Indian startup - CYGENICA is leading in building World’s safest therapeutic delivery system.
Therapeutic drug delivery systems handle a challenging task of transferring cancer drugs, genes or RNA, across cell membranes without causing immune reaction or cell damage. In Pharmaceutical Industry, there are only a few startups that redefines how the drugs are transfered across the cell membrane to reach inside the infected cells. However, a number of cancer drugs and chemotherapy do cause adverse side effects. CYGENICA, a pune based biotech start up aims tobuild the World’s safest therapeutic drug delivery system as an alternative for Chemotherapy. It is building the world’s safest drug delivery system that overcomes these factors.
Let’s talk about “CYGENICA, the origin and development.”
Background for the Solution
After Cancer diagnosis, Chemotheraphy is the dominant treatment method prescribed for cancers. Chemotheraphy and drugs do a lot more than just kill the actively growing cells(cancer cells) in the system. This set of side effects are widely known as CARPET BOMBING which refers to the destruction of the healthy cells along with the cancer cells causing severe side effects like Balding/hair loss, anemia, chemo brain and many other peripheral dysfunctions.
“CyGenica’s main goal is to develop the world’s safest molecular carrier. That is it in one line.”, says Dr Nusrat J M Sanghamitra, Founder and CEO at CyGenica.
Dr Nusrat J M Sanghamitra, Founder and CEO at CyGenica felt the need to create a better cancer treatment with fewer side effects because she had been working on the same issue throughout her doctoral studies. After Nusrat’s father suffered prostate cancer, she reinforced her belief.
Dr Nusrat synthesized and patented an efficient, in-vivo and in-vitro therapeutic delivery system — GEENIE, a non-toxic drug-delivery service with high precision and other nanotechnology based molecular cargos, she aims to improve cancer patient’s quality of life.
Previously, she worked on organometallics (molecules which contain a carbon-metal bond) and some copper phosphine complexes, which she thought could make water-soluble compounds, as a replacement for cisplatin. It was a naive idea which she realized at the end of her PhD as the molecules she synthesized showed very good activity in vitro(in the cell lines), but in vivo(in a functional model) in mice, they were very toxic.
The disappointment led her to understand the phenomena of drug delivery inside of cells and the mechanism of action of the cancer drugs in a cellular system. She switched her studies from chemistry to protein engineering trying to explore proteins and protein folding. She went on to study Biology during her post doctorate from TIFR, then went on as a medical fellow to Leiden.
“Out of serendipity, I met a professor from Kyoto University who wanted a chemist to do biology. I accepted that because I felt that fits my puzzle because I knew how to synthesize new molecules, or I had an idea of synthetic chemistry.” exclaims Dr. Nusrat.
In Japanese culture, an idea exists that if one includes various people from different disciplines, the new science comes up. So that is why they didn’t want a biologist to do biology. Rather, they wanted a chemist to do biology.
“I understood the drug targets, but I didn’t know what was happening inside the cell. So that’s why I took that position. I discovered a molecule or the engineered protein that I found is entering the cells. That was the moment that I felt that if something is going through to the cell, maybe this is what I need.”
So instead of synthesizing a new molecule she used this molecule to deliver the drugs effectively to the target side, which makes cancer drugs safer and better.
SEED FUNDING
For 4 years, Dr. Nusrat further investigated the fundamental aspects of the molecule based on drug delivery. After returning to India, she received Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council -BIRAC BIG grant(2016) as an individual researcher to develop proof of concept in 18 months.
During the course of research, she had applied for “RebelBio” 2017, a Cork-based life sciences start-up accelerator programme in Ireland, which was being conducted by SOSV, a global venture capital and investment management firm. Being elected as one of the 15 shortlisted start-ups world over, she was invited to attend the event at Cork in Ireland for the residential four-month accelerator programme.
To nominate their research under the accelerator programme they had to be Irish company/start-up so they formed Cyca Oncosolutions which was later renamed CyGenica. Alongside workshops, pitch trainings and lectures, we also had to prove our research at the lab there.
“I realized that in drug discovery and delivery, it was challenging to raise private investment in India. Our Indian ecosystem does not understand this space.” Dr Nusrat explained.
She eventually also got enrolled under “NEW FRONTIER”, which is also a three phased Irish government programme that took eight months to complete.
CO FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
On her return to India, as her work progressed, she needed a lab space and equipment on daily basis. She chose Pune as their base to the establishment and started from 2018. She had remained as a single founder until 2020. Dr. S K Fazlul Haque Krishnan joined as the Co founder & Director-Operations to the team.
Dr. Fazlul ensures the execution of key policies, strategies, milestones, operational management at Cygenica. Being a healthcare management professional and Dr. Nusrat’s brother, he brings in 15 years of expertise in managing high value funds and implementing health policies in various national and international organizations like Nutrition International, Save the Children, Digital Green and UNICEF.
TRANSITION FROM ACADEMIA TO ENTREPRENEUR
“The transition from academia to entrepreneurship did not happen the conventional way.” says Dr.Nusrat.
Before getting the BIG grant, she was not very convinced that she wanted to join an academic position, as it was a slower process and was not giving her adequate gratification. Back in 2012, when she was in Japan, she happened to listen to a lecture of Steve jobs delivered at Stanford University.
“Every day, you have to ask yourself the question that if this is the last day of your life, would you really be doing the same thing that you do today? And if the answer is no, then change it.” quoted Dr. Nusrat from Steve jobs words.
When she asked herself this question, she realized she would not be doing it and also that if she continues her postdoc or researcher or faculty position she might lose the opportunity of making the product/making difference in people’s life. This became her driving force where she got very inclined to doing something which impacts people’s lives and makes a difference. This gratification she could not attain in academic path so she took a break for almost a year and a half to volunteer students. Finally when the BIRAC BIG grant scheme was announced she felt it was a good opportunity to prove her idea/product.
Even then she did not have a start-up or an understanding on start-up functioning. But in 2017, when she proved the hypothesis they got into the “RebelBio” accelerator program in Ireland. This programmed needed a company/ start-up in order for the idea to be registered under the programme. So that’s how she formed the company Cygenica from academia.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
CyGenica creates in vitro and in vivo medication, gene editing component, and antibiotic delivery systems using a non-viral, non-toxic platform. The cellular membrane of the target cell continues to be the most important factor in the distribution of big molecules inside cells, particularly for gene therapy.
This biological barrier has a double-edged effect: while it stops infectious organisms from penetrating our bodies and spreading disease, it also limits the effective use of cutting-edge therapeutic technology and life-saving medications. Successful therapeutic transport into target cells and organelles would lessen undesirable “off target” adverse effects and lower the dosage needed.
Cygenica ‘s Delivery strategy
While the therapeutic strategy of has 3 critical steps of approaching the target cell(as given in the above picture), it happens and strives to be termed as the world’s safest molecular carrier for therapeutics delivery termed as GEENIE.
KEY FEATURES OF GEENIE
- it is a negatively charged protein molecule that effectively transfers small and big biomolecules and small oligonucleotides across the cellular membrane of different cell types.
- delivers biomolecules with functional properties, such as proteins and nucleotides.
- deliver to certain cell types (such HER2+ expressing cells) and intracellular destinations (like the nucleus) with preference.
- Low immunogenicity and Non-Toxic.
PATENTS
Despite not having any information on patents, Dr. Nusrat had applied for their first patent in 2017. With some preliminary data in hand, they filed to get a priority in their name with a time of one year to submit the remaining data.
With a lot of data at the year end the team submitted 2 Patent Cooperation treaty(PCT). One PCT is in a national phase, other PCT is in a public domain expected to enter national phase soon in seven countries. She explains how the time resource can be used upto its maximum but filing patents on the right time.
“To file a patent, one should have a strong hypothesis and a strong conviction on the product” says Dr. Nusrat.
REGULATIONS AND COMPLIANCE
Since the product of cygenica is a molecular drug delivery system and not a new drug, it will be a new formulation of existing drugs for existing genome-editing molecules. It is not a drug, but the new formulation will be treated as a drug by the FDA whose processing is very long. The team had to compete on the preclinical trials, and it will go for clinical trials. The phases are a much longer process than any other kind of startup source work. As they are still in the preclinical phase, they still have time to approach regulatory people, to go for clinical trials.
GEENIE not being a single drug or a product the team needs strategic drug model partnerships to go on a clinical trials on specific disease areas. But it is still termed important by the founder to talk to regulatory consultants or people who are in the regulatory area or read about it and what the needs are to avoid problems at a later stage.
MENTORS AND NETWORKING
Cygenica is developing strategies to include more people to their network. Pharmaceutical companies being their target clients, needed connecting and networking. In order to acquire her first five target company contacts, the founder left no stone unturned. She would mail multiple client offices, reception staff and Business development managers for collaborations. Company executives, mails and calls to Linkedin connections, top executives, mentors network and recommendation will get through in certain ways.
Conferences are one place where you could get one-to-one conversations. In the founder’s case she happened to win a scholarship in London 2020 to attend a conference where she could meet 6 top executives for 30 minute meetings which was helpful.
Mentors were usually assigned from the programs as per the background and requirements of the startup in every programme Cygenica team attended like New Frontiers program in Ireland, Leaders in Innovation fellowship by the Royal Academy of Engineering, London. Excluding them Bill Liao, Founder of RebelBio and Dr. Satya Prakash Dash, Head of strategy at Cygenica are main mentors throughout the journey.
SOURCES OF FUNDING
Taking an unusual path, Dr. Nusrat has not looked for funding so far, but she admits it is a mistake. And she also advises to never stop fundraising.
In the beginning, she got the BIG grant and then she got into the level five accelerator program which was 100k, not a grant. It is an equity-based convertible loan. Later, she also got selected for the top 5 Startups for follow up funding. After a series of interviews she also received a petroleum startup grant.
“For grants and investors, we need to do an extensive search to find out and identify who would be the right fit for your work or your company because not every investor or investment fund is suitable for our area of research. The investors look for the technology and the team. A winning team is more important because even if technology fails, they can make it work with alternative methods. Market Value, the idea and market potential are all key things that investors look for in a startup.” concludes Dr. Nusrat.
ROADBLOCKS AND CHALLENGES
Dr. Nusrat says, “The first challenge is being in an interdisciplinary domain, understanding and working with chemistry, molecular biology, cell biology and molecular imaging.
Finding a Lab space with High end equipments with high investment was a major problem. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they could not progress on anything without the experiments. They could not raise funds also not spared of expenses for research.
“Good innovations come from hugely depend on the external Infrastructure.” she says suggesting that more help is needed from the government.”
Being a single founder herself, Dr. Nusrat says building a good team with expertise in high end domains is difficult. Huge sums of pay scales are rendered to such experts in team which could be hard for a startup that runs entirely on funding. Retaining experts who invest their time and skill is also a challenge as it is not a 9-to-5 commitment for them.
AWARDS / RECOGNITIONS
With a number of rewards and recognitions, she aims high on globally establishing Cygenica simultaneously building new technologies such as Genome Editing agents, non-toxic cell labelling reagents which are in pipeline.
“Most Innovative Business Idea” at the New frontiers National program for developing world’s safest molecular carrier 2021.
She was awarded at the “She Loves Tech Global Startup Competition-2019”, in Beijing, for her innovation in anti-cancer drug delivery.
She received the “Technology Start-up Awards-2018” for development of technology having the potential for commercialisation all these are few of recognitions in recent years.
“In Cork, Ireland, with a seed round of $1 million, our preclinical trials will be finished. But in order to gain access to the series A round, in which we hope to earn $10 million, we will relocate to the golden triangle neighbourhood in either Boston or London. We plan to pursue an IPO prior to revenue.”, says Nusrat about their future plans for Cygenica.
She also has plans for an establishment in Boston and to enroll CYGENICA under NASDAQ.
Towards the future
Working towards their vision of making the better quality of life for cancer patients, CYGENICA aims to spread her wings across the globe with a new establishment in Boston. Dr. Nusrat plans to enroll under NASDAQ in future. Though pitching globally comes with the promise for a immense challenges and opportunities for the founders.
Featured in various media platforms and being the lead in their domain of therapeutic drug delivery, CYGENICA continues to build new technology with CYGENICA DISCOVERY team.
With a two-decade history topping the med-tech startup lists along with consistency in products, CYGENICA manages to retain its markets. IBLOT wishes CYGENICA and its team a great 2023.
IBLOT wishes team CYGENICA a great 2023 ahead.
INTERVIEW CREDITS : Tejashree Murugan an alumnus of IIT Madras and currently a student at IIM Ahmedabad — she writes about science, technology, literature, and history. She also writes for various organisations like Students for freedom and IBLOT. She conducted this interview with Dr. Nusrat J M Sangamithra on behalf of IBLOT. Follow her here
About the author:
I am Veena, a Biotechnology Postgraduate, Ex- Research scholar and an accidental Content writer by profession. As an avid admirer of nature and science, my career found its way into biotechnology. Exploring the concepts behind the incredibly complicated mother nature have always fascinated me. Reach out to me at chittatoor.veena@gmail.com, for more content.
