Inside Therapeutics raises €1.3M to accelerate patient access to RNA therapies
Published: 20th of June 2024
Inside Therapeutics has raised €1.3 million in a seed fundraising round backed by investors such as Newfund Heka, Newfund NAEH, Skalepark, and business angels, aiming to scale its proprietary RNA encapsulation technology in lipid nanoparticles. The funding will accelerate commercialization and the industrial roll-out of its TAMARA and upcoming NanoPulse platforms to facilitate broader patient access to next-generation RNA therapies
Inside Therapeutics, a company that designs, develops and markets systems for encapsulating RNA for therapeutic purposes in lipid nanoparticles, has raised €1.3 million from Newfund Heka, Newfund NAEH, Skalepark and business angels. The first round of financing was carried out with the support of the ADI NA (Agence de Développement et d’Innovation de Nouvelle-Aquitaine) fund-raising department.
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) protect and deliver molecules of interest to target cells. These advanced nanovectors can also help cross certain physiological barriers and specifically target certain organs, such as the brain. Their use for delivering RNA therapeutic emerged in the 2010s and was brought to the spotlight by the success of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccines. This method offers significant advantages: precise cell targeting, enhanced therapeutic effects, and reduced adverse effects. However, current nanoparticle manufacturing technologies fall short of covering all stages of nanomedicine development, from early, low-volume preclinical phases to large-scale, GMP-compliant production. This limitation significantly hinders the development and commercialization of these innovative therapies.
Inside Therapeutics has developed a proprietary technology for encapsulating RNA in lipid nanoparticles, making RNA encapsulation more efficient and covering all stages of drug development with a single method. This ensures consistent production of identical nanoparticles throughout the process and therefore saves time and reduces the risk of failure for industry stakeholders.
“Our first TAMARA nanoparticle formulation system meets the R&D challenges of public and private laboratories working on the development of “mRNA candidate” therapies. Our NANOPULSE technology enables nanomedicine manufacturing to be scaled up, from the early stages of drug candidate development through to clinical trials and large-scale manufacturing of RNA therapies”
Thomas Guerinier – CEO, Inside Therapeutics
With more than thirty customers worldwide, this round of funding will help us further position our solutions in universities, biotech and pharmaceutical companies, particularly in the USA, helping to accelerate the development of their candidate RNA therapies. The company plans to recruit approximately ten employees over the next 18 months.
Inside Therapeutics already has the support of key players in France’s biomanufacturing ecosystem:
“We are delighted to welcome Inside Tx as a member of France BioLead, and to see how attractive the biomanufacturing of mRNA therapies is to investment funds”
Laurent Lafferère – CEO, France Biolead
The next step for Inside Therapeutics is to industrialize its proprietary NanoPulse technology for encapsulating RNA in lipid nanoparticles. This technology should accelerate the development of the several hundred RNA therapies currently being worked on by numerous biotech and pharmaceutical companies. This will facilitate access to revolutionary RNA therapies for patients suffering from infectious diseases, cancers or rare diseases.
“The maturity of the Inside Tx project, as well as that of the founders, is impressive! In a short space of time, the team has transformed a research project into a high value-added product, marketed worldwide. The solutions offered by Inside Tx meet the new challenges of the pharmaceutical industry and are part of a fast-growing market! We are therefore very proud to have completed our 17th investment, and to be able to support them in the challenges ahead!“
Yvan Cantou – SkalePark
“We are proud to have a diverse and robust panel of investors supporting us: Newfund’s strength, its roots in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region through the Newfund Naeh fund, and its national and US visibility with Newfund Heka, are great assets for the success of our project. We are also backed by Skalepark, business angels, and our long-standing investor, Microfluidic Innovation Center, as part of this strategic financing round“
Founded in July 2022, Inside Therapeutics designs, develops and markets systems for encapsulating therapeutic molecules such as RNA in lipid nanoparticles. Once synthesized, these nanoparticles are injected into humans, carrying the molecule to the target cells. In addition to RNA vaccines against infectious diseases such as Covid, applications for this technology include cancers and rare genetic diseases. Inside Tx’s aim is to accelerate patient access to RNA therapies, a true revolution in healthcare.
