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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NANOGO (Innovative, automatic, fast and cost-effective nanovesicles manufacturing equipment)

Teaser

Summary

Many food, cosmetics and pharma companies see nanoencapsulation as an opportunity to create new products in a growing niche market. Nanotechnology helps Europe to address global challenges such as climate change, constraints in energy production and shortage of resources, insufficient access to clean water and food safety, as well as widespread diseases and affordable health care worldwide. However, the difficulties of current manufacturing systems prevent them to invest in their development. Current processes for producing nanovesicles (NV) take too much time and are non-cost effective (non-automatic, time-consuming, involving qualified staff). Current manufacturing methods are a bottle-neck for developing nanovesicles and therefore nanomedicines.

What are nanovesicles (NV)?

NV are nano-composites with several functional elements. Classically, nanovesicles for drug delivery include
(i) one or more therapeutic agents;
(ii) a lipidic carrier;
iii) one or several imaging agents to control their delivery.

NV are very diverse in terms of shape, size, composition, so their design is a challenging process that requires a multidisciplinary approach and many lab tests.

Research teams and manufacturing industry, especially from pharmaceutical sector, demand disruptive innovations in the equipment and methods to manufacture nanovesicles. Process cost, speed and reproducibility/quality are the 3 most important demands. At a second level, we find easiness of use (by non-expert staff) and scalability from research to industrial scale. NanoGowill fully automatethe whole process and accelerate the production by at least 30 times faster.Our technology will allow lab personnel to control the size and characteristics of the nanovesicles they want to produce by guaranteeing the highest level of reproducibility reached so far. The need for specialized personnel will be eliminated and costs will be reduced by at least 80%. Moreover, NanoGo will reduce the minimum volume of fungible needed by at least 10 times allowing operators to make tests at a lower cost (essential aspect in R&D).

NanoGo is a unique microfluidics equipment which produces high-quality nanovesicles faster and at lower cost. The NanoGo system is based on the lab-on-a-chip concept and therefore is very easily to scale-up. This new technology is planned to be commercialised in form of equipment in 2 different sizes (lab and industrial).NanoGo has the potential to accelerate the uptake of nanotechnologies by companies and R&D teams with the manufacturing of a wide range of high quality nanovesicles and nanomedicines in a fast, easy and cost-effective way.

Work performed

The grant of PHASE I has allowed us to carry out an exhaustive study of the diversification possibilities of our nanocarriers based drug-delivery technology. The refocus of our target market towards the cosmetics market has been showed like an as good opportunity for a faster, sustainability and profitable growth of our company, as the financial projections demonstrated. During phase 1, contacts have been made with investors who have been very interested in the cosmetic project. In such a way that one of them of industrial character has decided to take a
majority position in the shareholding.

Final results

PHASE I has been a great opportunity to provide financing of our company project that allows the future scaling of the project.

In addition, the PHASE I has also helped us into the technical development and commercial escalation, giving the company credit for potential clients that are large national and multinational companies.

That is why shareholder participation has changed and we can no longer be considered an SME.

This wants to decide that we will not advance in the phase 2 process because the next steps will be financed by the main shareholder with its usual sources.