NanoSyrinx

NanoSyrinx is a synthetic biology company developing a novel platform for the targeted intracellular delivery of biologic therapeutics. The company was founded in 2020 as a spin-out from the University of Warwick's Medical School by Dr. Joe Healey (CEO), Professor Nick Waterfield, and Dr. Alexia Hapeshi. The founders' journey began in Professor Waterfield's academic lab, where the core technology was discovered during Healey's PhD studies, focusing on the unique properties of bacterial injection systems.

The company's core technology utilizes naturally occurring, syringe-like structures which are genetically engineered to deliver a wide variety of biologic payloads—such as peptides, proteins, and gene-editing enzymes—directly into the cytosol of targeted cells. This platform aims to address a significant challenge in medicine: delivering large molecule drugs to previously "undruggable" intracellular targets. The production process is based on a single microbial fermentation step, where the genetics encoding the nanosyringe "chassis", its payload, and the cell-targeting domains self-assemble into a ready-to-use therapeutic vehicle.

NanoSyrinx operates on a hybrid business model, pursuing both in-house therapeutic programs and collaborative discovery and development partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. The initial focus is on applications in the cell and gene therapy space, particularly for immuno-oncology, with the goal of creating effective treatments with fewer side effects. The company has secured significant funding from a consortium of investors, including M Ventures, Octopus Ventures, BGF, and Eli Lilly and Company, to advance its platform and accelerate its pipeline.

Keywords: synthetic biology, drug delivery, intracellular delivery, nanosyringes, biologics, gene therapy, cell therapy, protein therapeutics, peptide delivery, undruggable targets, drug delivery platform, biopharmaceuticals, immuno-oncology, gene editing delivery, cytosol targeting, microbial fermentation, non-viral delivery, biologics delivery, targeted therapeutics, nanomedicine