Shares of York-based life sciences firm Aptamer Group plc rose about 12% after it announced the launch of its biomarker discovery service, creating a new fee-for-service revenue stream targeting the $62.4 billion global biomarker discovery market.
“Biomarkers are essential molecular indicators of physiological states, including disease presence and progression, and play a critical role in enabling targeted drug development, early diagnosis, treatment monitoring and safety assessment,” said Aptamer.
“The identification of new biomarkers is a key driver of innovation in healthcare, particularly in areas of high unmet medical need where the absence of suitable biomarkers has historically limited therapeutic and diagnostic advancement.
“Aptamer’s biomarker discovery service represents a transformative shift from traditional, time-intensive methods by harnessing its proprietary Optimer technology in combination with advanced proteomic analysis, the large-scale study of proteins in a biological system. This approach enables rapid, unbiased identification of disease-specific biomarkers by differentiating healthy and diseased cell states at the molecular level.
“Crucially, it not only identifies validated biomarkers but also simultaneously generates high-affinity binding molecules that are ready for immediate integration into commercial applications.
“This dual-output capability significantly accelerates development timelines for pharmaceutical research, biotechnology innovation and diagnostic test creation, offering a powerful solution for companies seeking to advance targeted therapies and enable earlier, more accurate disease detection.”
Aptamer Group CEO Arron Tolley said: “This new service builds on our core strength in applying Optimer libraries to bind precisely to disease-relevant targets. Following our successful identification and validation of the biomarker for our fibrotic liver delivery system, we have seen strong interest from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies seeking novel drug targets to strengthen their intellectual property positions.
“Our approach enables the discovery of functional biomarkers in a fraction of the time required by traditional methods, which often take years of screening. With two additional biomarker discovery projects already progressing in the lab, we are excited to support our partners in accelerating the development of new treatments and diagnostics, while expanding the commercial impact of our Optimer platform.”