Medlab Clinical’s NanoCelle technology is changing the way medicine is delivered for better patient outcomes. So, what exactly is NanoCelle and how is it set to improve medicine delivery? 

Ensuring the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) of medicines is effectively delivered and absorbed by the human body has been a major challenge throughout medical history.

In a traditional pill, around 80-90% of the API is lost through digestion but Aussie biotech Medlab Clinical (ASX:MDC) has a market-ready solution.

 

Power in shrinking

Remember the Matt Damon movie Downsizing, where his character is shrunk down in a process designed to address overpopulation and global warming problems?

Well, NanoCelle is a chemical shrinking process too where the molecular size of the API is reduced to the nanoscale.

A NanoCelle enhanced particle is 200 times smaller than a red blood cell, which is ~7.5 to 8.7 μm (micron) in diameter and ~1.7 to 2.2 μm in thickness.

Putting in further perspective a micron is one-thousandth of a millimetre.

The tiny NanoCelle enhanced particle enables faster, more effective delivery of medicinal payloads throughout the body, without the need for needles or pills.

 

Superior bioavailability and less side effects

NanoCelle-enhanced medicines have been clinically proven to have superior bioavailability over other drug delivery methods at equivalent doses, and are also ideal for those with difficulty swallowing, injecting or with gastro-intestinal complications.

Continuing our pharmacy 101 tutorial bioavailability is the rate and extent to which the active constituent or moiety of a drug is absorbed from a drug product and reaches circulation.

Active constituent or moiety is the part of a substance or compound producing its chemical or biological effect.

NanoCelle-enhanced medicines can be applied as a spray inside the cheek, under the tongue, as a nasal spray, a lotion, or a skin patch.

As mentioned in a traditional pill, around 80-90% of the API is lost through digestion but in bypassing the gut and liver, less ingredient is required to reach the desired target.

A small 15-30ml bottle of a NanoCelle medicine can represent around a month’s supply for a patient.

Another upside of requiring less NanoCelle-enhanced medicine than traditional delivery is fewer side effects and toxicity plus more rapid absorption by the body.

Medicines that would traditionally take up to an hour to take effect do so within a few minutes.

 

Easily adoptable tech

The patented NanoCelle process adds just three additional chemistry steps to existing pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.

Furthermore, no additional equipment beyond what would already be found in a modern liquid pharmaceutical manufacturing facility is required.

Its ease of adoptability makes NanoCelle enhancement highly scalable and very cost effective. Thousands of litres of liquid NanoCelle-enhanced medicines can be manufactured every few hours.

The NanoCelle process can also make many common lipid or oil-based medicinal compounds water soluble by encasing the lipid-soluble drug payloads in an outer water-friendly shell at the nanoscale level.

Consequently, NanoCelle creates a stable-at-room-temperature solution where delivery of both water and lipid-soluble medicines and vaccines is optimised, with greatly reduced transport and storage temperature requirements.

 

Bullseye delivery for optimal effectiveness

Think of NanoCelle particles as good marksmen who can provide precision-targeted delivery by releasing medicinal payloads in response to specific conditions.

Once a specific biological condition is detected, NanoCelle particles (marksmen) can be programmed to release the drug payload where it can most effectively reach its cellular target.

NanoCelle particles can be designed to release payloads in response to multiple specific chemical, physical or biological triggers.

Release triggers can range from pH, temperature, ionic strength, enzyme activity, targeted tissue location, and cell populations.

 

Game-changer for patients and pharmaceutical developers

NanoCelle is patent-protected in all Western territories and has already been used to deliver more than 350,000 doses safely and effectively to Australian patients.

Medlab, whose shareholders overwhelmingly voted on July 28 in favour for a dual Nasdaq listing, currently has three Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) approved products that use NanoCelle.

NanoCelle D3, NanoCelle Activated B12, NanoCelle D3+K2 are available for consumer purchase.

Phase 3 clinical trials for a cannabis based-pain medication, NanaBis, are due to start soon. NanaBis is currently available for Australian patients under the Special Access Scheme (SAS).

The NanoCelle tech underpins Medlab’s current products and research, such as cannabinoid programs for pain and stress (NanaBis and NanoCBD) and the Australian government sponsored mRNA Covid nasal vaccine research.

However, the tech can be easily applied to a huge number of existing and new medicines.

Proof of concept has been shown for a needle-free NanoCelle nasal spray for insulin, and for enhancement of generic drugs such as statins (cholesterol) and loratadine (antihistamines).

In essence, NanoCelle has potential to replace injections, rejuvenate existing medicines, improve delivery and effectiveness of new drugs and vaccines.

 

This article was developed in collaboration with Medlab Clinical, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.