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Aptamer signs licensing agreement with Alphazyme
Aptamer Group plc has signed a non-exclusive OEM licensing agreement with Alphazyme LLC for an enzyme-modulating Optimer® to be used in hot-start PCR and next-generation sequencing applications. This agreement includes royalty payments on product sales, milestone payments, and a manufacturing supply agreement, with Aptamer Group manufacturing the Optimer® for Alphazyme. This deal, which follows an initial development agreement signed in June 2024, demonstrates commercial validation of Aptamer's Optimer® platform and its ability to replace multiple antibodies with a single product, offering performance and cost advantages. A second Optimer® development program is also underway with Alphazyme. Disclaimer*
About this update from Aptamer Group Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\n \n23 December 2025\n \nAptamer Group plc\n \n(\"Aptamer\", the \"Company\" or the \"Group\")\n \nAptamer signs licensing agreement with Alphazyme\nNon-exclusive OEM license for enzyme-modulating Optimer\nRoyalty payments on product sales plus milestone and manufacturing revenues\nSecond licensing deal demonstrates commercial validation of Optimer® platform\n \nAptamer Group plc (AIM: APTA), the developer of next-generation synthetic binders for the life sciences industry, and Alphazyme LLC (Alphazyme), a Maravai LifeSciences (NASDAQ: MRVI) company and global provider of specialty enzymes used in the life sciences sector, have entered into a licensing agreement for a developed Optimer® for use in hot-start PCR applications.\n \nThis binder acts as a precise molecular control mechanism in hot-start DNA amplification, a widely used laboratory technique in which the key enzyme is kept inactive at lower temperatures and only switches on when heated. This prevents unwanted DNA copying early in the process, leading to much more accurate and reliable results in applications such as genetic testing, diagnostic assays, and library preparation for next-generation sequencing (NGS), the high-throughput technology that allows rapid and cost-effective analysis of millions of DNA fragments in parallel.\n \nAgreement advances product portfolio for both companies\nUnder the terms of the agreement, Aptamer grants Alphazyme a non-exclusive licence for use of an enzyme-modulating Optimer® in hot-start PCR and next-generation sequencing (NGS) applications within Alphazyme's own products and services. The agreement provides worldwide rights to Alphazyme and includes royalty payments on sales of products, milestone payments, and a supply agreement for the manufacturing of the Optimer®. Aptamer will manufacture the Optimer® for Alphazyme, providing quality assurance and supply chain security whilst generating additional manufacturing revenue.\n \nRapid progression from development to licence\nAptamer and Alphazyme originally signed a development agreement for the hot-start PCR Optimer® in June 2024, with delivery of the final product in December 2024. Alphazyme demonstrated successful performance in its laboratory tests, showing temperature-sensitive control of the enzyme's exonuclease and polymerase activiti...