9th May 2014 10:34
LONDON (Alliance News) - Avacta Group PLC Friday said it has signed a collaboration deal with ubiquitylated peptides supplier UbiQ Bio under which the companies will work together to develop reagents that specifically bind to ubiquitin chains.
Avacta makes diagnostic tools, consumables and reagents used for animal and human healthcare. Its affirmers are reagents that bind to specific targets, and can be used instead of antibodies. It is trying to build a library of affirmers that bind specifically to an ubiquitin chain target, and plans to launch an online catalogue this summer.
Ubiquitin is a small protein that is found in humans and animals. It is naturally attached to other proteins in the cell in chains of various lengths and differing linear and branched forms. The ubiquitin-proteasome system was discovered in 2004, leading to its discoverers being awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry that year. The purpose of "ubiquitylation" is currently poorly understood, but it is thought to be involved in most human diseases and is now one of the most studied processes in biology with big promise for new therapeutics and diagnostics.
"Despite the huge importance of ubiquitylation, and a great deal of effort being expended by antibody companies, only two good antibodies to these various chains have been developed in the last decade. The collaboration with UbiQ, a leading provider of high quality ubiquitylated peptide targets provides Avacta with access to a wide range of the targets needed for screening its Affimer library," Avacta said in a statement.
It said that it had already generated its first Affimer that binds specifically to an ubiquitin chain target, in only a few weeks.
"This is something that we have wanted to achieve with antibodies for a number of years but with no success, so we are delighted that Avacta has had success so early in our collaboration," UbiQ Chief Executive Alfred Nijkerk said in the statement.
"As a result of the recent financing and this collaboration with UbiQ, we now have the technology and resource and access to ubiquitin chains to create large libraries of ubiquitin specific Affimers," Avacta CEO Alastair Smith added.
Avacta shares were up 1.2% at 1.138 pence Friday morning.
By Steve McGrath; [email protected]; @SteveMcGrath1
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