Cellular Nanosponge Programs

CNP Drug Delivery Programs

At Cellics, one red blood cell is more than merely a cell, but thousands of RBC-NS. Our potent RBC-NS has the membrane lipids and receptors that a normal red blood cell has, however, the high surface-volume ratio of the RBC-NS allows it to act as a decoy. This characteristic allows the RBC-NS to bind and neutralize toxins, auto-antibodies, and bacterial infections.

One of the bacterial infections that RBC-NS can address is Methicillin Resistance Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). The pore-forming toxins emitted by MRSA can be effectively absorbed and neutralized by RBC-NS. Cellics’ drug candidate CTI-005 is for the treatment of MRSA Pneumonia and has received IND allowance to begin a Phase 1b/2a trial in patients. This important milestone validates and de-risks the Cellular Nanosponge platform.

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Macrophages are the foundation of our immune systems. They surround and kill microorganisms, remove dead cells, and can even stimulate the action of other immune system cells. When macrophages are activated by foreign microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses that enter the human body, they release molecules known as cytokines, which can activate more macrophages and stimulate further immune response and cause inflammation. Severe viral or bacterial infections could cause macrophages to over-respond and cause serious systemic inflammation such as cytokine storm or sepsis.

We craft tens of thousands of MΦ-NS from just one macrophage. The MΦ-NS is a powerful advancement in nanomedicine, with versatile applications. On one hand, the MΦ-NS can effectively absorb and neutralize inflammatory cytokines and control inflammation, used to treat diseases such as Sepsis and Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS). On the other hand, the Macrophage Nanosponge can also be made into oral, topical, or intraarticular formulations to treat inflammatory diseases such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Arthritis.

Cellics’ CTI-111 is being advanced for the treatment of sepsis and has received funding from CARB-X. This important partnership with CARB-X enables Cellics to advance its highly versatile platform to treat not only sepsis but other inflammatory, autoimmune, or infectious diseases with high unmet medical needs.

Cellics is pioneering the use of cell membrane-coated nanoparticles to increase the intracellular delivery efficiency of therapeutic agents, improving effectiveness and decreasing side effects. By utilizing engineered cell membranes that express viral fusion proteins to attach to the cell of interest, dramatically improved endosomal escape and increased expression of mRNA can be achieved.

The basis of the CNP technology is the cell, and we use a lot of them. Our powerful assortment of cell membranes can be employed to create application specific CNPs. By leveraging specific cells or engineering our own, we can utilize the cells’ surface proteins to target the tissues of interest. It is these same mechanisms that allow cells such as platelets to naturally gather at the cuts in our bodies. Through improved targeting, CNPs improve therapeutic effectiveness, lower drug load, and reduce side effects.

Expansion of the Cellics pipeline also includes leveraging the Cellular Nanosponge technology to advance preclinical programs for emerging viruses, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, and inflammatory bowel disease.