N4 Pharma shares rose on Monday after announcing an update on its collaborations with the research institute SRI to test its Nuvec gene delivery system.
Shares were 10% higher after the company said it successfully delivered RNA into lung cancer cells using N4’s Nuvec®.
The technology works by attaching targeting molecules to tiny particles that carry therapeutic RNA. These particles then seek out and bind to specific proteins found on cancer cells.
The system successfully targeted non-small cell lung cancer cells in laboratory tests, delivering RNA therapy only to the intended cancer cells, not healthy tissue. This is promising news.
The RNA therapy market is worth $13.7 billion globally and is growing at a pace. However, getting these treatments to the right cells remains a major challenge for developers, the company says.
Current RNA delivery methods struggle with precision targeting. N4 Pharma’s work focuses on tackling this “holy grail” problem by targeting therapy specifically to diseased cells while sparing healthy ones.
“Targeting RNA therapies to particular cell types is highly sought after by companies developing RNA therapeutics. We have now demonstrated Nuvec®’s ability to do this in multiple systems, which we believe sets it apart from other RNA delivery methods,” said Nigel Theobold, Chief Executive Officer of N4 Pharma.
“These recent data from our collaboration with SRI are particularly exciting because they represent the first example of the use of Nuvec® for the potential treatment of some of the most common and life-threatening cancers.
“N4 Pharma raised capital earlier this year to build out the data to support the key performance claims of Nuvec®: simultaneous delivery of multiple RNAs; targeting of specific cell types; oral delivery; low immunogenicity; stability; and simple manufacturing. These data generated with SRI are a significant step forward in that process, because of the high demand for targeted therapies to support deal-making and building our own differentiated RNA therapeutics pipeline.”