Injectable nanoparticles to fight heart and neuromuscular diseases
PoliRNA developed a more effective and safer ‘vehicle’ for delivering RNA molecules in advanced tissue therapies, enabling a better treatment of the effects of particular diseases, first and foremost myocardial infarction. The startup is now looking for partners to grow in the market by developing this technology, born in Politecnico’s laboratories.
"We are specialized in the design and development of innovative nanoparticles tailored for the safe, efficient and targeted delivery of RNA molecules – comments Letizia Nicoletti, CEO-Chief Executive Officer of PoliRNA and post-doctoral researcher, supported by the Umberto Veronesi Foundation, of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering-DIMEAS at Politecnico – Our company was founded in February 2024 and, based on our experience in nanosystems, we are proposing a new RNA therapy strategy that is capable of achieving selective action at the cardiac tissue level. This technology was initially developed as part of the BIORECAR project coordinated by Politecnico di Torino and funded by the European Research Council. Thanks to this versatility of the technology, we explored the possibility of exploiting it in other sectors and clinical areas, in particular for the treatment of Kennedy's disease, a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder that mainly affects men".
PoliRNA technology – which has also been patented (Italian Patent No. 102021000032393: Method for the preparation of hybrid polymeric nanoparticles for the release of oligonucleotide drugs in drug therapies for regenerative, curative and preventive purposes -extensions pending for other countries) – makes RNA therapies safer and more effective by delivering the drug more precisely and safely to the target organ or tissue.
What PoliRNA has achieved is the result of approximately 20 years of research and experimentation in tissue engineering and nanomedicine, explains Valeria Chiono, professor at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering-DIMEAS and CTO (Chief Technology Officer) at PoliRNA, who adds: “We have developed a platform of hybrid nanoparticles consisting of both lipid and polymeric materials. These particles have advantages over traditional lipid nanoparticles because they are more stable and release RNA in a more controlled and precise manner".
PoliRNA gained several awards, notably within the EIT Health Catapult program, a leading European platform that supports the most promising start-ups in the field of health technology and life sciences in Europe. PoliRNA also received the “AstraZeneca Industry Prize”, a special award presented by AstraZeneca, an industrial partner and sponsor of the program, which gave the start-up access to a personalised mentoring program led by industry experts, with the opportunity to explore prospective collaborations.
The search for partners and supporters is PoliRNA's current objective. Giovanni Paolo Stola, biomedical engineer and CSO-Chief Sales Officer at PoliRNA, emphasises: "We are looking for collaborations, both in scientific terms and in terms of investment, with research centers and companies that develop RNA drugs in order to continue the experimentation we have started".
PoliRNA has two main goals: to co-develop the methodology with pharmaceutical and biomedical companies and to establish partnerships with other companies that have similar drug delivery technologies.