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In plain English

We build tiny delivery vehicles for genetic medicines

New medicines can now give cells precise instructions. The challenge is getting those instructions inside the right cells. That is what we work on.

Medicines that fix the cause

Genetic medicines can switch off a faulty gene or give cells instructions to make a missing protein, rather than only easing symptoms.

Getting there is the hard part

These molecules are fragile and cannot enter cells on their own. Most of the work in the field goes into carrying them safely to the right place.

Better delivery, lower doses

If more of each dose reaches the right cells, patients may need less medicine and see fewer side effects in other organs.

What is inside

Our delivery bubble, labelled

Each part has one job: protect the medicine, avoid the immune system, find the right cell and release the cargo at the right moment.

Cross-section of a lipid nanocarrier showing targeting ligands, PEG-lipid shield, helper lipids, ionisable lipids and the nucleic acid payload in the coreTargeting ligandBinds a receptor on the target cellPEG-lipid shieldLimits protein adsorption in bloodHelper phospholipid + cholesterolGive the bilayer its structureIonisable lipidNeutral at pH 7.4, positive in endosomesNucleic acid payloadmRNA, siRNA or CRISPR guide in the coreTypical diameter 60–80 nm · not to scale
Step by step

From injection to working medicine

Scroll to follow the journey of one particle.

The journey · step 1 of 6
  1. 01

    A tiny protective bubble

    Genetic medicines are fragile and would be destroyed in the blood. We wrap them in a fatty bubble about a thousand times thinner than a human hair.

  2. 02

    The cell swallows it

    When the bubble reaches the right cell, the cell takes it in by wrapping part of its own outer skin around it.

  3. 03

    Trapped in a pocket

    Inside, the bubble sits in a sealed pocket that slowly becomes acidic. Our special fats react to that acid and change their electric charge.

  4. 04

    Breaking out

    The charged fats loosen the pocket wall. This step is where most delivery systems fail, and it is what our chemistry is designed to improve.

  5. 05

    Escaping to freedom

    The medicine slips out into the main body of the cell before the pocket can destroy it.

  6. 06

    The cell makes the medicine

    The cell reads the delivered instructions and makes the helpful protein itself. The empty bubble is broken down naturally.

Common questions

Good questions we often hear

+Is this the same technology as mRNA vaccines?

It belongs to the same family. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines used lipid nanoparticles to deliver their instructions; we design carriers of that kind for other tissues and diseases.

+Do these medicines change my DNA?

mRNA and siRNA work outside the cell nucleus and are broken down naturally within days. They do not alter a person's DNA.

+Are your products available to patients?

Not yet. Our programmes are in research and early development with partners, and any medicine must pass clinical trials and regulatory review first.

See the science in detailGlossary of terms

Let's engineer the next delivery breakthrough together

We co-develop nanocarrier and biosensing programmes with pharma, biotech and academic groups — from target selection through GMP supply.

ResearchersRequest a technical consultationTalk formulation, characterisation or assay design with one of our scientists.Industry partnersExplore co-developmentFeasibility studies, co-development programmes, licensing and GMP supply.InvestorsDownload our capabilities deckPlatform, pipeline milestones, manufacturing and partnership models in one PDF.

Prefer to talk it through? Book a 30-minute discovery call