Eurostars Granted Project "A novel generation of mRNA and lipid nanoparticles for engineered cell therapy applications" - CAPSULIX (10471)

Eurostars, a European joint programme that is part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs, co-funded from the national budgets of several EUREKA countries and by the European Union through Horizon Europe has awarded, through a highly-competitive selection process, the Project "A novel generation of mRNA and lipid nanoparticles for engineered cell therapy applications" - CAPSULIX.

The consortium composed of OZ Biosciences SAS (France), ExploRNA Therapeutics Sp. z.o.o (Poland), Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG (Germany) will deliver a novel cell-based therapy manufacturing platform to treat cancer with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) expressing T cells.

The CAR-T cells will be manufactured using a unique non-viral delivery system consisting of new cap analog-containing RNA and specific biodegradable lipid nanoparticles (LNP) formulations. The novel cell engineering platform using messenger RNA (mRNA)/LNP and self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) /LNP formulations will be implemented in a GMP-compliant, industrial manufacturing process and validated in a preclinical cancer model. The new technology for safe and economical engineering of CAR-T cell will be ready for clinical studies 24 months after completion of the project.

The total budget amounts to €1,518,766 for the 3-year programme.

"We are proud and delighted that our innovative proposal has been selected for Eurostars funding. The synergistic combination of our consortium partners' technologies has the potential to drive significant advances and deliver a breakthrough in the exciting field of cell therapy. We look forward to a fruitful collaboration and to achieving a successful outcome together," said Olivier Zelphati, CEO of OZ Biosciences.

"We are thrilled to embark on the CAPSULIX project alongside OZ Biosciences and Miltenyi Biotec. By combining our proprietary, high-yield cap analog technology with cutting-edge lipid nanoparticle formulations and advanced cellular manufacturing, we are paving the way for safer, more efficient, and highly scalable CAR-T therapies. This grant is a testament to the transformative potential of next-generation mRNA engineering in oncology, " added Prof. Jacek Jemielity, CEO of ExploRNA Therapeutics.

"This project brings together the technologies and expertise needed to open new possibilities in cell engineering. By combining our strengths, we aim to accelerate progress toward safer, more accessible cellular therapies - and ultimately bring new treatment options closer to patients," said Dr. Jürgen Schmitz, CSO & Managing Director, Miltenyi Biotec.

For more information about the project please contact Olivier Zelphati, CEO at OZ Biosciences; ozelphati@ozbiosciences.com.

About OZ Biosciences:

OZ Biosciences is a French specialized biotechnology company that creates, develops, and commercializes innovative molecular delivery systems and biochemical reagents for the global scientific community and pharmaceutical industry. Founded in 2003, the company focuses closely on drug and biomolecule delivery technologies, including transfection, transduction, lipid-, polymer- and magnetic-based nanoparticles, and mRNA therapeutics. With more than 150 products in its portfolio, OZ Biosciences offer a complete range of products for genetic engineering that includes MagnetofectionTM (magnet-assisted nucleic acids delivery), Lipofection (lipid-based), Polyfection (polymer-based), Lipid nanoparticles (LNP), RNA design and synthesis (mRNA, saRNA) and transduction boosters. Our R&D work is focused on developing technologies for genetic engineering for in vitro, ex-vivo and in vivo applications. "The company's mission is to create cutting-edge technologies that accelerate biological discoveries and shift to clinical applications. Accordingly, we are always in quest of offering state-of-the-art nucleic acid delivery technologies to enable researchers to achieve great results. This acknowledgment highlights the creativity of our technologies". France 2030The participation of OZ Biosciences in the CAPSULIX project (Eurostars project no. 10471) is supported by Bpifrance, with funding co-financed by the European Union. This project has been funded by the French State as part of France 2030.
For more information, please visit: https://ozbiosciences.com/

About ExploRNA Therapeutics:

ExploRNA Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing state-of-the-art mRNA capping technologies and platforms to enable the next generation of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics. Spun out from the University of Warsaw and led by a team of leading scientists with decades of expertise in mRNA biochemistry, ExploRNA specializes in novel cap analogs that maximize translation efficiency and therapeutic protein expression. The company partners globally to advance breakthrough therapeutic programs and GMP manufacturing solutions that address unmet medical needs.
For more information, please visit: https://explorna.com/

About Miltenyi Biotec:

Miltenyi Biotec is a global leader in innovating technologies and services for patient-specific cell and gene therapies, turning scientific discoveries into practical treatments for personalized medicine. Having pioneered a groundbreaking method of cell separation, Miltenyi Biotec continues to set industry standards today. With over 35 years of expertise, it supports customers in biomedical discoveries, translating them into clinical applications to enable access to new therapies for patients. Miltenyi Biotec focuses on providing integrated, advanced solutions to address complex challenges in the treatment of cancers, autoimmune diseases, and inherited disorders. Miltenyi Biotec is headquartered in Bergisch Gladbach and has a global team of over 4,500 employees across 24 countries.
For more information, please visit: https://www.miltenyibiotec.com/

OZ Biosciences SAS
163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288, FRANCE
https://ozbiosciences.com/
contact@ozbiosciences.com

OZ Biosciences is a product development company that creates, develops and commercializes delivery systems of bioactive materials (DNA, siRNA, proteins, antibodies...), intended for the worldwide scientific community and pharmaceutical industries. Our mission is to assist scientists to accelerate the rhythm of discoveries by offering them technologically advanced tools such as transfection reagents and other life science research products. Principal innovations are based on proprietary technologies such as Magnetofection (magnetic-assisted transfection or infection), Magneto-Biolistic, transfection reagents, transduction tools, mRNA and lipids-based delivery systems (LNP). Specialized and expert in drug delivery systems, we also provide custom transfection, mRNA and LNP services and are involved in many international research projects.

This release was published on openPR.