City briefs: Abingdon; VP; and more
York-based Abingdon Health, which develops and makes rapid medical tests, has launched its new B2C e-commerce website – abingdonsimplytest.com
This will provide UK and international customers with Abingdon Simply Test and Abingdon-assured third-party branded self-tests.
The e-commerce site has launched with a range of tests in areas such as fertility, health and well-being and infectious disease. It is Abingdon’s intention to broaden the range of available tests, with a focus on self-testing.
Chris Yates, CEO, said: “The healthcare landscape is changing and the increase in lateral flow testing during the pandemic has served as a catalyst for a paradigm shift in moving diagnostic testing out of the laboratory and into the home.
“Consumers are increasingly taking a more, proactive approach to managing their health and wellbeing and this is leading to the growth of the self-health and self-testing market.
“The launch of our Abingdon Simply Test site will provide focal point for consumers wishing to purchase lateral flow self-tests and will support people in taking an empowered role in managing their own health and wellbeing.”
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Vp, a Harrogate-headquartered equipment rental specialist, will hold its Annual General Meeting at 10am today.
At the AGM, chairman Jeremy Pilkington, Chairman of Vp, will state: “I am pleased to inform shareholders that trading within the business has been positive into the new financial year with good demand, in particular, from the infrastructure and housebuilding markets.
“Activity levels in both our UK and International divisions are encouraging and whilst the headwinds of cost inflation and supply chain disruption remain we continue to make good progress.
“We announced on 28 April 2022 that the company had commenced a Formal Sale Process.
“Further communication with shareholders will be made if and when appropriate to do so and, in the meantime, it is ‘business as usual’ as we stay fully focused on delivering on our plans for the current financial year.”
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Dr Alastair Smith
Avacta Group which develops cancer therapies and diagnostics based on its Affimer® and pre|CISION™ platforms has confirmed that AffyXell, its joint venture with Daewoong Pharmaceuticals Co, has completed a funding round.
This will advance the joint venture’s lead mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) programme towards the clinic, and develop its wider pre-clinical pipeline of cell therapies.
The AffyXell joint venture was established in January 2020 by Korea-based Daewoong Pharmaceuticals and Avacta, to develop the next generation of cell and gene therapies based on mesenchymal stem cells which incorporate Affimer® immunotherapies.
This new class of stem cell therapy is designed to produce Affimer® proteins, in situ in the body, that reduce inflammatory or autoimmune responses to the stem cell therapy to potentially enhance their therapeutic effects.
The proceeds of the fundraise remain undisclosed for reasons of confidentiality.
Dr Alastair Smith, chief executive of Wetherby-based Avacta, said: “This joint venture with Daewoong Pharmaceutical is a key strategic collaboration allowing us to demonstrate the potential of the Affimer platform to enhance cell therapies generally, as well as providing an opportunity to address high unmet need in AffyXell’s focus area of immune diseases.”
Dr Jong Sang Ryu, chief executive officer of AffyXell, added: “I am very pleased that we have raised the capital required to accelerate the development of therapies using AFX platform targeting intractable diseases and providing meaningful options for suffering patients, especially in the immunology area.”
