Mission
Keystone Nano seeks to improve human health by creating new ways to diagnose and treat human diseases and improve the quality of life. Keystone Nano partners with healthcare companies to complete the development and speed the market launch of nano-enabled therapeutics to seek/treat/image a variety of conditions.
NanoJackets
Keystone Nano has an exclusive license to Penn State patented technology that allows the creation of stable, non-toxic, 5 to 50 nm-composite particles that we call NanoJackets(TM). These NanoJackets can encapsulate drugs and/or fluorescent molecules. Key technological advantages include:
- made from several material systems including calcium phosphosilicate, a natural material. They do not use toxic, Cadmium based, semi-conductor materials, unlike other processes
- Our proprietary technology stabilizes the Nanojackets in suspension that are homogeneous and non aggregating
- During manufacturing we maintain specific control over the size and size distribution of resulting particles
- The synthesis approach is suitable for chemotherapeutics and pro-apoptotic lipids
- The suspensions are stable for long periods of time
- The surfaces can be modified to provide for cell type, specific targeting using a variety of targeting techniques
- Fluorescent nanoparticles are highly resistant to photo-bleaching and photo-degradation - they can last for months at a time
- The nano-composites can be designed to dissolve at a specific pH to facilitate intra-cellular delivery
Key business achievements
- Two subsidiaries formed
- NanoSpecialties LLC in cooperations with Nalco Inc., a specialty chemical manufacturer in May of 2007 to develop specialty chemical products
- NanoTherapies LLC was formed to cure systemic cancers like leukemia with specialty nanoparticles loaded with appropriate drugs to enhance efficacy and reduce side effects.
- Business Competition Winner - The 2005 winner of the second annual International and North Coast Nanotechnology Business Idea Competition
- Penn State's filing of a key patent covering the creation of nano-composite particles made from materials that are generally regarded as safe
- Awarded a Ben Franklin Technology Partners initial stage planning grant in August of 2005
- Selected as a Ben Franklin Technology Partner investment June 2006, June of 2007 and September 2008.
Key technology achievements
- The formulation of nano-composite particles that contain a wide variety of GRAS (generally regarded as safe) imaging agents and the demonstration that they serve as effective ex-vivo imaging agents, and are not toxic to mice in-vivo at high concentrations
- The creation of nanocomposite particles that contain cancer agents like AZT, and Dobutamine and the demonstration of therapeutic effect of the NanoJacket compounds on cancer cell growth.
- The creation of imaging agents for diagnostic purposes that are non-toxic, stable, brighter and significantly longer lasting than existing products.
Snapshot
- Download the attached business and technology snapshot pdf for an overview of Keystone Nano.
"There is a full court press in every advanced nation in the world to leverage nanotech with economic muscle." --Arden Bement, Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology