With
the acquisition of Blacktrace Holdings, Unchained Labs now has three brands in
its product portfolio, including Lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations.
Pleasanton,
United States:
On Monday, July 17th, 2023, Unchained Labs, a life sciences business
dedicated to providing the best tools for biologics and gene therapy for researchers,
acquired Blacktrace Holdings. Blacktrace's Dolomite microfluidics have been
assisting scientists with complex operations for decades. Recently, their
Particle Works solutions have changed the game in terms of how researchers test
lipid nanoparticle (LNP)- all while using the same methodologies and
microfluidic chip.
LNPs are ideal vaccines, but
they also show promise in gene therapy nut to be successful, LNPs are required
to be of correct size and composition to enter cells and deliver their payload.
Finding the optimum formulation for the ideal LNP needs a lot of trial and
error. Researchers determine the best lipid combination, the best
lipid-to-payload ratio, and the various flow rates required to mix it all
together – which is a time-consuming operation. Thus, for time efficiency
Particle Works LNP solutions of Blacktrace Holdings are being utilized. ALiS
(Automated Library Synthesis System) is the sole option for high-throughput LNP
formulation screening available. ALiS generates 96 unique, 200 µl LNP formulations
in a single six-hour experiment, which may then be checked for size and
encapsulation before being forwarded to payload expression tests. Once the
ideal formulation is identified, ANP (Automated Nanoparticle System) takes over
to fine-tune the ALiS technique, which can be scaled up to over 50 liters in 24
hours using the same reusable chip. Unchained Labs is also presently developing
a GMP manufacturing solution, which it intends to complete and make accessible
as soon as possible.
According to the Chairman
& CEO of Blacktrace Holdings, "We have spent the past two years developing and
providing a better way to make LNPs," said Mark Gilligan, CEO at
Blacktrace Holdings. "Unchained Labs is committed to providing LNP
researchers with tailor-made solutions and I can't think of a better home for
our Particle Works solutions."
According to the Founder and
CEO at Unchained Labs, "Next-generation
modalities like LNPs are changing the world," said Tim Harkness, Founder
and CEO at Unchained Labs. "All we think about every day is how to make
the jobs of researchers developing these complex therapies easier, and we can't
wait to get ALiS and ANP into the LNP labs that need them."
According to TechSci Research,
the
versatility of liquid nanoparticles is continually expanding as researchers are
exploring new materials, fabrication methods, and applications. Unchained Labs
has been established to provide LNP researchers with specialized assistance.
With the Acquisition of Blacktrace
Holdings, the company is expanding its product portfolio by utilizing the
Automated Library Synthesis System (ALiS) and Automated Nanoparticle (ANP)
System which are the two prominent system offered by the particle works brand
of Blacktrace holdings.
The Automated Library
Synthesis System (ALiS), a brand-new, revolutionary automated platform offered
by Blacktrace holdings for high-throughput screening of LNP formulations
containing genetic material, including mRNA, for early-stage development of
genetic drugs and vaccines. By doing up to 96 different experiments in less
than 6 hours, ALiS will dramatically speed up early-stage research and
development/discovery initiatives.
Another system of Blacktrace
holdings which is a 3-in-1 Automated Nanoparticle (ANP) System for protocol
creation and LNP synthesis process optimization, can revolutionize lipid
nanoparticle (LNP) synthesis. This cutting-edge microfluidic technology offers
comprehensive process development options for vaccines, medications, gene
therapies, RNA treatments, and other APIs (such as polymer-based nanoparticles),
making it perfect for lipid nanoparticle encapsulation. Thus, access to this
system can enhance the Unchained Labs efficiency to produce LNP.
Lipid nanoparticles have had
a genuinely extraordinary influence on medicine, particularly with the invention
of mRNA vaccines by firms like Moderna and Pfizer, which have been working on LNP
for more than 20 years. The effectiveness of these vaccinations has been
nothing short of miracle in the healthcare industry, but lipid nanoparticles
are making a difference in areas other than COVID-19. Onpattro, for instance,
is a medication that treats a rare genetic condition by encapsulating
short-interfering RNA in lipid nanoparticles. This is just one example of how
lipid nanoparticles are being utilized to influence gene expression, which is
changing the treatment of some diseases. Lipid nanoparticles can also transport
difficult-to-solubilize medications such as Iclusig and even smaller molecules
such as doxycycline. Doxycycline, when synthesized into lipid nanoparticles,
can be utilized to treat some forms of cancer.
LNP stability, drug
retention in the particles, and controlled release are all critical for drug
delivery applications, but they are difficult to achieve. Thus, designing novel
lipids and enhancing LNP composition can open up new avenues for drug delivery
applications by providing leveraging benefits to the manufacturers as well as
the researchers. Ongoing research and development efforts are likely lead to
the discovery of new materials, improved nanoparticle formulations, and
enhanced functionalities, making liquid nanoparticles more versatile and
effective with simultaneously increasing its demand in the upcoming years.