Nanoform, Herantis Collaborate on Nasal Drug Delivery to the Brain of Biologics

Nanoparticle medicine enabling company, Nanoform, and clinical-stage biotech company, Herantis, have signed a biologics proof of concept agreement for formulation proof of concept projects (PoCs) aimed at improving nasal drug delivery to the brain.

The non-exclusive agreement is specifically pertaining to the enhancement of nasal delivery of Herantis’ cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) therapies for Parkinson’s disease using Nanoform’s biological nanoparticle technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Nanoform will perform formulation PoCs on Herantis’ CDNF molecules for compensation on standard commercial terms.

“We are delighted to finalize the agreement with Herantis and initiate our partnership together. Brain delivery for biologicals and small molecules is a hugely challenging route of administration and we firmly believe nanoparticles have a key role to play in enhancing and hopefully enabling this,” said Christian Jones, chief commercial officer of Nanoform, in a Feb. 9, 2021 press release. “Since the launch of our Biologics nanoparticle technology platform, we have experienced a high level of interest from the industry in exploring how our nanoparticles can potentially enable drug delivery opportunities and solve challenges in this space and we look forward to onboarding further partners both on the biologics and small molecules side.”

“Intranasal delivery of CDNF is a key focus for Herantis. One of our important initiatives in this regard is the work with Nanoform to enhance and enable superior formulations of the pioneering new drugs we have developed and is a key and exciting opportunity for Herantis,” added Dr. Craig Cook, CEO of Herantis Pharma, in the press release. “Initiating this PoC formulation work is a solid start to 2021 and we look forward to evaluating Nanoform’s technologies to explore the potential enhancements of the drug delivery applications in this complex and challenging field. It is our hope that this collaboration will open up new possibilities for improving the lives of patients with Parkinson’s and other related diseases.”

Source: Nanoform