.

According to Aptamer, the customer has validated the performance of the delivery vehicles, indicating the vehicles can target the required cell type. The vehicles have the potential to be used as part of a precision therapy. This would create downstream licensing revenue for Aptamer.

The customer also found that Optimer showed binding to the target cells from a panel of animal species, which makes the delivery vehicle desirable for preclinical development. “Due to the targeting specificity, multiple species binding, and reproducibility of the results, the customer has committed to progressing to the final commercial development stage for the therapeutic delivery vehicle,” Aptamer stated in a press release (1).

According to Aptamer, targeting genetic medicines to specific cell types is a challenge. Highly selective delivery vehicles address this challenge by targeting these cell types, which has been difficult in the past. The company is developing delivery vehicles that target fibrotic liver cells, creating progress for genetic medicine payloads.

“We are delighted with our customer’s decision to advance to the final stage of Optimer development. The customer’s results align with those seen within our own laboratories and validate the hard work of our scientific team to develop novel, high-performance delivery vehicles,” said Arron Tolley, chief executive officer of Aptamer Group, in the press release. “As this Optimer advances through the final development stages, we continue to move closer to demonstrating the strength of our Optimer platform in generating high-value, therapeutic targeting assets. This represents our second drug delivery asset with licensing potential, alongside our liver fibrosis targeting Optimer, which has already shown good effectiveness in delivering functional genetic medicines to specific cells. These could enable new approaches to precise drug delivery across the field of genetic medicines whilst underpinning our business model with passive income from licensing. We look forward to updating shareholders on future progress in due course.”

Earlier in 2024, the company announced an agreement with AstraZeneca to evaluate the use of Optimer for targeted delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA). Aptamer will conduct in-house experiments to assess the effectiveness of the delivery vehicle with AstraZeneca’s siRNA as part of the agreement.

“Delivery of siRNA to precise cell types and tissues with successful cell internalization remains a significant challenge for the wider therapeutic application of the technology. Despite this limitation, the siRNA market was still valued at over $13 billion in 2023. Optimer technology could represent a paradigm shift in the targeted delivery of siRNA molecules, due to the high levels of selectivity, high affinity, and simple conjugation of siRNA payloads, offered using Optimer delivery systems as non-viral vectors. If successful, Optimer-enabled delivery of siRNA could lead to the development of novel compounds that have significant advantages over current cell and tissue-targeting methods,” the company stated in a press release (2).

“We are really excited to work with AstraZeneca to evaluate and optimize our Optimer delivery vehicles,” said Tolley in the release. “Partnerships such as this will enable Aptamer Group to make rapid progress in this area, which is a key focus for Optimer technology. Targeted delivery to specific cell types remains a critical unmet need in many applications within the tissue targeting space and, as such, has been part of our strategic focus to support the development of binders with the potential for long-term, high value. Our initial dataset in Optimer targeted delivery has raised significant interest from multiple parties. We are eager to advance to animal model testing and delighted to continue collaborating with AstraZeneca in this endeavor. Reaching proof of principle in animal models will derisk the Optimer delivery platform and bring us closer to delivering targeted and effective gene therapies for patients.”

References

1. Aptamer Group. Aptamer Extends Agreement with Genetic Medicines Customer. Press Release. Nov. 7, 2024.
2. Aptamer Group. Agreement to Explore Optimer Vehicles for Targeted Delivery of siRNA. Press Release. July 3, 2024.