The Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON) has launched The Nanotherapeutics Hub, based at the University of Liverpool in the UK, part of Liverpool’s Centre of Excellence for Long-acting Therapeutics (CELT). The agreement will see The Nanotherapeutics Hub work with iiCON to support companies looking to develop nanotherapeutics to combat infectious diseases and access the nanomedicine market, expected to be worth US$169 billion by 2026.
Led by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and backed by UKRI’s Strength in Places Fund (SIPF), iiCON is revitalising the UK’s infectious diseases product pipeline. The consortium supports industry in bringing new therapeutics and products to market in response to the growing global threat of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The Nanotherapeutics Hub will support companies by providing advanced analytical capabilities and expertise on biocompatibility, biodistribution and pharmacokinetics, physical and chemical characterisation, and the development of better models to improve therapeutic delivery to the biological target site whilst ensuring patient safety. It will also provide links to other UK partner organisations such as the National Measurement Laboratory at LGC, Medicines Discovery Catapult and the Centre for Process Innovation.
Professor Janet Hemingway, who leads the Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON), said: “Nanomedicine is an extremely exciting field that is improving the performance and efficacy of existing drugs and treatments. It is also enabling the development of innovative therapeutic pathways and is a key weapon in our battle to tackle infectious diseases and combat antibiotic resistance.”
Dr Neill Liptrott, coordinator of the Nanotherapeutics Hub, said: “Using our expertise, we are determining critical quality attributes for nanotherapeutics to assist in future rational design of advanced materials. This is supported by our partnership with the National Measurement Laboratory and our links into national, and international, activities. We look forward to being part of iiCON and supporting the partners in their efforts to combat existing, and emerging, infectious diseases.”
Core iiCON partners in this UK infectious diseases R&D initiative are LSTM, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Unilever UK, the University of Liverpool, Infex Therapeutics, Evotec and the AMR Centre at Alderley Park who interact with a broader network of organisations to produce a vibrant infection R&D ecosystem in the North West of the country.
