Billions of Covid-19 vaccines made using BioNTech’s messenger RNA technology have been administered worldwide, each delivered as an intramuscular injection into the arm. BioNTech is finding ways to make mRNA vaccines better, and the German company is working across the Atlantic with a biopharmaceutical company whose proprietary technology could improve many aspects of mRNA vaccines, including the potential for oral formulations.
BioNTech announced Monday research collaboration In partnership with Matinas BioPharma headquartered in Bedminster, NJ. The consortium will evaluate how Matinas’ proprietary drug delivery technology can be applied to BioNTech’s mRNA vaccines. In addition to the Covid vaccine, BioNTech’s pipeline includes mRNA vaccine program in shinglesinfluenza, cancer etc.. The specific vaccines covered by the Matinas agreement were not disclosed.
BioNTech’s mRNA vaccines use lipid nanoparticles to protect and deliver their genetic material into cells. The fragility of mRNA requires an ultracold chain to store and distribute these vaccines along the supply chain. These lipids also introduce toxicity risks, making them unsuitable for long-term use.
Matinas uses its proprietary lipid nanocrystal (LNC) delivery platform to deliver molecules into cells. The technology encapsulates chemical and biological payloads into phospholipids. The company says its platform can handle a range of payloads, such as nucleic acids, antisense oligonucleotides, proteins and small molecules. Matinas claims the stability of its LNC avoids the need for extreme cold chain storage temperatures. Other key features include the ability to formulate LNCs into oral drugs and a neutral composition that is less likely to elicit an immune response. These characteristics remain elusive for products delivered with adeno-associated viruses or lipid nanoparticles. In addition to oral administration, Matinas says its technology can be used for intravenous or intranasal administration. Matinas holds an exclusive worldwide license to the LNC platform from Rutgers University.
Matinas says its technology can be used to protect molecules from circulating in the body, as well as efficiently deliver them into target cells. The technology could make oral drugs currently only available in intravenous formulations, as well as safer drugs currently limited by toxicity. Matinas drug pipeline has two anti-infective small molecule drug candidates: MAT2203 is an oral version of the antifungal drug amphotericin B; MAT2501 is an oral version of an antibiotic amikacin.
Matinas technology is fulfilling its potential under different alliances. In 2019, Matinas began working with Roche subsidiary Genentech, focusing on evaluating the formulation of several of the company’s compounds using LNC technology. The initial protocol covered up to three Genentech compounds for in vitro testing. Of the two completed projects, each of the two completed projects demonstrated successful delivery of LNC-formulated small molecules and oligonucleotides into cells without attendant toxicity, Matinas said in its annual report. The agreement has been extended through 2022 and Genentech is evaluating a third proprietary compound to offer Matinas for testing. The biotech company said it expects more data from the program in 2022.
BioNTech and Matinas did not disclose many financial details about the collaboration, other than to say that Matinas will receive an upfront and exclusive access fee from BioNTech, as well as research funding. in Matinas Regulatory filing, the company said it will receive an exclusive fee of $2.75 million from BioNTech. The companies also began discussions on a licensing agreement for Matinas’ lipid nanocrystal technology.
“Achieving a robust immune response at low doses is critical for the development of well-tolerated and highly effective vaccines. This can be achieved with the right technology that enables targeted vaccine delivery,” BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said in a statement prepared statement. “Matinas’ LNC platform demonstrates encouraging intracellular delivery capabilities, including opportunities for oral delivery.”
Photos by Flickr users Marco Vichy through Creative Commons license
