Our Science
Piezopen enhances safety and efficacy to “naked” nucleic acid medicines for a broad range of therapeutic areas and disease targets
Unlocking the Potential of Local Nucleic Acid Delivery
RNA and DNA medicines work by instructing the body to produce a specific protein, such as an antigen for a vaccine. However, they rely on successful delivery to the cytosol (RNA) or nucleus (DNA) for successful protein production.
Despite the efficacy afforded by current delivery approaches, namely lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) and viral vectors, they face significant challenges due to: 1) expensive and complex manufacturing, 2) intense screening and development, 3) poor tolerability and reactogenicity, 4) poor thermostability, and 5) pre-existing immunity or inability to safely re-dose.
Lastly, while LNPs and viral vectors work well for RNA and DNA, respectively, they are not interchangeable and have shown poor efficacy when delivering the other nucleic acid. A delivery platform that can deliver both DNA and RNA while inducing therapeutic effects to both is highly desired.
The Big Picture: Next-generation nucleic acid medicines rely on efficacious delivery platforms that are simple, safe, affordable, and scalable.
The Power of Piezoelectricity
Piezopen redefines a decades-old technique to physically introduce pores in the cell membrane and drive intracellular nucleic acid delivery while bypassing endosomal escape. Piezopen is agnostic to payload and can deliver both DNA and RNA without any changes, enabling broad applications across a range of diseases. Piezopen’s payload capacity is vast, extending from short linear mRNA strands to large self-amplifying RNA constructs and DNA plasmids.
Our innovation lies in an unconventional discovery - that technology found in a BBQ lighter (piezoelectricity) can facilitate drug delivery.
Piezopen consists of two components:
A piezoelectric generator that produces brief electric pulses for intracellular delivery
A microneedle electrode array that localize pulses to maximize efficacy and tolerability
By harnessing the physics of a lighter, we have transformed a 40-year old technology into a pen-like device that is 1/10,000th the cost; 1/1,000th the size; and 1000x more scalable vs the current state-of-the-art.
Our End-to-End Development and Delivery Capabilities
Vector Selection
Utilize existing vector validations or optimize new constructs for specific therapeutic
Cross-Species Validations
Leverage Piezo’s proprietary models to substantially de-risk clinical application
Regulatory
Seamless regulatory strategy comparable to a pre-filled syringe, with platform compatibility across nucleic acid types and indications
Construct Delivery Optimization
Chosen from a validated library across payload types and target therapeutic profiles
Manufacturing
Flexibility from rapid deployment at scale for pandemic response to point-of-care production for personalized medicine via elimination of formulations and strategic partnerships
