Precision NanoSystems Inc. is a Canadian biotechnology company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company was co-founded by Pieter Cullis, who also co-founded Acuitas Therapeutics.[1] His co-founders are Euan Ramsay and James Taylor.
The company develops genetic medicine-based therapies, including "self-assembling" molecules that carry drugs and gene therapies directly into the cells of the human body using DNA and RNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles.[2][3] It was launched with assistance from Genome British Columbia.[4]
History
Precision NanoSystems was founded in 2010 by Pieter Cullis, Euan Ramsay and James Taylor.[1:1][5]
On May 14, 2019, Precision NanoSystems signed a license agreement to allow Daiichi-Sankyo to use its NanoAssemblr system.[6]
COVID-19
On March 24, 2020, Precision NanoSystems announced a partnership with FUJIFILM to use the NanoAssemblr system to develop and manufacture nanoparticle-based therapeutics.[7]
Following the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, Precision NanoSystems focused efforts on developing a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. On May 7, 2020, the company and Entos Pharmaceuticals announced a partnership "to produce clinical grade vaccines and therapeutics" — specifically, a "DNA COVID-19 vaccine".[8]
Gowling WLG advised Precision NanoSystems on an agreement with CanSino Biologics to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.[9] This collaboration was announced May 20, 2020.[10]
On June 17, 2020, Precision NanoSystems and Sirnaomics jointly announced a partnership to develop a "polypeptide nanoparticle-based RNAi therapeutic product."[11]
The COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force considered a proposal from Precision NanoSystems on June 22, 2020.[12]
Representatives from Precision NanoSystems met with the Government of Canada's COVID-19 Joint Biomanufacturing Subcommittee on July 6 and 10, 2020, to discuss a "biomanufacturing project."[13]
On October 23, 2020, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he had awarded the company $18.2 million from the Government of Canada to develop an RNA vaccine for COVID-19.[14] The funding came from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), which focuses on supporting private sector-led vaccine and therapy clinical trials.
The company was acquired by Danaher on June 1, 2021.[5:1]
In July 2022, Replicate Bioscience issued a press release announcing a partnership with Precision NanoSystems to “accelerate the creation, scale-up, and delivery of self-replicating RNA (srRNA) therapies.”[15]
Organization
During the COVID-19 pandemic era, Precision NanoSystems was a member of BIOTECanada.[16]
Personnel
| Name | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pieter Cullis | Co-Founder[1:2] | Acuitas Therapeutics, NanoVation Therapeutics |
| James Taylor | Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer[17] | - |
| Euan Ramsay | Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer[17:1] | - |
| Rupsa Gupta | Formulation and Drug Delivery Intern (September 2018-April 2019)[18] | NanoVation Therapeutics, Lower Mainland Bengali Cultural Society |
| Caroline Ye | Research Associate (February 2021-September 2023)[19] | NanoVation Therapeutics |
Investors
Investors in Precision NanoSystems include:[20]
- 5AM Ventures
- Accel-Rx
- Northview LifeSciences
- Rising Tide
- Telegraph Hill Partners
External links
Cullis, P. (2019, June 25). Innovation as a Driver for Personalized Medicine in British Columbia. Reboot Communications. https://web.archive.org/web/20210713174744/https://www.rebootcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Cullis-Kelowna-June-2019.pdf ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Create Transformative Medicines. Precision NanoSystems. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from http://archive.today/2021.07.24-200212/https://www.precisionnanosystems.com/ ↩︎
Shore, R. (2016, February 25). Vancouver-Based Nanomedicine Startup Targets Genetic Solution to Diseases. Precision NanoSystems. http://archive.today/2022.03.09-051358/https://www.precisionnanosystems.com/news-room/detail/vancouver-based-nanomedicine-startup-targets-genetic-solution-diseases ↩︎
Annual Report 2020-2021. Genome BC. Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20210703114654/https://www.genomebc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/GBC-5198-2020-21-AR-FINAL_WEB.pdf ↩︎
Precision NanoSystem - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding. Crunchbase. Retrieved February 7, 2023, from https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/precision-nanosystem ↩︎ ↩︎
Precision NanoSystems Inc. (2019, May 14). Precision NanoSystems Signs License Agreement with Daiichi Sankyo for Use of the NanoAssemblr GMP System for Development and Manufacture of Nanomedicines. GlobeNewswire. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/05/14/1823990/0/en/Precision-NanoSystems-Signs-License-Agreement-with-Daiichi-Sankyo-for-Use-of-the-NanoAssemblr-GMP-System-for-Development-and-Manufacture-of-Nanomedicines.html ↩︎
Precision Nanosystems. (2020, March 25). Precision NanoSystems Announces Partnership with Fujifilm for the Development and GMP Manufacturing of Nanoparticle Based Therapeutics. PR Newswire; CNW Group. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/precision-nanosystems-announces-partnership-with-fujifilm-for-the-development-and-gmp-manufacturing-of-nanoparticle-based-therapeutics-826455790.html ↩︎
Lewis, J. D., & Entos Pharmaceuticals. (2020, May 7). Entos and Precision NanoSystems partner to enable GMP manufacturing of DNA COVID-19 vaccine. EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/898138 ↩︎
Inman, P., Rong, L., Armitage, P., & Duxbury, P. (2021, January 8). Gowling WLG advises on a trio of landmark COVID-19 projects. Gowling WLG. https://web.archive.org/web/20250512234227/https://gowlingwlg.com/en-ca/insights-resources/client-work/2021/gowling-wlg-advises-on-covid-19-projects ↩︎
Precision NanoSystems 2020 (p. 14). (2020). Precision NanoSystems. https://storage.ghost.io/c/a2/fe/a2fe3cea-8d77-4702-87d4-ff1fd8934d08/content/files/2026/05/2022-00448---IMV-Inc-and-Precisions-nanosystems-presentation-to-CVTF-June-2020.pdf ↩︎
Precision NanoSystems. (2020, June 17). Sirnaomics and Precision NanoSystems Have Formed a Partnership. PR Newswire; CNW Group. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/sirnaomics-and-precision-nanosystems-have-formed-a-partnership-874774955.html ↩︎
COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force Registry of Interests. (2023, March 27). Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. http://archive.today/2023.07.09-180656/https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/biomanufacturing/en/covid-19-vaccine-task-force/covid-19-vaccine-task-force-registry-interests ↩︎
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. (2022, July 7). COVID-19 Joint Biomanufacturing Subcommittee. Government of Canada. http://archive.today/2024.04.30-223848/https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/biomanufacturing/en/covid-19-vaccine-task-force/covid-19-joint-biomanufacturing-subcommittee ↩︎
Precision NanoSystems. (2020, October 26). Prime Minister announces LSI spinoff to receive funding to develop an RNA Vaccine for COVID-19 | Life Sciences Institute. University of British Columbia. https://lsi.ubc.ca/2020/10/26/prime-minister-announces-lsi-spinoff-to-receive-funding-to-develop-rna-vaccine-for-covid-19/ ↩︎
Replicate Bioscience. (2022, July 26). Precision NanoSystems and Replicate Bioscience in licensing deal to scale up genomic medicines. Cision Newswire. https://web.archive.org/web/20230207015748/https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/precision-nanosystems-and-replicate-bioscience-in-licensing-deal-to-scale-up-genomic-medicines-888682943.html ↩︎
Member Listings. BIOTECanada. Retrieved December 21, 2021, from https://web.archive.org/web/20211221183627/https://www.biotech.ca/about/member-listings/ ↩︎
Precision NanoSystems 2020 (p. 17). (2020). Precision NanoSystems. https://storage.ghost.io/c/a2/fe/a2fe3cea-8d77-4702-87d4-ff1fd8934d08/content/files/2026/05/2022-00448---IMV-Inc-and-Precisions-nanosystems-presentation-to-CVTF-June-2020.pdf ↩︎ ↩︎
Rupsa Gupta. LinkedIn. Retrieved September 9, 2024, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupsa-gupta-8a70b9129/ ↩︎
Caroline Ye. LinkedIn. Retrieved September 10, 2024, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-ye96/ ↩︎
Precision NanoSystem - Funding, Financials, Valuation & Investors. Crunchbase. Retrieved February 7, 2023, from https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/precision-nanosystem/company_financials ↩︎
