“This alliance is the fourth major partnership we have formed over the past six months and is consistent with our strategy to enable partners to leverage aptamers as drugs on a target-by-target basis,” said Dr Errol De Souza, president and CEO of Archemix.
Under terms of the agreement, Archemix will receive an upfront payment and research up to $10 million. Archemix also could receive milestones and royalty payments for the products. In addition, Archemix may participate in the co-promotion of products that result from the collaboration.
Aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acids that form well-defined three dimensional shapes, allowing them to bind target molecules in a manner that is similar to antibodies. In contrast to monoclonal antibodies, aptamers are chemically synthesized rather than biologically expressed, offering a significant cost advantage.
“Archemix is the leader in the field of aptamers, a new class of drugs that has tremendous potential in the battle against cancer,” commented Dr Bernhard Kirschbaum, director of Research for Merck Serono.