Lonza has acquired the intellectual property rights to Nona Biosciences' transferrin receptor (TfR1)-based blood-brain barrier (BBB) technology and expanded its strategic collaboration with the company to develop next-generation BBB delivery solutions for central nervous system (CNS) therapies.

Under the agreement, Lonza will immediately make the technology available to developers of CNS therapies while continuing to collaborate with Nona Biosciences on advancing future blood-brain barrier delivery platforms.

The blood-brain barrier is a highly selective protective system that prevents many therapeutic molecules from reaching the brain, making it one of the biggest challenges in developing effective treatments for neurological disorders. 

Through the acquisition, Lonza aims to strengthen its support for companies developing next-generation CNS therapeutics by combining advanced BBB-crossing technology with its biologics development capabilities, including the GS Gene Expression System® and GlycoConnect bioconjugation platform.

The collaboration builds on an earlier research partnership between the two companies that validated Nona's BBB-crossing technology. According to preclinical studies, the company's TfR1-binding single-domain VHH technology, used either as an IgG fusion or in combination with Lonza's GlycoConnect platform, demonstrated improved brain delivery compared with a leading industry benchmark in a relevant transgenic model.

With investment in CNS therapeutics continuing to grow, Lonza said the acquisition will provide drug developers with advanced delivery technologies that can accelerate innovation and improve the development of biologics targeting neurological diseases.

Commenting on the announcement, Peter Droc, Head of Licensing, Lonza, said, "With the fully acquired IP rights to Nona's BBB-crossing technology and through our continued collaboration, we are immediately enabling our customers to translate promising CNS assets into viable therapeutics. By combining this with flexible CDMO services, we allow partners to engage with us at any stage of their journey – from technology licensing to fully integrated development and commercial manufacturing – reducing complexity and helping accelerate the path to patients."

Ulrich Osswald, Vice President, Global Innovation, Lonza, added, "The TfR1 BBB technology significantly expands our toolkit to address one of the toughest challenges in modern medicine: delivering biologics to the brain consistently. Together with our expertise in antibody engineering and bioconjugation, this creates a powerful approach to support the development of next-generation CNS therapeutics."

Dr. Di Hong, Chief Executive Officer, Nona Biosciences, said, "This collaboration underscores the power and versatility of our HCAb Harbour Mice® platform and its ability to generate differentiated, fully human single-domain binders that can tackle the most challenging delivery barriers in drug development. By combining our technology with Lonza's services and development and manufacturing expertise, we are confident to offer next-generation BBB shuttle solutions that can unlock new treatment paradigms for patients suffering from devastating CNS disorders."