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 to accelerate the development of mRNA-based therapies using the Feldan Shuttle endosomal escape technology.
The project has been awarded 1.5 million CAD in grant by Médicament Québec (MQ), an initiative funded by Québec’s Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie (MEIE), aimed at strengthening Québec’s and Canada’s autonomy and dynamism in bioinnovation and biomanufacturing. It will be conducted in collaboration with Activity Director Pr. Bruno Gaillet (Université Laval) and TransBIOTech.
Pivotal to this initiative is the Feldan Shuttle (“the Shuttle”), a proprietary delivery platform developed by Feldan’s team to address delivery and endosomal entrapment: a long-standing barrier to RNA-based therapeutic development. While this type of therapeutic has recently led to breakthroughs in drug and vaccine development, progress in this field is hindered by the sequestration of RNA-based molecules in endosomes – a cell compartment that naturally sorts and traps extracellular molecules preventing them from reaching the intracellular space – limiting their therapeutic effectiveness. The Shuttle has been developed with the goal of overcoming this barrier.
Rationally designed from naturally occurring cell-penetrating peptides and endosomal leakage domains, the Shuttle platform promotes rapid delivery and efficient escape from endosomes, enabling therapeutic agents, such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), to engage their intended targets and achieve a therapeutic response. In this project, Feldan and its collaborators aim to integrate the endosomal escape function of the Shuttle to nanoparticle (LNP) platform, addressing a major limitation of this widely used delivery system for mRNA medicines.
“This collaboration supports our ongoing efforts to expand the applicability and impact of the Feldan Shuttle platform,” said Dr. François-Thomas Michaud, CEO of Feldan Therapeutics. “By harnessing endosomal escape and improving how RNA-based therapies are delivered, we can accelerate progress toward new treatment options for patients. We are thankful for the support from MQ and thrilled to join forces with Université Laval and TransBIOTech as we move this important work forward together.”
“Effective delivery of RNA is a still unresolved challenge. This opportunity offered by MQ and the MEIE will make it possible to improve vaccine technology and strengthen Quebec’s leadership position in the sector, said Pr. Bruno Gaillet, Activity Director and Professor at Université Laval”
“At TransBIOTech, we are proud to contribute our expertise in preclinical validation to this promising collaboration,” said Dr. Frédéric Couture, Head of Pharmacology at TransBIOTech. “By working alongside Feldan Therapeutics and Université Laval, we aim to accelerate the development of RNA-based therapies and help overcome key barriers in drug delivery. This project reflects our mission to support biotech companies in bringing forward innovative therapeutic solutions for patients.”
What is mRNA:
Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is a type of RNA that carries genetic instructions from DNA to the cell’s protein-making machinery (ribosomes).
About Feldan:
Feldan is a clinical-stage biotech company that specializes in the development of treatments based on the intracellular delivery of therapeutics. Feldan has developed the Feldan Shuttle, a proprietary peptide-based technology that enables safe, rapid, and efficient local delivery of antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) to cells. This technology unlocks the potential for a new generation of therapeutics by giving access to intracellular targets that are otherwise beyond reach.
Feldan’s pipeline focuses on diseases affecting the skin and lungs. The company is conducting a Phase 1/2a clinical trial of FLD-103, a non-surgical treatment for basal cell carcinoma (BCC). To offer additional life-changing therapeutics to patients, Feldan is advancing FLD-201, an inhaled therapy for non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB), currently in preclinical development, while further developing its Shuttle technology for broader therapeutic applications.
For more information: www.feldan.com
About the Consortium and Collaborators:
Pr. Bruno Gaillet serves as the Activity Director of this initiative. Dr. Gaillet is a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Université Laval. Academic collaborators include Dr. Alain Garnier, also a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Université Laval, as well as Dr. Carole-Ann Huppé and Dr. Frédéric Couture from TransBIOTech. Based in Lévis (QC), TransBIOTech is a College technology transfer centre (CCTT) and a trusted partner for biotechnology companies, recognized for its expertise in customized in vitro and in vivo validation to accelerate the preclinical development of new molecules and delivery approaches. Feldan is the industry collaborator on this initiative. Dr. David Guay (VP of Technology and Innovation) and Dr. Al Halifa Soultan (R&D Director) will lead the development and optimization of the Feldan Shuttle platform.
About Médicament Québec:
Médicament Québec (MQ), an initiative funded by the Government of Québec, brings together research and teaching institutions as well as companies around a shared mission. Its goal is to strengthen Québec’s and Canada’s autonomy and dynamism in bioinnovation and biomanufacturing. MQ supports large-scale, collaborative academic research initiatives that reinforce local supply chains in the field of medicines.