NUENEX technology

Cosmetic application

Cosmetic industry is rapidly changing, and the number of new advanced cosmetic molecules is rapidly increasing. However, at the formulation level, the limitations of standard cream, hydrogel and serum products is still limited by a low loading capacity, problems with phase separation and with stability, which demand the  use of preservatives. NUENEX is changing the industry thanks to its possibility to form highly concentrated cosmetic formulations, which enable dry storage of active cosmetic molecules without the use of preservatives.

Key applications:

• Anti-wrinkle and anti-aging formulations for the renewal of skin health.
• Antioxidant products for skin revitalization and protection from stress-induced aging.
• Environmental protection formulations for protection against air pollution.
• UV protection formulations for the elimination of photoaging of the skin.
• Whitening cosmetic products for the reduction of pigmentation.
• Exfoliation formulations for gentle enzymatic peeling.
• Calming formulations for redness reduction and sensitive skin.

The membrane-based products are ideal for products in patches or in mask form. Microparticles can be used for lotions, creams, toothpastes, make-ups, lipsticks, or dry shampoos.

If you want to learn more about how NUENEX is used in cosmetic industry, please check our DrySerum technology.

Food and feed applications

Food and feed industry is more and more focused on advanced nutrients such as efficient antioxidants, functional proteins, enzymes and probiotics. In order to enable their efficient use in nutraceutical products, stabilization during storage and their timing of release (including pH triggered release) is a limiting issue. NUENEX provides nanoencapsulation as solution to these challenges.

Key applications:

• Stabilization and protection of active molecules (i.e., antioxidants, immunomodulatories, anti-aging agents). Modern nutraceutical molecules could be damaged by oxidation, enzymatic degradation, or denaturation. NUENEX protects them and delivers them in an active form to boost their efficacy.
• Protection of proteins, pro-microbiome molecules and probiotics and their delivery to the small intestine. Thanks to the use of pH triggered polymers (i.e. Eudragit polymers) NUENEX enables the formation of formulations which protect the molecules when in stomach and enable their release in the small intestine. NUENEX can be used for the formation of pH sensitive systems for oral delivery.
• Protection from thermal-induced damage in food products. Immobilization in the polymeric matrix results in decreased mobility of molecules during thermal processes. NEUNEX can be used for antioxidant and nutrient enhancement in baking industry.
• Bioavailability enhancement of low-solubility nutraceuticals. The molecules dissolved in fats or oils often pose problems with bioavailability and low solubility. NUENEX can increase the dissolution by the formation of amorphous solid dispersions and nanoization using core/shell emulsion nanofibers.
• Taste masking of molecules with unpleasant taste. The taste of many nutraceutical molecules is unpleasant and decreases user compliance. NUENEX enables the masking of taste by the encapsulation of molecules, so that they cannot reach the taste buds.

Medical device products

Advancements in the medical device field is leading to more complex systems, which require combinations with nanoparticles, active molecules or complex multi-phasic structures. The NUENEX technology is suitable for the formation of advanced medical device products in various categories which may be produced at an industrially relevant scale.

Key applications:

• Advanced wound dressings with nanofibrous structure. Electrospun nanofibers thanks to their high porosity, adjustable chemical properties, high biocompatibility, tuneable wetting properties and high microbial barrier properties are ideal for the formation of next generation wound dressings. Either you select a non-integrative wound dressing, biodegradable integrative wound dressing, wound dressing with microbial barrier function or a wound dressing for wet wound healing, NUENEX is a technology enabling quick and reliable development of new wound healing products. NUENEX can work with a range of natural and synthetic medical grade polymers and is a GMP compliant technology. The nanofibers can be combined with a range of medical textiles and composite materials can be produced with the use of special lamination technologies.
• Drug eluting wound dressings and patches as medical device class IIb or class III gain popularity for being able to solvemost challenging wound healing problems. The technology can be combined with antioxidants to decrease oxidative stress in wound beds, with antimicrobials to eliminate wound contamination, with anti-inflammatory molecules to decrease inflammation, with growth factors and peptides to promote wound healing or cellular elements, such as platelets for autologous wound healing stimulation. NUENEX is ideal for the encapsulation of these molecules, for their protection and release regulation. The membranes could simultaneously encapsulate multiple active molecules and form sequential release systems for complex problems.
• Advanced plant-medicine wound dressings enriched by selected extracts of natural origin. NUENEX can form 100% natural nanofibers with high loading of plant extracts (up to 60%) for natural wound healing and medical device products.
• Hemostatic patches and wound dressings. NUENEX can combine hemostatic polymers (i.e., chitosan, cellulose) with hemostatic drugs in a quickly available form. Hemostatic enzymes, such as thrombin, can be encapsulated and protected in the dressing even at room temperature storage.
• Stents and intraoperative meshes for applications in hernia restraint and stents with drug eluting properties could be prepared with the NUENEX technology. NUENEX can be combined with different soft or hard meshes to form a functional product. Thanks to nanofibrous structure, the surface is highly bioadhesive, and thanks to porosity it enables the diffusion of nutrients and waste product.
• Tissue engineered products and ATMPs could make use of the NUENEX technology. The nanofibers have highly biomimetic properties and support cell adhesion and growth. NUENEX can be used in polymeric systems alone or combined with active molecules (i.e., drug delivery). The systems can be used in skin formation, for cardiac or bladder scaffolds, or in diverse functionalized implants.
• Microencapsulation devices enabling the encapsulation of procaryotic or eucaryotic cells and their compartmentalization are important for bioproduction and ATMP development. NUENEX enables the formation of nanofibers with barrier properties prohibiting the escape of cells from the designed compartment and simultaneously enables the diffusion of proteins or other produced molecules through the membrane.

Pharmaceutical products

Advancements in pharmaceutical development are connected with the use of more complex therapeutic molecules and dosage regimes. NUENEX is capable of encapsulation of a wide range of active molecules, drugs or nanosystems and helps with solid dispersion products with advanced functionality. NUENEX is compatible with most drug classes including advanced nucleic acid and protein therapeuticals.

Key applications:

• Time-regulated drug delivery systems enabling regulation of drug release are important in numerous pharmaceutical applications. NUENEX is the ideal technology for the formation of time-regulated drug delivery systems with release regulation based on its encapsulation mode (blend vs. core/shell) or the selection of its polymeric matrix. The technology therefore enables the formation of short-term delivery systems (hours-days) or long term delivery systems (weeks-months). Since a standard NEUNEX production line accommodates two electrospinning units, it enables the combination of up to 12 different polymeric solutions enabling the formation of multiphasic systems and multi-layered systems for complex drug delivery applications. In addition, the simultaneous co-encapsulation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules enables the formation of solid dosage forms for multiple drugs. The final format is either a membrane or microparticles with nanofibrous morphology.
• Triggered drug delivery systems with pH triggered (i.e., Eudragit) or temperature triggered (i.e., NIPAM) polymers enables the formation of triggered drug delivery systems. NUENEX could work with series of medical-grade polymers suitable for triggered drug delivery. This is ideal for applications in oral delivery, wound healing or post-operation integrative membranes.
• Stabilization of active molecules susceptible to thermal or oxidation stress is the key strength of NUENEX. Thanks to their embedment in a polymeric matrix, thermally or biologically susceptible molecules, such as proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids and peptides are protected from degradation by enzymes. The non-thermal process will not increase thermal denaturation and activity loss. Moreover, thanks to nanoencapsulation, antioxidants and oxidation-prone molecules are protected from contact with oxygen and do not loose activity upon room temperature storage.
• Immobilization and protection of soft drug delivery systems is essential for the application of advanced liposomal, solid lipid and polymeric nanoparticles. NUENEX enables their immobilization in nanofibers and protection from degradation, agglomeration and disassembly. Thanks to mild immobilization and the possibility to use non-fouling polymers (PEG, POZ) the surface properties of nanosystems are maintained. NUENEX is ideal for the improvement of room temperature storage of such systems and the simplification of their re-hydration processes.
• Bioavailability enhancement of low-solubility drugs. Hydrophobic drugs and highly crystalline drugs often pose problems with bioavailability and low solubility. NUENEX can increase their dissolution by formation of amorphous solid dispersions and nanoization using core/shell emulsion nanofibers.
• Taste masking of molecules with unpleasant taste. The taste of many drugs is unpleasant and decreases user compliance. NUENEX enables the masking of taste by encapsulation of molecules, so that they cannot reach the taste buds.