ViaNautis

PolyNaut® nano-engineered polymer for targeted intracellular delivery.

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.

Dr Weng Sie Wong

Senior Business Manager

Dr Wong brings extensive experience of all aspects of university technology transfer activities from strategic IP management to licence negotiations and spinout formation.

As a Senior Business Manager focusing on the commercialisation of medical technologies, healthcare engineering, medical imaging and AI-enabled healthcare innovations arising from UCL research, she has been involved in the formation of multiple spinouts and acted as a director on various boards.

Prior to joining UCL Ventures, Dr Wong was a senior technology transfer manager at Oxford University’s TTO, Oxford University Innovation, working on a diverse range of both life and physical science projects over a 10-year period.

Weng holds an MBA from Edinburgh University and a PhD in pharmacology from UCL.