Aptamer Group (APTA), a company specialising in the development and application of aptamers and Neuro-Bio, a biotech company specialising in neurodegenerative disease, have achieved a breakthrough in the development of Optimer binders for an Alzheimer's disease lateral flow test.
By successfully patenting the Optimer binders, which effectively bind to a specific biomarker in nasal mucus, the companies aim to create a simple diagnostic tool for early Alzheimer's detection. This innovative approach could potentially diagnose the disease 10-20 years before symptoms appear.
Neuro-Bio, led by renowned neuroscientist Baroness Susan Greenfield, is also working on a complementary therapy to slow down disease progression in diagnosed patients. Dr. David Bunka, CTO of Aptamer Group, will be discussing the partnership and diagnostic potential at Neuro-Bio's Science Day held at the Royal College of Physicians.
Dr Rob Quinn, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Aptamer Group, commented: "We are pleased to be able to support the team at Neuro-Bio with the development of Optimer binders to enable their revolutionary diagnostic for Alzheimer's disease. Optimer binders have proven performance in lateral flow test formats and our success in delivering functional Optimer binders to Neuro-Bio's biomarker facilitates further diagnostic development. With an increasingly aging population and no current tests available for early-stage diagnosis, the advancement of new biomarkers and diagnostics in this field offers hope to the millions of patients and their loved ones worldwide."
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Detecting and intervening in dementia at an early stage brings benefits to patients and caregivers, while also leading to significant cost savings for healthcare systems.
The high economic burden of Alzheimer’s dementia is spread across three main sectors: healthcare, social care and informal care, with the majority of costs falling on informal carers. The total costs calculated for dementia, of which two thirds of cases are Alzheimer’s dementia, are estimated to be over £26bn in the UK, with informal care accounting for £11.6bn, social care £10.3bn and healthcare £4.3bn.
The global Alzheimer's therapeutics market size was estimated at US$4.04 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach US$4.20 billion in 2022, a large prize for a company that finds a potential cure for this neurodegenerative disease, but also for Aptamer which until then is still positioned well as a market leader for early detection and stunting disease progression.
While it’s easy to suffer fear of missing out and jump on a riser - up 144% at time of writing - it's always worth doing some further research. In a recent trading update Aptamer stated, "As of 30 April 2023, the Group cash balance was £0.7m. The Group is making cost savings in order to extend the cash runway.
As noted in the half year results, continuing reduced revenues would mean that the Group would need to raise working capital. The Board is exploring a range of funding options including non-dilutive and dilutive sources to strengthen the balance sheet, which would also provide a stronger negotiating position with potential new business opportunities."
Though investors will await further news from Aptamer on funding, the news today has demonstrated how the company is addressing a significant unmet medical need, potentially providing huge cost savings to healthcare systems and upside for investors.
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