Pfizer and Acuitas Therapeutics Collaborate on Lipid Nanoparticle Delivery System

Pfizer and Acuitas Therapeutics, a company focused on developing lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery systems to enable messenger RNA (mRNA)-based therapeutics, have entered into a development and option agreement under which Pfizer will have the option to license, on a non-exclusive basis, Acuitas’ LNP technology for up to 10 targets for vaccine or therapeutic development, the companies announced in a Jan. 10, 2022 press release. Acuitas’ clinically-validated LNP technology is used in COMIRNATY, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

“Our swift delivery of the world’s first mRNA-LNP-based vaccine made clear the promise of mRNA-LNP technology,” said Mikael Dolsten, chief scientific officer and president, worldwide research, development, and medical of Pfizer, in the press release. “We are making significant investments to harness the power of the mRNA-LNP technology and deliver potential new breakthrough vaccines and therapeutics that address significant unmet needs for patients. This agreement expands our LNP capabilities and allows us to explore more projects within our existing vaccines area and new therapeutic areas where mRNA-LNP technology holds potential for success.”