News for the Snoozers - Part 11

Monday, 18th May 2015 10:15 - by Moosh

Valirx (TIDM: VAL)

Valirx has continued to provide the market with positive company news – the first relates to its recently acquired TRAC technology which has attracted its first contract for use by Admescope.^1-2 TRAC is a high-content gene expression platform and it should complement the biomarker services already provided by its ValiFinn business. I feel that the importance of TRAC has been missed by the market since it was first announced in February 2015. Before it had been released to the world in 2011, TRAC had been thoroughly tested for over 10 years and already has an established customer base including global pharmaceutical companies and contract research organisations. VAL states that:

‘TRAC enables the efficient screening of a large number of drug candidates for a wide range of genetic safety and efficacy markers‘

It’s as simple as that.....maybe not that simple if this isn’t your area of expertise, but in relation to drug development then this technique is essential in order to get a better understanding of any effects that early stage drug candidates may have at the genetic level.

VAL also announced some great news relating to its VAL401 compound which it is working on alongside Tangent Reprofiling Limited.³ Pre-clinical efficacy of VAL401 was demonstrated in pancreatic cell models and it also produced similar anti-tumour effects in the pancreatic cell model when compared to the use of Gemcitabine in an adenocarcinoma model. VAL401 was also shown to be safe and tolerable following a number of pharmacokinetic and toxicological assessments. This now allows the partnership to move forward and progress VAL401 to be formulated in an encapsulated form for oral use, for which stability studies need to be undertaken. VAL401 has also been granted a US patent which serves to strengthen the science underlying VAL401 as well as protecting its intellectual property.⁴

These updates come along after the previous positive updates about VAL201, which is another string to the bow of VAL. There is indeed plenty to get excited about on planet Valirx over the next few years – not only should we look forward to any positive developments from VAL201 and VAL401, either of which have the potential to be game changers in cancer therapeutics, but also the prospect of a growing income stream from its biomarker business.

References

1. http://www.lse.co.uk/share-regulatory-news.asp?shareprice=VAL&ArticleCode=uli912lw&ArticleHeadline=Re_Contract
2. http://www.lse.co.uk/share-regulatory-news.asp?shareprice=VAL&ArticleCode=pc0rg5po&ArticleHeadline=Acquisition
3. http://www.lse.co.uk/share-regulatory-news.asp?shareprice=VAL&ArticleCode=jewqro71&ArticleHeadline=ValiSeek_Development_Update
4. http://www.lse.co.uk/share-regulatory-news.asp?shareprice=VAL&ArticleCode=eup6y2uf&ArticleHeadline=Notification_of_US_Patent_Grant_Allowance_reVAL401

The Writer's views are their own, not a representation of London South East's. No advice is inferred or given. If you require financial advice, please seek an Independent Financial Adviser.