Summary
- Profile Type
- Technology offer
- POD Reference
- TOGB20250723007
- Term of Validity
- 23 July 2025 - 23 July 2026
- Company's Country
- United Kingdom
- Type of partnership
- Research and development cooperation agreement
- Targeted Countries
- All countries
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General information
- Short Summary
- A British start-up company is seeking to join broader consortium for HORIZON call HLTH-2025-01-DISEASE-01 to develop inhaled phage therapies for AMR (Antimicrobial resistance)-related lung infections. The company offers a novel, high-precision single particle technology platform to characterise and optimise aerosol formulations. Research partners are sought with expertise in selecting, characterising and producing phage candidates and pre-clinical testing.
- Full Description
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The SME is keen to work with partners as part of a broader consortium bid for HORIZON call HLTH-2025-01-DISEASE-01 to develop inhaled phage therapies for AMR-related lung infections, ultimately supporting clinical trial success, regulatory readiness, and accelerated access to innovative phage-based treatments.
The company is an aerosol technology start-up, specialising in inhaled drug delivery, and has developed a novel, high-precision technology platform to characterise and optimise aerosol formulations. They combine single particle measurements with computational simulations to provide pharmaceutically meaningful insights. The technology provides detailed measurements of aerosol particle size dynamics, lung deposition modelling, and critically, phage viability assessment post-aerosolisation - essential for ensuring therapeutic efficacy.
Their platform is designed to mimic key aspects of the lung environment, providing a more physiologically relevant assessment of aerosol behaviour. It produces rich, real-time data on droplet characteristics, including size, hygroscopicity, evaporation dynamics, and phage integrity after inhalation. As these properties and dynamics influence the site of deposition of the particles and their pharmacokinetic properties, which in turn affect their biological response, this level of insight is instrumental in de-risking inhaled phage products and aligns directly with the call’s emphasis on route of administration and formulation quality.
By gaining a deeper understanding of these processes, formulations can be optimised to deliver the active pharmaceutical ingredient to necessary lung regions while maintaining or even optimising its therapeutic effect.
They are seeking to join a multi-partner consortium developing inhaled phage therapies for difficult-to-treat respiratory infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens.
The ideal consortium will include partners responsible for selecting and characterising phage candidates, optimising phage production and purification, and scaling up manufacturing processes. Additional partners will focus on pre-clinical testing, regulatory strategy, and clinical trial design.
The contribution provided by this company will support the formulation optimisation stage of this pipeline. Using only tiny amounts of each formulation, they precisely measure single aerosol particles under lung-like conditions (37°C and high humidity) to gather data on particle size, evaporation or water uptake, and structural changes such as dissolution. They then use this highly accurate data as input for computational models to predict where and how much of the drug will deposit in the lungs and how it will be absorbed by the body, forecasting its clinical performance. This enables rapid screening and optimisation of candidates, significantly reducing development timelines, costs and risk. - Advantages and Innovations
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This company offers a unique capability to characterise and optimise aerosol formulations. Their platform generates high-resolution data on droplet behaviour, lung deposition, and, critically, phage viability post-aerosolisation. These insights enable rational formulation design, supporting robust product development and regulatory readiness.
Inhaled delivery of phages is especially important for targeting bacterial infections in the respiratory tract, where local delivery allows for high concentrations of active phage at the site of infection while minimising systemic exposure. This route bypasses many of the challenges associated with oral or intravenous administration, such as clearance in the gastrointestinal tract or limited penetration into lung tissue. It also offers the potential for faster onset of action and improved patient outcomes, particularly in conditions like cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, or ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens.
However, bacteriophages, as biological entities, are particularly sensitive to formulation conditions, and the stresses and forces of inhaled delivery. Consequently, a major challenge to their use of inhaled therapeutics is the loss of phage viability during nebulisation or inhalation.
This company’s technology platform enables the rational design of robust inhaled phage formulations. By screening potential formulation compositions they aim to enhance formulation integrity and preserve biological activity. This ensures greater consistency in delivery, resulting in higher effective doses reaching the lungs and improved therapeutic outcomes. - Technical Specification or Expertise Sought
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This company is seeking to join a multi-partner consortium developing inhaled phage therapies for difficult-to-treat respiratory infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens. The proposed research aims to deliver clinically viable phage products via the pulmonary route, addressing key challenges around delivery efficiency, formulation integrity, and therapeutic consistency.
The ideal consortium will include partners responsible for selecting and characterising phage candidates, optimising phage production and purification, and scaling up manufacturing processes.
Additional partners will focus on pre-clinical testing, regulatory strategy, and clinical trial design. The contribution provided by this company will support the formulation optimisation stage of this pipeline.
Their high-resolution aerosol characterisation platform enables detailed assessment of phage formulations under realistic inhalation conditions (37oC and high humidity). This includes precise measurements of aerosol droplet size, hygroscopicity, lung deposition dynamics, and, critically, phage viability post-aerosolisation. Their technology will guide rational formulation design to maximise delivery of viable phages to targeted lung regions.
By collaborating with partners across the development chain, the consortium will address the Horizon Europe call’s emphasis on delivery route, formulation quality, dose optimisation, and translational impact. The research will establish robust, evidence-based foundations for clinical readiness and regulatory acceptance of inhaled phage therapies. - Stage of Development
- Lab tested
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being
- IPR status
- Secret know-how
Partner Sought
- Expected Role of a Partner
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The company is seeking academic, clinical, and industry partners across the UK and Europe.
Expected role & tasks of the partner: Partners will be responsible for selecting and characterising phage candidates, optimising phage production and purification, and scaling up manufacturing processes.
Additional partners will focus on pre-clinical testing, regulatory strategy, and clinical trial design. - Type and Size of Partner
- University
- Big company
- SME 11-49
- Other
- SME 50 - 249
- R&D Institution
- SME <=10
- Type of partnership
- Research and development cooperation agreement
Dissemination
- Technology keywords
- 06001018 - Virus, Virology/Antibiotics/Bacteriology
- 06001013 - Medical Technology / Biomedical Engineering
- 06001015 - Pharmaceutical Products / Drugs
- Market keywords
- 05003006 - Other therapeutic (including defibrillators)
- 05007002 - Pharmaceuticals/fine chemicals
- 05005007 - Pulmonary medicine
- 05006 - Anatomy, Pathology, Immunology, Physiology
- 05005022 - Other clinical medicine
- Sector Groups Involved
- Health
- Targeted countries
- All countries