SomesTech, a company incubated by the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and ConvEyXO of Belgium signed an agreement on May 25, 2023 to jointly build a breakthrough platform on SomesTech’s nanoengineering technology, marking a significant milestone in the development and commercialization of novel exosome-based nanocarriers.

The breakthrough platform will integrate advanced biotechnology to enable precise drug targeting capabilities.

This collaboration represents SIAT’s first project abroad, and showcases their proprietary intellectual property as the core technology. SomesTech’s nanoengineering platform is a groundbreaking advancement that utilizes exosomes as nanocarriers for precise drug delivery, revolutionizing the development of chemical, nucleic acid, and protein drugs.

The partnership encompasses the development, commercialization, and supply of the platform. It combines SomesTech’s nanoengineering technology with ConvEyXO’s expertise in the fields of pharmaceuticals and technological and biological activity validation of loaded exosomes for therapeutic purposes. The agreement not only marks SIAT’s establishment of business cooperation in Europe but also signifies joint efforts to advance novel exosome-based therapeutics.

“The joint venture and partnership will bring international market potential to SomesTech’s technology,” said Yang Hui, founder of SomesTech and Executive Director of the Research Center for Bionic and Intelligent Sensing of SIAT. She emphasized the leveraging of ConvEyXO’s pharmaceutical expertise and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) knowledge to enhance their technology and accelerate the international development of loaded exosome-based therapies.

Jean-Paul Prieels (front row right) and Yang Hui (front row left) signed a strategic cooperation agreement. [Image: SIAT]

The two parties also agreed to establish a joint venture named “XomeXBio.” This venture aims to drive the development, regulatory approval, and commercialization of engineered exosomes as natural drug delivery system for precision medicine, through breakthrough nanoengineering technologies, opening new avenues to address unmet medical needs and overcome healthcare challenges.

Initially, the partnership will focus on aligning efforts to advance SomesTech’s technology. Key areas of development include large-scale loading of exosomes with drugs and validation of instrumentation according to pharmaceutical standards. ConvEyXO’s expertise in the pharmaceutical field and validation of loaded exosomes’ technological and biological activity for therapeutic purposes will greatly contribute to these developments. The initial therapeutic applications will target musculoskeletal diseases and oncology.

“SIAT, as a world-class industrial research institute, will continue to provide scientific support throughout the development process,” said Vice President of SIAT Professor Zheng Hairong who was present at the signing ceremony.

Unique expertise in microfluidics translated into nanoengineering technology for exosome loading is the main reason that ConvEyXO chose SomesTech as a partner for the collaboration, said Frédéric Michel M. Tonglet, Deputy CEO of ConvEyXO. The robust and scalable method developed by SomesTech to enrich exosomes with molecules of interest, without compromising their inherent properties, holds immense promise for the future of therapeutic exosomes.

Dr. Jean Paul H. Prieels, founder and CEO of ConvEyXO and Mr. Didier Denayer, Economic and Commercial Attaché for the Walloon Region (AWEX) also attended the signing ceremony.

This partnership sets the stage for transformative advancements in exosome-based therapies, and paves the way for addressing unmet medical needs and improving patient outcomes.

Source: Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology,

Chinese Academy of Sciences