Fusion Antibodies PLC Update on R&D (2814U)
December 02 2021 - 1:59AM
UK Regulatory
TIDMFAB
RNS Number : 2814U
Fusion Antibodies PLC
02 December 2021
Fusion Antibodies plc
("Fusion" or the "Company")
Update on R&D
Fusion Antibodies plc (AIM: FAB), specialists in pre-clinical
antibody discovery, engineering and supply for both therapeutic
drug and diagnostic applications, announces an update to its
research and development catalogue following on from the emergence
of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant, B.1.1.529 ("Omicron"). The data on
Omicron was added to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza
Data ("GISAID") archive on 22 November 2021. GISAID is an existing
platform for sharing influenza virus sequences and primary
information.
In response to the World Health Organisation (WHO) designating
Omicron as a "Variant of Concern", Fusion is developing
receptor-binding domain ("RBD") antigens as part of the Northern
Ireland Coronavirus Antibody Development Alliance (NICADA). The
Company has decided to include O micron RBD, alongside the alpha,
beta, gamma and delta+ RBD variants, in its development programme
with the aim of producing virus-neutralising antibodies. Whilst
there can be no guarantee as to the outcome of the inclusion of
Omicron in the development programme, if successful, these
state-of-the-art antibodies would have affinity to the Omicron RBD
and therefore potential neutralisation ability, while also aiding
diagnostic testing efforts.
Dr Richard Buick, Chief Scientific Officer at Fusion Antibodies
said: "We have decided to try to progress this opportunity given
the appearance of the Omicron variant, although we must stress that
this is in the very early stages of conception, and we do not have
any guarantees in terms of effectiveness or durability. Omicron has
many mutations in the RBD region of the spike protein, and these
mutations could help the virus evade the body's immune response and
make it more transmissible.
"However, by leveraging our experience in developing antibodies
against the previous SARS-CoV-2 variants, we would hope that the
development of an Omicron RBD-binding antibody could potentially be
much accelerated in comparison to previous variants. We are
conscious that the fight against COVID-19 is a worldwide effort and
as such we are happy to announce our decision to make these
proteins available for research and development purposes."
Enquiries:
Fusion Antibodies plc www.fusionantibodies.com
Richard Jones, Chief Executive Officer Via Walbrook PR
James Fair, Chief Financial Officer
Allenby Capital Limited Tel: +44 (0)20 3328 5656
James Reeve / Vivek Bhardwaj (Corporate
Finance)
Tony Quirke (Sales and Corporate Broking)
Walbrook PR Tel: +44 (0)20 7933 8780 or fusion@walbrookpr.com
Anna Dunphy Mob: +44 (0)7876 741 001
Paul McManus Mob: +44 (0)7980 541 893
About Fusion Antibodies plc
Fusion is a Belfast based contract research organisation ("CRO")
providing a range of antibody engineering services for the
development of antibodies for both therapeutic drug and diagnostic
applications.
The Company's ordinary shares were admitted to trading on AIM on
18 December 2017. Fusion provides a broad range of services in
antibody generation, development, production, characterisation and
optimisation. These services include antigen expression, antibody
production, purification and sequencing, antibody humanisation
using Fusion's proprietary CDRx (TM) platform and the production of
antibody generating stable cell lines to provide material for use
in clinical trials. Since 2012, the Company has successfully
sequenced and expressed over 250 antibodies and successfully
completed over 200 humanisation projects and has an international,
blue-chip client base, which has included eight of the top 10
global pharmaceutical companies by revenue.
The Company was established in 2001 as a spin out from Queen's
University Belfast. The Company's mission is to enable
pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies to develop innovative
products in a timely and cost-effective manner for the benefit of
the global healthcare industry. Fusion Antibodies provides a broad
range of services in antibody generation, development, production,
characterisation and optimisation.
Fusion Antibodies growth strategy is based on combining the
latest technological advances with cutting edge science to deliver
new platforms that will enable Pharma and Biotech companies get to
the clinic faster, with the optimal drug candidate and ultimately
speed up the drug development process.
The global monoclonal antibody therapeutics market was valued at
$135.4 billion in 2018 and is forecast to surpass $212.6 billion in
2022, an increase at a CAGR of 12.0 per cent. for the period 2018
to 2022. In 2017, seven of the world's ten top selling drugs were
antibody-based therapeutics with the combined annual sales of these
drugs exceeding $63.2 billion.
This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the
London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct
Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United
Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution
of this information may apply. For further information, please
contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms
and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information
contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an
anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services.
For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange
use the personal data you provide us, please see our Privacy
Policy.
END
MSCTBBRTMTMMBAB
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 02, 2021 01:59 ET (06:59 GMT)
Fusion Antibodies (LSE:FAB)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Fusion Antibodies (LSE:FAB)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024