Sona Nanotech teams with BioVaxys on cancer tech – ICYMI

Sona Nanotech Inc earlier this week announced a research collaboration with BioVaxys to explore potential synergy between their respective cancer therapy technologies.

The company said the agreement will focus on combining its targeted hyperthermia therapy (THT) with BioVaxys’s DPX technology. According to Sona, DPX is a large-scale delivery system capable of localised and sustained release of therapeutic molecules, which could accelerate the effects of its gold nanorod-based platform.

The collaboration comes as Sona prepares to initiate its first-in-human clinical trial targeting late-stage melanoma. The company said it is currently awaiting ethics approval to begin the study.

While waiting for trial clearance, Sona aims to “press the advantage,” according to CEO David Regan, by pursuing this research opportunity. Regan explained that several members of Sona’s scientific team had prior experience with the DPX technology and recognised its potential for integration.

The DPX platform, as described by Regan, operates “almost like a salt truck in winter”—delivering therapeutic agents with high precision and avoiding systemic distribution. He said: “We think there's a possibility that what [DPX] would do for our technology, which shows fantastic efficacy, is make that efficacy happen faster.”

The research will be conducted at the Giacomo Antonio lab at Dalhousie University, where the companies will assess whether the technologies are synergistic. If the results are promising, further collaborative development could follow.

Sona highlighted that its preclinical data supports broader applicability of THT beyond melanoma. The company has reported early-stage evidence in colorectal, breast, bladder, and glioblastoma cancers.

Sona also indicated that the underlying gold nanorod platform could be used in additional applications. It noted that provisional patents have been filed for uses including antibody-drug conjugates.

While still early stage, the company said this research agreement may offer another avenue for leveraging its platform technology.