Aptamer Group nets £2.2m in funding from Dutch investors
A RAPIDLY growing biotech business in York has closed its Series A investment round after securing £2.2m of funding from overseas investors.
The funding will enable Aptamer Group Ltd to expand, creating 10 new technical, sales and administration positions.
The company, which is based at York Science Park, is a key player in the global aptamer market, specialising in identification, development and characterisation of nucleic acid aptamers – a synthetic alternative to antibodies increasingly used in medical research.
Aptamer Group was founded in 2008 by chief executive officer Dr Arron Tolley and chief technical officer Dr David Bunka, who now lead a 16-strong team serving a global customer base which includes several of the top 10 global pharma companies.
Dr Tolley said: “The investment will allow us to drive forward our pre-clinical discovery programmes involving the development of aptamer drug conjugates (ApDCs) which are set to become a revolutionary approach to targeted drug delivery.”
The funding round was supported by Dutch biopharmaceutical investment company Meneldor, which was founded by entrepreneurs Frans van Dalen and Paul Lelieveld.
Mr van Dalen is a founding partner of Synthon Holdings and has 30 years’ experience in the sector niche, and Mr Lelieveld is a serial investor who has invested in numerous early-stage life-science companies, including Ablynx, which recently sold to Sanofi for $4.8bn.
A spokesperson for Meneldor said: “We have invested in Aptamer Group Ltd due to their progressive approach and unique technology platform, which can select aptamers significantly better and faster with the superior binding properties.
“We believe that this will lead to the development of new medicines and represents an exciting investment opportunity. We believe this company and its management team has the potential of becoming the next Ablynx.”