Developing nanotechnology enabled curative therapeutics

Our science

 

Flashpoint is developing nanotherapeutic candidates that can co-deliver precise RNA, DNA and peptide payloads to the right cells at the right time.

This capability overcomes many major limitations of current therapeutics that have focused on defining potent components but cannot control how they work together. Our new approach to drug discovery can transform therapeutic components from ineffective to curative through optimized nanoscale architecture.

Flashpoint nanostructures are all-in-one formulations that kinetically tune and co-deliver diverse nucleic acid, peptide, and small molecule payloads to the right target cells with precise stoichiometry, optimized structure-function relationships, and synchronized activation kinetics.

The company’s proprietary discovery platform is founded on nanotechnology research developed over the past 10 years in the laboratory of Chad Mirkin, Director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology at Northwestern University.

Validated in numerous in-vivo models, this technology has transformed components that are ineffective in conventional formulations into curative cancer immunotherapies.

Flashpoint technology

Current Therapies
Unstructured mixture of components

-Random uptake
-Unstructured
-Uncontrolled co-activiation

Flashpoint Therapies
Optimized nanoscale architecture

checkPrecise ratios
checkOptimized presentation
checkChemically tunable kinetics

Flashpoint’s groundbreaking nanotechnology platform enables the development of therapeutic candidates with superior product profiles by delivering:

  • Precise combinations
  • To >60 cell types
  • With optimized structure-function relationships
  • Synchronized multi-pathway activation kinetics

This capability overcomes many major limitations of current therapeutics that have focused on defining potent components but cannot control how they work together.

Flashpoint advantages

Flashpoint platform has been validated in numerous clinical and animal studies to yield drug candidates with superior product profiles.

Development candidates from the platform have been approved for human clinical testing (IND), manufactured at clinical scale under GMP conditions, and are demonstrated to be highly safe.

Flashpoint Platform

  • 650% increased potency over peptide vaccine formulations
  • 500% improved potency over LNP encapsulated mRNA
  • 250% enhancement of checkpoint inhibitor potency
  • 35x enhanced delivery to immune cells
  • 80x stronger innate immune activation
  • 50x improved stability in circulation
  • 30x improved intracellular delivery of peptides
  • 44x improved intracellular co-delivery of Cas9 and sgRNAs
  • 5x improved gene silencing over lipid encapsulated siRNAs
  • Uptake by >60 cell types
  • Improved delivery across blood brain barrier in clinical studies

Cancer immunotherapy

Flashpoint is developing first-in-class cancer immunotherapy candidates that delivers precise cocktails of immune stimulatory molecules with nanoscale architecture and activation kinetics optimized to induce robust, coordinated anti-tumor immune response.

Across all 9 in vivo studies performed to date, Flashpoint’s approach has increased the efficacy of immuno-oncology therapeutic components, in some cases leading to curative outcomes.

Next-gen nucleic acid and peptide
nanotherapeutics

Advantages inherited in all formulations

  • Uptake by diverse cells
  • Cargo co-delivery
  • Stability in circulation
  • Improved target activation
  • Reduced immunogenicity

The modular architecture of Flashpoint’s platform enables rapid development of novel candidates delivering combinations of any nucleic acid, peptide, or even small molecular cargo.

In vivo studies have demonstrated the ability to improve targeted delivery, potency, stability, and the safety profile of candidates delivering DNA, RNA, peptides, CRISPR, and cell targeting moieties.

Flashpoint will partner with industry leaders to bring to patients best-in-class multi-targeted RNA and peptide therapeutics.

Our team

Our Team
Jessica Atkinson
Chief Business Officer
Alex Anderson, PhD
Senior Scientist
Jasper Dittmar, PhD
Research Scientist
Michael Evangelopoulos, PhD
BD Manager
Oluwatosin Oladejo
Research Associate
Rachel Hsu
Research Associate
Isadora Kucera
Research Associate
Rosie Gonzalez
Executive Assistant
Scientific Founders
Executive Partners
Raymond Nimrod, JD
Legal, IP Strategy
Board of Directors
Abdulrahman al Olayan, PhD, MBA
CEO & Managing Partner, Beta Lab
Quinten Stevens, MBA
General Partner, CS Venture Fund
Scientific advisory board
Jochen Lorch, MD

News

Flashpoint Therapeutics Scientific Founder, Chad Mirkin, Receives 2024 Kavli Prize for Groundbreaking Work on Spherical Nucleic Acids
CancerVax Taps Flashpoint Therapeutics’ Nanotechnology Platform to Drive Universal Cancer Treatment
Chicago biotech: Seven players advancing the industry
Flashpoint announces signing of MoU with Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia to support discussions around our IPO and with King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (كيمارك KAIMRC) for hosting our clinical trials
Joint MoU to Host Clinical Studies in Saudi Arabia Signed
Biotech Companies Tap Saudi Arabia for Venture Funding
Flashpoint secures funds to develop nanotechnology-enabled therapies
Northwestern-born cancer therapeutics startup raises $10 million
Flashpoint Therapeutics raises $10 million to develop new way to treat cancer
Founder Spotlight #46: Adam Margolin @ Flashpoint Therapeutics
Scientists have discovered how to makealmost any vaccine more potent
Health Rounds: New vaccine design may improve effectiveness
Cancer vaccines are closer to becoming a reality in Chicago
Cancer vaccines getting a boost from science born in Chicago
‘The field is at a flashpoint’: New Chad Mirkin-founded biotech hopes to make more effective cancer vaccines
Northwestern-born nanotech startup designing breakthrough cancer vaccine