Nanofacturing
Accelerating the development of nanopharmaceuticals
Scale up of glycan-coated gold particles
CPI has worked as part of the pan-European ‘Nanofacturing’ consortium to develop new manufacturing methods and improve supply chain co-ordination for nanopharmaceuticals, to advance treatments for rare cancers, autoimmune diseases and viral infections.
The Nanofacturing collaboration has accelerated the development of nanopharmaceuticals with the goal of bringing more targeted and effective therapies to market quicker.
Specifically, the eight-partner project has centred upon the processing of glycan-coated gold nanoparticles. These small nanoparticles, which act as a carrier to therapeutic drugs, can pass across blood vessels to deliver medicine directly to diseased sites increasing their efficiency and reducing patient side effects.

“This rapidly emerging technology has the potential to deliver drugs more effectively and in a kinder way to patients. Together, we have manufactured clinical grade gold nanoparticle treatments that are now being investigated in clinical trials.”
Achievements
Inputs
- Bid writing and consortia building
- Facilities and equipment
- Technical knowledge and expertise
- Research and development
- Process development
- Regulatory support
Outputs
- Creation of an end-to-end supply chain
- TRL progression 4 – 7
- Scaled up process created
- Creation of a pilot manufacturing line & large-scale sterile production facility
- Reduced manufacturing costs
- More environmentally friendly process
Outcomes
- Open access pilot manufacturing line created
- Increased regulatory understanding allowing products to be commercialised quicker
- Nanopharmaceuticals for brain & liver cancer now progressing through clinical trials
- £13.4m private funding raised by Lead Partner
