A BIOTECH company in York has secured a contract with a top five global pharmaceutical company to work on a vaccine for neurodegenerative disease.

The deal with Aptamer Group, the developer of Optimer therapeutics and diagnostics, includes an initial upfront payment, with recurring licensing fees for more than 10 years, upon implementation of the assay into the partner’s global vaccine manufacturing processes.

The work aims to enable the vaccine candidate currently in clinical trials to achieve regulatory compliance.

Aptamer Group is a world-leading provider of Optimer reagents for use in research, diagnostics and therapeutics.

The company strives to deliver transformational solutions, that meet the needs of researchers and developers across the life sciences through the use of its Optimer technology.

Optimer reagents can bind specifically to a target molecule and act as an antibody alternative, and are emerging as promising alternatives to antibodies in a range of applications.

Dr Arron Tolley, chief executive officer, of Aptamer Group, said: “I am delighted to have established this long-term partnership to further develop the potential of the Optimer platform in bio-manufacturing processes that will potentially generate recurring revenues for over 10 years for Aptamer Group.

“The increased interest in pursuing Optimer technology as a critical part of clinical programmes offers a strong endorsement of the technology.

"Optimer reagents are ideal affinity ligands for the detection and quantitation of biological products within complex mixtures, as they are highly specific and offer advantages in cost-effectiveness and consistency for use at scale.”