Fusion Antibodies PLC (AIM:FAB) shares surged 28% after the company reported fresh progress with OptiMAL, its antibody discovery engine, under a collaboration with the US National Cancer Institute (NCI).
For three cancer targets flagged by NCI, Fusion has now confirmed that antibodies isolated via OptiMAL® bind their intended antigens.
Those antibodies were expressed, purified and shown to have binding strengths in commercially attractive ranges, including several hits in the single-digit nanomolar bracket.
NCI has also validated function on relevant human cells, with the next step being cell-based assays to assess their potential as drug candidates.
Importantly for future dealmaking, OptiMAL has identified binders against both proteins and linear peptides and has recovered antibodies across a wide span of affinities, from weaker binders above ~800 nM to known picomolar antibodies, suggesting close to a six-order-of-magnitude dynamic range.
The NCI collaboration, originally due to run to November 2025, could now be extended, with negotiations underway after the institute asked to use OptiMAL on additional targets.
The shares rose 3.94p to 17.94p.