Nanoparticle medicine specialist Nanoform (Helsinki, Finland) and Boehringer Ingelheim (Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany) will collaborate on proof-of-concept studies related to Nanoform’s CESS technology.

The master services agreement enables the two parties to move forward with pre-clinical research related to CESS, an acronym for “Controlled Expansion of Supercritical Solutions.”

CESS has the potential to optimize the bioavailability and solubility of new drug candidates, according to Nanoform, which are central drivers of drug development failures.

“This is the first step toward what we hope will be a long and fruitful partnership between our companies,” said Christian Jones, CCO of Nanoform, in a statement.

Earlier this year, Nanoform struck a deal with Celanese Corp. (NYSE:CE), a specialty materials company. The two companies intend to collaborate on nanoparticle-enabled drug delivery to use Celanese’s copolymer delivery technology for drug-eluting implants.

The two companies will endeavor to create novel drug-delivery technologies that facilitate drug loading and sustained release capabilities.
Irving, Texas–headquartered Celanese has a background developing drug-eluting implants for various applications, including implants for women’s health, ophthalmology and central nervous system disorders.

Earlier this year, Nanoform announced another collaboration with Aprecia (Ash, Ohio), a 3-D printing pharma company.

The two companies will explore buccal and oral delivery techniques to enable the rapid absorption of pharmaceuticals.