Nanomerics Technology

Nanomerics proprietary technology platforms

Nanomerics’ technology addresses bioavailability challenges for a broad range of therapeutics, including low molecular weight hydrophobic drugs, peptides, and nucleic acid based therapeutics (plasmid, siRNA, miRNA). Specific administration routes for which the technology has demonstrated clear advantages include the oral route, transport across the blood-brain-barrier, delivery to solid tumours, as well as to the eye.

Nanomerics' proprietary technology is based on world leading know-how and scientific leadership in polymeric nanotechnology. Specifically, it allows fabrication of nano-scaled polymer aggregates to package or specifically interact with drugs or biological molecules and thus overcome delivery problems.

Molecular Envelope Technology (MET)

Engineered Supramolecular Self-assembly

Biocompatible polymers may be tailored to form containers that package and help to solubilise the drug in aqueous media (e.g. gut fluid or blood). Nanomerics has developed the Molecular Envelope Technology (MET) platform, which is engineered to maximise this approach and dramatically increase the amount of drug available at the disease site (typically by a factor of ten).

A key advantage of the MET platform lies in the highly dynamic way drugs are encapsulated. This at once allows highly efficient drug loading as well as rapid release at the target barrier. Our Molecular Envelope Technology is able to deliver drugs to the brain via the nose-to-brain route, to the front and back fo the eye, and significantly enhance oral absorption.

Molecular Envelope Technology (MET) nanoparticles are engineered from biocompatible polymers. By tailoring of key properties such as molecular weight, and hydrophilic/ hydrophobic substituents (1) MET polymers are synthesised (2) which self-assemble into highly stable small nanoparticles (4). The polymers wrap around and incorporate hydrophobic drugs and peptides (5) creating a protective molecular envelope. Drugs may be loaded with high efficiency into the resulting stable and small (~50 - 300 nm) MET nanoparticles (6).

Ocular drug delivery

Designed from scratch for enhanced delivery the MET platform provides a unique combination of enhanced transport and safety for the eye resulting in 5-10 x enhanced delivery from eye drops. This delivery efficiency allows the use of a lower dose, less frequent dosing, and may enable a rapid onset of action in a pain free aqueous eye drop formulation. If required the MET may also be engineered to deliver drugs to the back of the eye avoiding the need for injection into the eye.

MET enabled ocular medication is applied in the form of a water-like eye drop. The individual particles easily penetrate the tear film and then bind and adhere to the cells of the surface of the eye. This process destabilises the MET carrier and allows enhanced penetration of the drug into the tissues of the eye, avoiding the rapid clearance otherwise experienced by eye drop medication.

Nose-to-Brain Delivery

Nanomerics technology allows delivery to the brain. This can be achieved by bypassing the blood-brain-barrier and delivering the drugs to the top of the nose where they can be carried to the brain along the olfactory nerve. Nanomerics nano-in-micro powder technology combined with our Naltos device allows reliable and selective delivery of large micro-particles to this area; the micro-particles then have to disintegrate into smaller particles that can penetrate the mucus and facilitate mucosal uptake.