Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceuticals

WE ARE CHANGING THE WAY DRUGS ARE DELIVERED
Efficient and effective drug delivery systems are vital in drug development. With our advanced microencapsulation technology, we introduce controlled and targeted drug delivery systems. Our programmed-shell microcapsules deliver drugs at the right place, in the right dosage, and at the right time, allowing for lower dosages and reduced side effects. Most importantly, we greatly improve therapeutic drug efficacy and patient outcomes.

We provide R&D services and look for partnerships with pharmaceutical companies to satisfy the demand for optimising the efficiency of existing drugs and novel drug delivery systems.

CREATE SMART DRUGS WITH OUR CONTROLLED-RELEASE MICROCAPSULES

ADVANCED DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS

The success of drug therapies is largely impacted by adequate and efficient drug delivery systems. We introduce controlled and targeted drug delivery using our programmed-shell microcapsules as drug delivery devices. In addition to overcoming the existing challenges of conventional drug therapy, our advanced microencapsulation technology controls drug release kinetics. It regulates the release of encapsulated drugs at the desired time, rate, dose, and site of action to improve drug targeting and enhance therapeutic drug efficacy.

 

Our innovative drug delivery systems make it possible to accurately control the drug release rate over periods of hours to months for improved drug efficacy, prolonged action, and optimal dosage. We can pre-programme the drug release profiles to match the therapeutic needs of the patient. Our targeted drug release function is a reliable means to deliver drugs to the target site to maintain the desired concentration for optimum therapeutic efficacy with lower dosage requirements and without side effects that can be life-threatening.

Programmed-shell microcapsules for controlled and targeted drug delivery

OUR CONTROLLED RELEASE SYSTEMS RADICALLY CHANGE DRUG DELIVERY

Liposomes have been employed in a large variety of biomedical applications, including nanocarriers for drug delivery. However, they are known for poor stability, limited control over release function, and high cost for large-scale production. Another popular encapsulation system is the emulsification of cargo into microdroplets. Similarly to liposomes, emulsion droplets are unstable and lack controlled release function, enabling only passive elution. In contrast, our microcapsules are highly stable, have shells providing a real barrier between encapsulated substance and a surrounding environment and are endowed with a controlled release functionality. And all this at a low price. Production costs are mainly determined by the price of polymers and encapsulated compounds, representing a fraction of the final price.

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    Highly stable.

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    The shell isolates and protects active ingredients against degrading factors, incompatibility and interactions with other ingredients.

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    Possess the functions of controlled and targeted delivery of active substances.

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    Versatile, applicable for the incorporation of any active substances, both hydrophilic and hydrophobic.

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    Able to hold massive payloads.

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    Suitable for large-scale, cost-effective production.

But the most important advantage of our advanced microencapsulation technology and what makes us unique on the market is a controlled release function. We can precisely programme the drug release profile, achieving efficacy at an entirely different level. Our smart microcapsules deliver drugs into the body at the right place, in the right dosage and at the right time.

  • PROLONGED RELEASE

    Our microcapsules provide sustained and prolonged drug release over periods of hours to months.

  • RELEASE WITH THE REQUIRED KINETICS

    Our microcapsules provide drug release with a desired rate and dosage.

  • TIMED RELEASE

    We can programme the microcapsule shells to release drugs at a desired time.

  • TRIGGERED RELEASE

    We introduce the release-on-demand mechanism. The microcapsule opening can be triggered by environmental changes (pH, salinity, solvent polarity, temperature), external stimuli (ultrasound, NIR laser) or a cancer-specific environment.

     

WE DELIVER DRUGS AT THE RIGHT PLACE, IN THE RIGHT DOSAGE, AND AT THE RIGHT TIME

We greatly improve therapeutic drug efficacy and patient outcomes.

WIDE CHOICE OF DRUGS

 

We can encapsulate any molecule, from small (down to microelements) to large (DNA, RNA, proteins), making our technology suitable for various applications, including CAR T-cell and gene therapies. Our microcapsules can hold multiple drugs, making them multifunctional.

 

WIDE CHOICE OF SHELL MATERIAL

 

We can choose from a wide range of FDA-approved biocompatible and biodegradable non-toxic polymers, synthetic or natural. We can make shells mono- or multi-layered.

 

 

HIGH STABILITY

 

Unlike liposomes and emulsion droplets, our polyelectrolyte microcapsules are highly stable.

 

 

 

 

 

HIGH LOADING CAPACITY

 

Our microcapsules can hold high volumes of active substances (active substances: 75-80%, polymers: 20-25%).

 

 

 

 

 

HIGH STABILITY

Compared to liposomes and emulsions, our microcapsules are highly stable, creating a real barrier and isolating drugs from the environment. Many drugs are sensitive to degradation when exposed to the acidic environment of the GIT. Our microcapsules show remarkable stability in the acidic pH, increasing bioavailability and overall efficacy.

HIGH STABILITY COMPARED TO LIPOSOMES

 

Today, the most common encapsulation systems are represented by liposomes and the emulsification into microdroplets. However, their significant drawback is poor stability. In contrast to liposomes and emulsions, our polyelectrolyte microcapsules are far more stable creating a real physical barrier between encapsulated substance and a surrounding environment.

 

 


REMARKABLE STABILITY UNDER ACIDIC PH

 

Drugs often come in gelatin capsules or film-coated tablets to survive the stomach’s acidic environment. Taking large pills, often several times a day, is difficult and uncomfortable, especially for those suffering from dysphagia. Drugs in liquid or powder forms are easier to swallow, but only a few can be packaged as liquids or powders. We solve this problem. Our microcapsules remain stable under acidic pH < 6 for more than 9 hours, reaching the intestines, where they are absorbed and delivered to the target tissues and organs.


TIMED DRUG RELEASE

Possessing unique microencapsulation capabilities, we can precisely programme the time of drug release, achieving efficacy at an entirely different level. While slow-release drugs are not new on the market, we move one step forward by introducing a timed-release function, a new way to deliver drugs. Our smart microcapsules can be programmed to open and release drugs at a desired time and with the required kinetics.

REPLACE MULTIPLE PILLS WITH ONLY ONE DAILY INTAKE

 

Adherence to a drug regime can be challenging, in particular, if taking multiple drugs at different times of the day. Requiring significant planning and organisation may lead to poor compliance. Combined with pill fatigue and pill aversion, or dysphagia it can result in treatment rejection.

 

Our advanced microencapsulation technology helps redesign drug formulations to replace multiple doses with only one daily intake. Patients will take microencapsulated drugs only once, for example, in the morning, and microcapsules will open and release drugs at a required time of the day.


Timed-release microcapsules for drug delivery

TARGETED DRUG DELIVERY

Traditional cancer chemotherapy is associated with serious toxicity and side effects due to the lack of a specific selection of tumour cells, which restricts its curative effect. Precisely targeting a drug to a specific organ or tissue and controlling the rate of drug delivery to the target site reduces toxicity and improves cellular uptake and clinical outcomes.

DRUG DELIVERY TO CANCER CELLS

 

Over the past 30 years, the number of successful cancer treatments has significantly increased. However, many cancers are still fatal. One way to improve the cure and the survival rate of cancer patients is the targeted delivery of anticancer drugs.

 

Our technology enables the drug release triggered by a cancer-specific environment. Due to their rapid and uncontrolled proliferation, cancer cells are characterised by elevated levels of reduced glutathione, which can serve as a trigger for microcapsule opening and drug release. We designed smart microcapsules that open and release drugs directly into cancer cells without affecting healthy stem cells. Our targeted drug delivery system is an efficient tool to reduce the overall toxicity of anticancer drugs, minimise multiple side effects of varied severity, maintain the drugs’ therapeutic concentration and thus increase their efficacy.


Targeted drug delivery to cancer cells

DRUG DELIVERY TO TUMOURS USING MSCs

 

Our technology enables targeted drug delivery to tumours using human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as carriers. To this end, microcapsules containing anticancer drugs are loaded into MSCs that have the propensity to migrate toward tumour, injury, and inflammation. When MSCs carrying the microencapsulated anticancer drug come into contact with cancer cells, the drug is released, causing cancer cell death.

 

Drug release from the microcapsules can be further accelerated by adding the possibility of remote control. The drug release can be initiated remotely by ultrasound or NIR laser once microcapsule-loaded MSCs invade tumour cells. Drug delivery using human MSCs can be used not only to treat cancer but also to treat multiple inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.


Targeted drug delivery to tumours using human mesenchymal stem cells

DELIVERY OF GENETIC MATERIAL TO T-CELLS

 

Our technology provides more efficient non-viral delivery of genetic material, such as DNA or RNA, to primary human T-cells, increasing the efficacy of CAR T-cell and gene therapies.

 

Drug delivery is at its most challenging when the therapeutic is genetic material. Unlike other classes of biological drugs, DNA and RNA are not stable in circulation. We designed several systems for DNA/RNA transfection that significantly outperform (1.5-2 times) other available methods. Compared to the standard electroporation method or liposomes, they allow for more efficient DNA/RNA transfection (90% vs 51% for mRNA and 62% vs 39% for plasmid DNA) in primary human T-cells that have proven to be notoriously hard to transfect.


Delivery of genetic material for CAR T-cell and gene therapies

TARGETED DRUG DELIVERY USING MAGNETIC FIELD

 

Our technology enables the functionalisation of microcapsules with nanoparticles, making possible the fabrication of magnetically targetable microcapsules by incorporating Fe3O4 NPs into the shell. These magnetically responsive microcapsules can be directed to a specific site of the body by using an external magnetic field. Microcapsules carrying a drug accumulate in the target site, and the drug is released from the microcapsules in a controlled manner.

 

Magnetic targeting is a promising delivery system with remote navigation by the magnetic field. It has great potential in the treatment of malign tumours as it opens immense opportunities for targeted and controlled drug release. Our magnetic targeting system can also be used for more efficient delivery of genetic material (DNA, RNA), proteins, and other biologically active material into cells as well as for the fabrication of compartmentalised bioreactors and biosensors.


Targeted drug delivery using a magnetic field

TRIGGERED DRUG RELEASE

Our polyelectrolyte multi-layered composite microcapsules provide a very versatile tool to create smart drug delivery systems sensitive to chemical, physical, or mechanical factors. Using our advanced microencapsulation, we achieve a broad range of controlled-release scenarios. Our technology enables drug release triggered by physiological stimuli, such as pH, ionic strength, and temperature or drug release triggered by remote stimuli, such as ultrasound and near-infrared (NIR) laser light.

CHANGES IN THE ENVIRONMENT

 

Drug release can be triggered by changes in pH, ionic strength (salinity), solvent polarity, and temperature.

 

 

CANCER-SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENT

 

Drug release can be triggered by a cancer-specific environment. We designed smart microcapsules that open and release drugs in cancer cells, leaving healthy stem cells intact.

EXTERNAL STIMULI

 

Drug release can be triggered by external stimuli, such as ultrasound or near-infrared (NIR) laser light.

 

 

Triggered drug release
Mask taste and odour
Mask the bitter taste or unpleasant odour of drugs to improve palatability.
Protect active ingredients
Protect drugs from environmental conditions (humidity, oxidation, stomach pH, heat, light, etc.) and drug interactions.
Improve bioavailability
Improve bioavailability and enhance absorption to increase drug efficacy and optimise drug dosage.
Increase stability
Increase drug stability resulting in shelf-life extension.
Reduce hygroscopicity and volatility
Reduce drug hygroscopicity by preventing moisture and retard the evaporation of volatile drugs.
Controlled and targeted release
Controlled release of drugs at the right place and at the right time to improve efficacy, prolong action, and optimise dosage.
Easy handling and storage
Liquid substances are transformed into powder-looking microcapsules.
Triggered release
Introduce release on-demand mechanism when drug release is triggered by pH, ultrasound, NIR laser light and other stimuli.
PARTNER WITH US

We seek partnerships with pharmaceutical companies to bring our innovative drug delivery systems to the market.