Dear Nano-Bio-Medicine Community,
You are invited to the first HUJI Nano Center - NANO-MED meeting of 2025 -
16/2/2025, at 11:45 AM in the Los Angeles Building seminar Hall (Chemistry), Givat Ram Campus.
This time, we will gather to learn about the research of two new members of the Nano community. We will also host representatives from Nanocarry Therapeutics, a company developing a Nanotechnology platform for delivering molecules to the brain for medical purposes.
The schedule: (abstracts are listed below)
11:45 - Arrival and refreshments
12:00 - Opening remarks
12:05 - Lecture by Dr. Or Shemesh, "Genetically Encoded Nanoparticles Synthesized Intracellularly"
12:25 - Lecture by Dr. Mohammad Mahamid, "Engineering Genetic Modulators to Strengthen Cell Adhesion and Combat Metastasis"
12:45 - Lecture by Nanocarry Therapeutics – Dr. Revital Mandil Levin, CEO and Co-founder, "The Utilization of a Novel Bioengineered Brain Delivery Nanoplatform for the Treatment of Breast Cancer Brain Metastases"
13:15-14:00 - Networking, Q&A with speakers, and light lunch.
Participation is highly recommended for researchers in the fields of exact sciences and life sciences who wish to enhance their research using nanotechnology tools for academic, clinical, and commercial applications.
Register HERE: https://forms.gle/EBMSt3sNUKKXZ5cs6
For more information: zvi.yaari@mail.huji.ac.il , katy.margulis@mail.huji.ac.il
Talk abstracts:
12:05 Dr. Or Shemesh
Genetically Encoded Nanoparticles Synthesized Intracellularly
Metal nanoparticles are being tested for tumor imaging, radiotherapy, and hyperthermia. However, their application in living specimens is limited because they often fail to reach the target cell or desired subcellular organelle, leading to insufficient efficacy and safety concerns. Sophisticated chemical coatings and targeting aids, such as vesicles and antibodies, provide only a partial solution, as they either increase off-target activity or hinder the clinical function of the nanoparticles. To overcome these challenges, we developed nanoparticles using the cells' own genetic machinery. We expressed genes that lead to the formation of metal nanoparticles (such as gold). We are testing the hypothesis that creating these Genetically Encoded Nanoparticles Synthesized Intracellularly (GENSI) can result in high-efficacy cancer therapy, with anticipated applications across various cancer types. In my talk, I will show how we optimized the formation of GENSIs in cancer cell cultures and confirmed the formation of metal GENSIs through optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and elemental analysis (EDX). We anticipate tumor-cell photo-thermal killing by expressing GENSIs in cancer cell lines and exposing them to laser light. These studies will unlock the immense potential of genetically encoded nanoparticles for cancer treatment and diagnostic applications.
12:25 Dr. Mohammad Mahamid
Engineering Genetic Modulators to Strengthen Cell Adhesion and Combat Metastasis
Metastasis, the spread of cancer cells to distant organs, is a hallmark of malignancy. For cancer cells to metastasize, they must first detach from the primary tumor, migrate, and establish secondary growths in distant tissues. As detachment is a crucial and early step in metastasis, it is unsurprising that cell adhesion molecules play a pivotal role in the metastatic process. Here, we succeeded in engineering and characterizing synthetic genetic elements that enhance cell-cell adhesion in epithelial-derived cancers for combating metastasis. By rational design of targeted open-reading frames following a high-throughput screening, we have identified a synthetic gene that significantly strengthens cell-cell contact and reduces metastasis in vitro. Optimizing this candidate and unraveling its underlying mechanism may pave the way for novel cancer therapies aimed at inhibiting metastasis.
12:45 Nanocarry Therapeutics – Dr. Revital Mandil Levin, CEO and Co-founder
Biologic therapeutics, such as monoclonal antibodies, have transformed modern medicine, providing effective treatments for diseases ranging from cancer to autoimmune diseases. However, their application to central nervous system (CNS) disorders has been hindered by their inability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), leaving over 450 million CNS disease patients without access to these innovative therapies.
Nanocarry Therapeutics is a biopharma company dedicated to addressing the critical unmet need of delivering therapeutic antibodies to the brain through its non-invasive Axs Nanopaltform. The AxS Nanoplatform utilizes insulin as a brain shuttle, which is proprietarily engineered and integrated with gold nanoparticles, forming a universal and customizable brain delivery system. This system can co-deliver multiple antibodies and small molecules, enabling the creation of multifunctional drug candidates with unprecedented efficacy.
Preclinical studies demonstrate that the AxS Nanoplatform enhances brain delivery of therapeutic antibodies and small molecules by 10 and30 fold in healthy and disease models, respectively. The platform also improves biodistribution, targets deep brain regions, enhances drug stability, reduces off-target effects, and exhibits an excellent safety profile.
Nanocarry’s lead product, AxS007, combines trastuzumab and pertuzumab, the gold-standard therapies for HER2-positive breast cancer, to address breast cancer brain metastases. AxS007 has shown complete peripheral tumor eradication, high brain penetration with intact BBB, and remarkable accumulation and efficacy in treating brain metastases in HER2-positive xenograft models. Currently in preclinical development, AxS007 is poised to enter First-in-Man studies within 12–18 months.
The AxS Nanoplatform represents a transformative advancement in CNS therapeutics, offering a novel class of drugs that combine therapeutic antibodies and small molecules to effectively target previously untreatable CNS diseases.
About the company: Nanocarry is developing a new class of drugs for the treatment of brain diseases. The company’s AxS technology leverages insulin-based nanoplatform to cross the restrictive blood-brain-barrier which prevents most therapeutics from reaching the brain. The platform enables the delivery of multiple copies and combinations of antibodies, small molecules, and other therapeutics to the brain, targeting a wide range of central nervous system disorders.
The company’s lead product, AxS007, for treatment of breast cancer brain metastases, is entering IND-enabling studies with the aim to commence first-in-human studies within 12-18 months. In addition, the company has also initiated an early program in additional CNS indications.
The company was founded in 2021 and raised ~$9M to date from NfX, Sapir Venture, the Israeli Innovation Authority (IIA), and private investors.