Aptamer Group PLC (AIM:APTA) shares surged over 200% higher in morning trade after the firm and Neuro-Bio, an Oxford-based biotech, announced a breakthrough in the development of a lateral flow test that enables early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
Aptamer Group said it has successfully developed a panel of Optimer binders to a novel Alzheimer's disease biomarker. The Optimer binders have been patented by Neuro-Bio, following the demonstration of performance in specifically binding to the target biomarker and functionality in a nasal mucous matrix.
Further integration of the binders into a routine lateral flow test will support the clinical and commercial development of rapid diagnostics for Alzheimer's disease via simple nasal sampling, with the potential to diagnose the disease as early as 10-20 years before symptoms emerge.
In a statement, Dr Rob Quinn, interim CEO of Aptamer Group, commented: "With an increasingly aging population and no current tests available for early-stage diagnosis, the advancement of new biomarkers and diagnostics in this field offers hope to the millions of patients and their loved ones worldwide."
Neuro-Bio, led by renowned neuroscientist Baroness Susan Greenfield, is currently validating the novel biomarker, known as peptide 'T14.' Baroness Greenfield praised the collaboration as "potentially game-changing technology" and emphasized the significance of UK ingenuity and teamwork in driving highly innovative and disruptive science.
Around 9.15am, Aptamer shares were 205% higher at 27.5p.