Internationale Partnersuche

Innovation & Technologie Angebot

Process Effectiveness for Nanoparticles Management Support

Country of Origin: Italy
Reference Number: TOIT20180326001
Publication Date: 26 March 2018

Summary

An Italian company, a start-up with solid research background, offers own competencies in process optimization of nanoparticles, to public research centres in management of new inorganic and polymeric nanoparticles, especially in their application in oncology field. 
The company is interested in research agreements, or technical cooperation agreements and/or service agreements.

Description

The encapsulation of molecules provided by the client and combination or functionalization of nanoparticles according to specific requests is sometimes hard to perform by companies or laboratories. An Italian company has developed targeted process expertise in developing innovative nanoparticles and this may lead to offer a personalized solution in order to improve the chemical-physical characteristics and pharmacokinetic properties of the molecules of interest.



The offered technology/know how includes the development of polymeric nanoparticles based on biodegradable and biocompatible polymers, that can be used as delivery carriers (synthetic or natural molecules, probes, and natural antioxidant molecules). Additionally, the nanoparticle surface can be functionalized with specific ligands (antibodies, aptamers or small organic molecules), which allow to increase the plasma half-life, reduce immunogenicity and favor the targeting towards surface proteins overexpressed on cells target. The nanoformulation improves some unfavorable chemical-physical characteristics of the encapsulated molecules: increases the solubility of poorly soluble molecules in aqueous environments; protects labile molecules from inactivation and enzymatic and chemical degradation; increases the bioavailability; increases the fraction of molecules that reaches the site of absorption or action; reduces the adverse reactions and / or unwanted side effects.

The nanoparticles can be used for drug delivery, diagnostic, cosmetics and agro-industry fields.



The company operates in the field of nanotechnologies, aimed at researchers, companies and professionals interested in the development and application of nanoparticles in building materials, pharmaceutical, biomedical, cosmetics and agro-industry areas, searching for expertise in the field of nanomaterials, and in their application to oncology.



The main activities of the Italian start up company are focused on:

(a) synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials including ceramic, colloidal, iron oxide, and zinc oxide nanoparticles. The surface of  nanoparticles can be functionalized with organosilicon-based derivatives, or various functional groups, for the subsequent conjugation with biomolecules, as well as contrast agents and bioactive molecules/ drugs.



(b) design and formulation of polymeric nanoparticles for passive and active “targeting, with programmable features, in order to enhance site-specificity towards different biological targets, as well as to increase the therapeutic efficacy and the bioavailability of natural and synthetic active molecules.

The nanoparticle surface can be functionalized with specific ligands (antibodies, peptides, aptamers or small organic molecules), which allow to increase the plasma half-life, reduce immunogenicity and favor the targeting toward surface proteins overexpressed on target cells.



The company may offer own expertise in the field of oncology, where they are already working. Depending on the type of expertise requested, the Italian company may offer research agreements (i.e for participation in project proposals), technical cooperation agreements or service agreements.

Advantages and Innovations

The nanoformulation improves some unfavorable chemical-physical characteristics of the encapsulated molecules.

Through the integration of relevant multidisciplinary approaches with medicinal chemistry and nanobiotechnology, the company can design and build nanoparticle prototypes for "Active Targeting" that ensures on heading towards different site-specific biological targets, and programmable features to increase the therapeutic efficacy and the bioavailability of active molecules.

Thanks to own expertise, the company can encapsulate molecules provided by the client and combine or functionalize the nanoparticles according to specific requests.

Moreover, it can also provide nanoparticles for the co-delivery of combination chemotherapy, that gradually becomes a desired strategy and one of the research frontiers on modern drug delivery. Nanodrug co-delivery system, which loads at least two anticancer drugs with different physicochemical and pharmacological properties into a combination delivery system, has achieved rapid development and have the potential to improve treatment response, minimize development of resistance or minimize adverse events.



The Italian company can encapsulate molecules provided by the client and engineer or functionalize the nanoparticles according to specific requests.

The company aims to support customer from the development of an idea up to the realization of a new nanoparticle prototype and its activity evaluation through:

- the structure based design of ligands for targeting

- polymer functionalization with selected ligands

- targeted nanoparticles formulation and characterization

- in vitro dissolution and stability test

- in vitro biocompatibility and biological (eg cytotoxicity) test.



The expertise of the company goes from the development of nanoparticles and up their application in oncology field where researchers may have an interest in exploiting the competency of the Italian company.

Stage Of Development

Field tested/evaluated

Stage Of Development Comment

A patent is currently under publication. Company is currently deciding how and where to extend the patent.

Requested partner

Public research centres or Laboratories interested in research, or service agreements or in technical cooperation agreements.