Centauri acquires Alphamer immuno-therapeutics platform technology

UK biotech firm Centauri Therapeutics said today it has acquired the Alphamer technology for drug discovery and development from Altermune Technologies. Centauri Therapeutics acquired full rights to patents, proprietary compounds, know-how and collaboration/licence agreements from Altermune in exchange for an undisclosed fee.

The private venture capital backed company has also secured the first tranche of a £3 million ($4.3 million) raise to develop its first lead candidate. The funding will be used to develop its first lead Alphamers against anti-microbial resistant (AMR) pathogens, which pose an increasing threat to human health. Investors include Animatrix Capital, a regional investment fund, and private investors.

Centauri Therapeutics’ decision to acquire the Alphamer platform was made following the publication of a successful preclinical proof of principle study by Victor Nizet, a professor at UCSD, California and a leading academic in the field of antimicrobial immunity.