A spin-off company founded by three University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District academics has received $2.2 million in backing from Australian biotech incubator Proto Axiom to help bring their drug delivery technology to the clinic.

The technology leverages the safe delivery of nanoparticles to treat autoimmune diseases and allergies. The first application focuses on oral insulin to improve the lives of people with Type 1 diabetes, a lifelong autoimmune disease which usually starts in young children and requires multiple daily injections of insulin. 

Pre-clinical results of the oral insulin programme are currently undergoing peer review. The programme is currently supported by a Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) targeted translational research accelerator grant and is in accredited manufacturing with Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) prior to entering clinical trials in 2024.

Professor Victoria Cogger, Professor David Le Couteur AO and Dr Nicholas Hunt founded spin-off company Endo Axiom after 20 years of research. "Our oral insulin is made by attaching insulin to a nanoparticle and then coating that formulation in a protective layer that helps the insulin be delivered safely into the bloodstream", said Professor Victoria Cogger.