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Archemix Corp. (13113958) has signed a multi-year, multi-target agreement with Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, Germany; FRA: MRK) but focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of first-in-class aptamer-based therapeutics for cancer treatment. The terms of agreement include the following:

• Archemix will receive an upfront payment and committed research funding of as much as $10 million.
• Archemix also could receive milestones and royalty payments for products successfully commercialized under the collaboration.
• 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 conceptually similar to antibodies.]

Aptamers are a new class of anti-cancer drugs and where Archemix is a leader in its development. Merck being a leader in oncology drug development and marketing can put aptamers into the next level in cancer therapy.

Other financial terms were not disclosed.

Find more details from the press release.