CellaNexa
2024 Winner
CellaNexa
CellaNexa is revolutionizing drug delivery with our AI-powered protein engineering platform, designed to harness the unique properties of self-assembling proteins from long terminal repeats (LTR) retrotransposons. The CellaNexa platform expertly identifies these proteins and refines them through advanced machine learning-driven design techniques. They develop protein nanoparticles that excel in targeting ability, payload capacity, immune evasion, and manufacturability, specifically focusing on targeted delivery to brain and cancer tissues."
24 months on
The CellaNexa platform is based on a newly discovered family of protein nanoparticles (the "Atlas" capsids) that self-assemble into hollow shells of tunable size, naturally package RNA, are taken up into cells, and release their cargo once inside. This makes them a promising next-generation delivery vehicle for RNA- and gene-based therapies, including CRISPR, with several advantages over current methods such as lipid nanoparticles and viral vectors: larger cargo capacity, no integration into the patient's genome, scalable manufacturing, and low pre-existing immunity. The attached image (Figure 2b from our paper) shows the range of nanoparticle structures we determined by cryo-electron microscopy, four capsid sizes, drawn to scale and coloured by radius.
Since the last update [12 months ago], they have reached three milestones:
• They have used the King's prize funding to develop agentic AI tools that facilitate and accelerate our protein design work.
• Their international (PCT) patent application has now been published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and is publicly searchable， WO/2026/083093
• Their scientific manuscript is now available as a preprint on bioRxiv and is sent today to Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.
June 2026