Nanite

Nanite, Inc. is a non-viral gene delivery company developing a new class of programmable polymer nanoparticles (PNPs) for a range of modalities and indications. The company's proprietary AI-driven platform, SAYER, combines automated polymer synthesis, high-throughput in vivo screening, and machine learning to design fit-for-purpose delivery vehicles capable of delivering a broad range of genetic cargoes with tissue specificity. Nanite's PNPs offer several advantages over traditional viral vectors and lipid nanoparticles, including higher payload capacity, reduced immunogenicity, enhanced stability, and tunability for targeted delivery.

Nanite's approach involves exploring the vast chemical space of polymers to identify compositions that can effectively transport genetic materials, such as mRNA, gene editors (e.g., CRISPR/Cas9), and entire genes, to specific tissues in the body. The SAYER platform generates a large corpus of data on polymer-cargo interactions and biodistribution, which is then used to train machine learning models to predict optimal polymer designs for desired delivery requirements.

In March 2023, Nanite announced the closing of a USD 6 million seed investment round led by Zetta Venture Partners and Arkitekt Ventures. The company has also secured partnerships and funding from patient advocacy groups, including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Research Foundation, to develop PNP delivery systems for genetic therapies targeting the lungs and peripheral nervous system, respectively.

Key customers and partnerships

In March 2024, Nanite announced a strategic collaboration with SalioGen Therapeutics to develop a lung-targeting polymer nanoparticle designed to integrate the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene directly into lung cells using SalioGen's Gene Coding technology. This collaboration aims to create a non-viral genetic medicine for cystic fibrosis, delivered directly to the lungs, potentially providing a permanent therapy for patients regardless of their specific CFTR mutation.

In May 2024, Nanite received a USD 1.8 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to design and optimize polymeric delivery vehicles for DNA-encoded therapeutics. The project aims to develop a system that can durably produce therapeutic antibodies in vivo, potentially representing a significant breakthrough in HIV management, particularly in underserved populations with limited access to medical care.