Nanotechnology company Liquidia is considering spinning its research off into one, perhaps even two companies to pursue different targets utilizing its proprietary nanoparticle technology.

Liquidia’s patented method of manufacturing nanoparticles has already caught the eye of Big Pharma.


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GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) last year struck a deal with Liquidia that gave GSK exclusive rights to develop new vaccines using the technology. Now Liquidia is looking at additional health care targets as well as consumer applications of the technology, CEO Neal Fowler said during CED’s Life Science Conference in Raleigh.

“We’re out to change the world, it’s technology the world has not seen before,” Fowler said.

Liquidia’s “PRINT” technology makes nanoparticle manufacturing customizable and scalable. Using the technology, a particle can be made in a particular size and shape. That’s important for drug delivery because size and shape can determine how well a drug-laden particle is taken up by a cell in the human body. Those capabilities can help drugmakers improve drug delivery and reduce side effects.

Fowler said the GSK deal was important to Liquidia for two reasons. First, GSK’s licensing of PRINT for vaccine research validated the nanoparticle technology. Second, the deal freed Liquidia to pursue other targets.

While optimizing drug delivery is important, Liquidia’s technology is a platform technology that has a wide range of potential applications. With GSK taking the helm on vaccine research, Fowler said Liquidia has been researching applications in ophthalmology and dermatology. In ophthalmology, the company is developing a way to use its technology in implants that would address diseases such as glaucoma.

The company also has a partnership with Proctor & Gamble (NYSE:PG). The particle technology can be used to improve how a product is delivered to the skin. That pursuit would be useful for skin and hair products, Fowler said.

An ophthalmology company could be spun out next year, Fowler said. That could be followed by a consumer product with P&G. Fowler said he couldn’t get into further detail about the work with P&G due to confidentiality restrictions.

Liquidia’s technology is protected by 120 patents. The company employs 57 people.