#AVCT @avacta fabulous news.
It has discovered that its Affimers could be used in a neutralising therapy for #COVID19.
Whilst this opens up yet another multi billion dollar market, more significantly it demonstrates again the superiority of the Affimer protein scaffold. 1/8
Numerous parties are working on neutralising therapies for #SARS_CoV_2. They intend to use natural antibodies (a la #GSK / Vir) or synthesised monoclonal antibodies (a la #AZN).
The latter has yet to discover one that binds to #SARS_CoV_2:
astrazeneca.com/media-centre/a…
2/8
#AVCT has stated that some of the Affimer reagents that bind to #SARS_CoV_2 "block the interaction between the virus' spike protein and ACE2, a receptor on human cells that is key to the virus infection pathway."
It ALREADY has discovered the necessary antibody equivalent. 3/8
#AVCT's CEO has today quite clearly thrown down the gauntlet before #AZN.
We know that the two companies share numerous indirect links (see p.22 of my Investment Thesis) - indeed, I propose in it that AZN is, in my view, first in line to ultimately acquire AVCT. 4/8
Today, #AVCT has handed #AZN a fast-track solution to leap-frog its competitors in this space, including #GSK.
It should also be noted that Affimers are synthetic, superior versions of antibodies. Much cheaper and faster to develop, much more flexible.
This will of course...5/8
...be of critical importance not only in speed of product development, but also in cost of manufacture (and thus mass population accessibility).
As a reminder, another antibody memetic platform (Ablynx's Nanobody) recently sold for €3.9bn cash. Ablynx had a more developed...6/8
...therapeutics pipeline, but it did not have the near term, massive rev. opportunities provided by #COVID19, nor did it have the pre INCISION platform. Moreover, my own research and talks with industry experts leads me to believe #AVCT's Affimers are superior to Nanobodies. 7/8
In summary, #AVCT's future couldn't be brighter. I am convinced we are sitting still near the beginning of one of the UK's great biotech success stories in recent times. That billion pound valuation draws steadily nearer.
Holding all our shares for that ultimate buyout. 8/8
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