Feldan's shuttle technology powers a collaborative initiative supported by a grant from Médicament Québec to accelerate the development of mRNA-based therapies
Quebec City, Canada, September 23, 2025 - Feldan Therapeutics ("Feldan"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in the development of therapies based on intracellular delivery, announces a new collaborative research initiative aimed at accelerating the development of mRNA-based therapies through its endosomal escape technology, the Feldan Shuttle.
The project benefits from a C$1.5 million grant from Médicament Québec (MQ), an initiative supported by the Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie (MEIE). MQ's mission is to strengthen the autonomy and dynamism of Quebec and Canada in bioinnovation and biomanufacturing. The project will be carried out in collaboration with Professor Bruno Gaillet (Université Laval), director of activities, and TransBIOTech.
At the heart of this initiative is the Feldan Shuttle ("the Shuttle"), a proprietary delivery platform developed by the Feldan team to overcome the obstacle of endosomal trapping, one of the major impediments to the development of RNA-based therapies. Although RNA-based approaches have recently enabled major breakthroughs in therapeutics and vaccines, their progress remains limited due to the trapping of RNA-derived molecules in endosomes, a cellular compartment that naturally sorts and retains extracellular molecules, preventing them from reaching their intracellular target. The Shuttle has been designed to overcome this barrier.
Based on natural peptides with cell-penetrating properties and endosome-permeabilizing sequences, Navette enables rapid delivery to, and efficient release from, endosomes. This enables therapeutic compounds such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to act on their targets to generate a therapeutic response. In this project, Feldan and his collaborators will seek to integrate the endosomal escape function of Shuttle with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), in order to overcome one of the main limitations of this delivery system widely used for mRNA-based drugs.
"This collaboration is a continuation of our efforts to expand the reach and impact of our Navette platform," said François-Thomas Michaud, CEO of Feldan Therapeutics. By optimizing endosomal escape and delivery of RNA-based therapies, we can accelerate the development of new treatment options for patients. We thank Médicament Québec for its support and are delighted to join forces with Université Laval and TransBIOTech to advance this important project."
"Efficient delivery of RNA remains an unsolved challenge. The support offered by MQ and MEIE will enable us to improve vaccine technologies and consolidate Quebec's leadership position in this sector," said Professor Bruno Gaillet, Director of Activities and Professor at Université Laval.
At TransBIOTech, we are proud to bring our expertise in preclinical validation to this promising collaboration," added Frédéric Couture, Ph.D., Head of Pharmacology at TransBIOTech. By working together with Feldan Thérapeutiques and Université Laval, we hope to accelerate the development of RNA-based therapies and help overcome major obstacles to drug delivery. This project is a perfect illustration of our mission to support biotech companies in the development of innovative therapeutic solutions for patients."
What is mRNA?
Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is a molecule that carries genetic instructions from DNA to ribosomes, the cellular "factories" responsible for protein production.
About Feldan:
Feldan is a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in the development of drugs based on intracellular delivery. Feldan has developed the Feldan Shuttle, a proprietary peptide-based technology that enables safe, rapid and efficient local delivery of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) inside cells. This technology paves the way for a new generation of treatments by providing access to otherwise inaccessible intracellular targets.
Feldan's pipeline focuses on skin and lung diseases. The company is currently conducting a Phase 1/2a clinical trial of FLD-103, a non-surgical treatment for basal cell carcinoma (BCC). To offer patients transformative new treatments, Feldan is advancing FLD-201, an inhaled therapy for bronchiectasis (NCFB), currently in preclinical development, while continuing to optimize its technology for broader therapeutic applications.
For more information: www.feldan.com
About the consortium and collaborators:
Professor Bruno Gaillet, from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Université Laval, is leading the activities of this initiative. Academic collaborators include Professor Alain Garnier (Department of Chemical Engineering, Université Laval), as well as Dr. Carole-Ann Huppé and Dr. Frédéric Couture of TransBIOTech. Based in Lévis, Quebec, TransBIOTech is a college-based technology transfer center (CCTT) recognized for its expertise in customized in vitro and in vivo validation, helping to accelerate the preclinical development of new molecules and delivery approaches. Feldan is acting as an industrial partner in this initiative, under the leadership of Dr David Guay, Vice-President - Technology and Innovation, and Dr Al Halifa Soultan, R&D Director, who will ensure the development and optimization of the Feldan Shuttle platform.
About Médicament Québec:
Médicament Québec (MQ), an initiative funded by the Quebec government, brings together research and educational institutions and companies around a common project. It aims to increase the autonomy and dynamism of Quebec and Canada in bioinnovation and biomanufacturing. MQ supports structuring and collaborative academic research activities to strengthen local drug supply chains.
