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Aptamer
Aptamer is another British business punching above its weight when it comes to innovation.
A biotech pioneer, its customers include two of the UK’s largest companies, drugs major AstraZeneca and consumer goods giant Unilever.
Unilever is the world leader in deodorant, with a 30 per cent market share and global brands including Sure and Dove. It chose Aptamer to develop a new approach to body odour, a partnership that could revolutionise the deodorant market and transform Aptamer’s fortunes along the way.
Aptamer floated four years ago at £1.17 but early days were tumultuous and the stock sank like a stone. Contracts were cancelled, sales collapsed and a boardroom rift saw chief executive Arron Tolley leave the business, only to rejoin two months later.
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The man with a £20,621 state pension (that's 72% more than everyone else)
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Today he remains at the helm and the group is chaired by Adam Hargreaves, formerly a top pathologist at AstraZeneca.
Costs have been reduced and Aptamer is firmly focused on commercial gains.
The firm specialises in so-called Optimer binders – special molecules which can be used to detect and treat disease and prevent bacteria from acting in certain ways. There is a growing stable of products, at least some of which should have a dramatic impact on Aptamer’s sales.
The Unilever project is a case in point. After trying for years to find a way of stopping underarm odour at source, the group asked Tolley if his Optimer molecules might do the trick. Early tests suggest they can, the project was recently expanded and further positive results could prove transformative.
But Tolley is not resting on his laurels. The group’s main focus is on healthcare and it is working with drug producers, life science firms and biotech giants in areas ranging from better treatment of liver disease to early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s through a simple saliva test, up to 20 years before symptoms appear.
A blood test for pregnant women is under way as well, to highlight conditions such as Down’s syndrome far earlier than is currently possible, alongside tests that could improve the results for diseases from yellow fever and tuberculosis to breast and prostate cancer.
Aptamer shares are just 0.34p but the company is much further advanced than when it listed at £1.17, and Tolley is determined to turn promise into reality.
A trading statement last week was upbeat and Aptamer’s prospects are bright. That makes this an attractive stock for the adventurous investor.
Traded on: Aim
Ticker: APTA
Contact: aptamergroup.com
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