Seeking Pulse-release Drug Delivery Platforms

A global health company is seeking one-dose administration pulse-release drug delivery platforms for vaccines and biologics. Specifically, the team is seeking platforms that produce an initial burst release, followed by a second programmed burst release that occurs 2-4 weeks following administration. The platform should have a favourable safety data package including residual and site reactions after the administration and release. The team is interested in materials and formulations, provided the platform can deliver a reproducible, tunable second pulse in this timeframe while maintaining biologic integrity and potency. 

Approaches of Interest:

• The delivery platform should be compatible with whole organism proteins and peptides or RNA/ DNA. Compatibility with adjuvants is also sought. 
• The platform should be able to be used in subcutaneous, intramuscular, and in ovo formulation.
• The stability of the formulation should maintain activity of the biologic, including minimizing aggregation and denaturation and addressing potential acidic microclimates caused by polymers. 
• The formulation components should be attainable from commercial sources. 
• Ideally, materials used for manufacturing of drug product should be regulatory approved with established toxicity profile. Solutions with novel materials are also sought. 
• The formulation should be manufactured via a scalable process and sterile/aseptic path, with acceptable excipients and reasonable cost of goods across animal health applications. 
• Formulations should be capable of thoroughly characterized, especially the quantification of biological active components. 
• If unique device for application is required, please provide details. 

Out of Scope:

• Formulations that include materials from animal origin. 
• Patch formulations or solutions that require large or expensive equipment to trigger the second pulse. 

Developmental Stages of Interest:

• Opportunities should have in vitro and in vivo data demonstrating pulse timing in the 2-4 weeks window. Encouraged to have animal data. 

Submission Information and Opportunity for Collaboration

Submission of one-page, 200–300-word briefs is encouraged, along with any optional supplementary information e.g. relevant publications. Submissions should also include IP information, if available, including a summary of patents (granted or pending), filing jurisdictions. This campaign is open to submissions from SMEs and start-up companies. In submitting to this campaign, you confirm that your submission contains only non-confidential information. 

Our client is open to a range of collaboration opportunities, with the most appropriate outcome being decided on a case-by-case basis. Example outcomes include licensing assets and research collaborations.