Vianautis
Ned Hoyle is an experienced professional in the field of biology and biochemistry, currently serving as Associate Director at Vianautis since November 2023. Prior to this role, Ned worked as Team Leader - Biology at Somaserve from April 2022 to November 2023, and held various positions at PhoreMost Ltd from June 2018 to May 2022, including Senior Scientist II and Senior Scientist I. Ned's earlier experience includes a Postdoctoral Researcher role at The Babraham Institute, where work focused on developing fluorescent imaging tools for CRISPR screenings, and a postdoctoral position at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, researching actin dynamics and neurobiology. Before these roles, Ned conducted research at Cancer Research UK on transcription and mRNA export rates, and completed a PhD at The University of Manchester, studying translation initiation factors in yeast during glucose starvation.
Vianautis
ViaNautis, formerly known as SomaServe, was founded in 2018 as a spin-off from UCL under the leadership of CEO and serial entrepreneur, Dr Francesca Crawford. The company’s core mission is to exploit the unique capabilities of the revolutionary polyNaut® technology. PolyNaut® is a versatile nano-engineered polymer technology designed for targeted intracellular delivery. This innovative technology enables polymer nanoparticles to deliver a wide range of payloads from small molecules to genetic materials creating ‘a bionic nanoparticle.’ The highly adaptable polymer structure of polyNaut® can be formulated to encapsulate a wide array of genetic cargoes, with sizes exceeding current standards for viral and non-viral delivery. Notably, it enhances the therapeutic efficacy of encapsulated molecules through direct delivery to the cell cytoplasm, facilitated by GOTO® technology for intracellular shuttling. PolyNaut® is set apart from conventional non-viral delivery technologies through its remarkable ability to target specific cells and penetrate biological barriers, including the challenging blood-brain barrier. PolyNaut® nanoparticles, when functionalised for CNS delivery through transcytosis, exhibit exceptional brain uptake. Deploying its state-of-the-art polyNaut® platform, ViaNautis is at the forefront of pioneering new therapies for CNS diseases and cystic fibrosis. The company is actively building an internal pipeline and collaborating with leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies to unlock the potential of promising genetic molecules as well as new therapeutic platforms.