Coya Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, secured an option agreement in June 2022 for exclusive worldwide rights to a novel technology platform from Carnegie Mellon University. The technology platform enables exosome engineering.

The agreement will grant Coya intellectual property rights to the research, development, and manufacturing of exosome-polymer hybrids (EPHs), according to a June 15, 2022 press release. The company will use a tether-based exosome strategy that enables regulatory T-cells (Tregs) exosomes to be homed to proteins of interest while delivering select payloads into the targeted cells.

According to the release, the use of EPHs differs from traditional techniques that modify exosomes via complex molecular biology tools or degradation of exosomes’ innate functionality; EPHs overcome these limitations by modifying exosomes with a DNA-cholesterol tether. By leveraging single stranded synthetic DNA with attached cholesterol, this approach binds a complementary strand of DNA to a bioactive agent. Ultimately, this allows a number of different types of cargos to be attached to the exosome surface while also tethering immune modulating cargos inside the exosome.

“This collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University further solidifies Coya’s thought leadership in the global exosome therapeutics field, beyond Treg-derived exosomes alone,” said Howard Berman, CEO, Coya Therapeutics, in the press release. “Nanoengineering exosomes with such manufacturing efficiency to produce EPHs that can be customized to any surface protein, delivering growth factors or drugs, while enhancing cellular uptake and bioactivity is the future of targeted therapies.”

Source: Carnegie Mellon University