N4 Pharma and SRI to Collaborate on Intracellular Delivery to Specific Target Cells

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N4 Pharma, a pre-clinical stage specialist pharmaceutical company, has formed a research collaboration agreement with SRI, a global R&D company, to increase intracellular delivery to specific target cells. The collaboration will combine N4’s Nuvec, a silica nanoparticle delivery system created to carry nucleotides to be developed as cancer therapies and vaccines, with SRI’s FOX Three Molecular Guidance System (MGS). The companies intend to co-market the combined technology and work to develop and follow new business opportunities collaboratively.

SRI’s MGS is a system that uses propriety technology to enable the delivery of macromolecular payloads first to target cells, and then to subcellular locations within those cells. It was designed to overcome cellular barriers that were stopping intracellular delivery of large-molecule biotherapeutics. SRI has successfully tested the MGS technology on more than a dozen macromolecular payloads, including functional enzymes, nucleic acids (such as small interfering RNA [siRNA], antisense oligonucleotides, and DNA), antibodies, nanoparticles, and liposomes. It has delivered these payloads to targeted, intracellular molecular-target locations that were previously considered unreachable.

Nuvec’s irregular surface structure allows the nanoparticle to trap and protect siRNA, RNA, and DNA in their delivery to the cell membrane. When it is inside the cell, it releases the genetic material into the cellular machinery, allowing for the chosen pathway response (protein transcription, protein silencing, or other immune response). When combined with MGS, there is potential to facilitate targeted and effective treatments in precision healthcare.

In an N4 press release, Kathlynn Brown, president of SRI’s Biosciences division, said, “We’re excited to work with N4 Pharma to advance nucleic acid therapies and expand the number of applications of their Nuvec nanoparticle technology using the FOX Three Platform. The key properties of Nuvec, including preventing enzymatic breakdown of nucleotides and large surface area allowing multiple copy number of cargo, together with the targeting provided by MGS, may significantly enhance the use of nucleotide therapies. This strategic partnership marks an exciting journey towards expanding treatment possibilities and transforming the landscape of biomedicine” (1).

“We are delighted to be working with SRI and to have entered into this collaboration agreement. Combining our technologies successfully will lead to working with major pharma companies in the fields of oncology and vaccines with the exciting potential to develop novel products,” said Nigel Theobald, chief executive office of N4 Pharma. “SRI collaborates with a broad range of strategic partners from small and virtual biotechnology companies to top 10 pharmaceutical companies and other leading industry partners, which will give us unparalleled access to potential commercial partners on the back of any successful combined technology resulting from our research. This marks an exciting new chapter for N4 Pharma, and I look forward to providing further updates as the research work progresses, as well as on our other work streams such as oral applications of Nuvec and the development of ECP105 for an orphan indication with Nanogenics” (1).

Reference

1. N4 Pharma. N4 Pharma Announces Collaboration with SRI to Target and Treat Cells in the Human Body that Have Been Previously Unreachable. Press Release. Apr. 25, 2024.