Aptamer Group: York life sciences firm raises £2m to supprt investments

Aptamer Group develops Optimer binder technology, which is used across the life sciences industry, as well as in other industries.

In a statement issued to the London Stock Exchange, the group said: “To support current and future material supply for licensable assets, Aptamer Group is bringing manufacturing in-house.

“The proceeds will fund essential equipment to ensure high-quality, reliable supply chains, improving margins and simplifying partner logistics.

"This also maintains full control over the production and supply of patented and patentable raw materials for third party usage.”

The firm said it would also use the funds to develop its AI and machine learning capabilities, and develop “in-house expertise” in the area.

In addition, Aptamer said it would use the funds to further develop its intellectual property portfolio, and advance its licensing pipeline.

The announcement comes after the firm earlier this year announced a breakthrough in its work which could eventually help to combat liver fibrosis.

In a joint statement, Dr Adam Hargreaves, non-executive chairman and Dr Arron Tolley, chief executive officer of Aptamer Group, said: "This year, we have secured repeat engagements with Unilever and AstraZeneca, increased H1 2025 revenues, and expanded our IP portfolio from four to ten assets, with licensing deals imminent.

"Our June 30, 2025 liver fibrosis breakthrough in siRNA delivery has drawn strong industry interest, bolstering our position in the $210bn affinity ligand market.

“This capital raise, from high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors, allows us to fund in-house manufacturing, liver fibrosis studies, launch a biomarker discovery service, explore AI-driven aptamer development, and strengthen licensing negotiations.

"With a lean cost base and robust pipeline, the Board believes the Company is poised to convert collaborations into revenue and lead globally. We would like to thank our existing and incoming shareholders for their support."

Aptamer Group announced in May that it had signed a fresh research deal with global giant Unilever.

Aptamer said that under the agreement, it will work with Unilever on a potential new method of preventing the formation of body odours, expanding on its previous work with the group.

The Yorkshire firm received an undisclosed six-figure sum for its development work.