Licensing agreed for Optimer as novel vaccine adjuvant

Aptamer Group plc, the leading developer of next-generation synthetic binders delivering innovation to the life science industry, has entered into a global licensing agreement with the University of Glasgow for the commercial use of a developed panel of Optimer binders as vaccine adjuvants in the swine health sector.

Under the terms of the agreement, the University of Glasgow receives exclusive rights to a panel of Optimers for use as adjuvants in vaccine development. The University will lead product development, with commercialization anticipated within the next 12 months. Aptamer will receive a 10% royalty on all future revenues from any vaccines incorporating the licensed Optimers, creating a scalable, global, non-dilutive revenue stream.

This partnership provides Aptamer access to the $1.75 billion global swine vaccine market (2024), an industry experiencing sustained demand for improved animal health solutions. The licensed Optimers, originally developed under a fee-for-service model, have demonstrated strong immune-enhancing capabilities in preclinical studies led by the University of Glasgow, suggesting significant potential for their use in improving immune response and health outcomes in pigs. Improved animal health is an area of major interest within the global veterinary and agricultural markets, supporting better individual animal health and improved efficiencies in farming.

This licensing deal represents an important milestone in the commercialization of our Optimer technology. It demonstrates our ability to deliver high-value solutions across diverse sectors and builds on our strategic focus of monetising Optimer-based assets beyond our core focus in human health. Excellent research has been done at the University showing the performance of the Optimers as vaccine adjuvants for pigs. With growing demand for advanced animal health solutions to meet evolving diseases and improve current vaccines, this partnership creates a global pathway to recurring revenues while validating the robustness and versatility of our Optimer platform.

This agreement reinforces Aptamer’s broader commercial strategy of leveraging its proprietary platform across multiple verticals, including targeted drug delivery for human therapeutics, diagnostics, personal care, research reagents, and now veterinary vaccines, to generate long-term shareholder value.”

Dr Arron Tolley, Chief Executive Officer, Aptamer