From an end-user perspective, the value proposition of the hybrid silica platform is to make better use of an active agent: protect it so it does not degrade, deliver it to where it can be most effective, amplify its functionality or integrate additional functionalities.
C•spec™ particles, HST’s first commercial products, are nanoscale particles that enhance the properties of fluorescent dyes, which are used in many applications across the life sciences. By making fluorescent dyes brighter and more photostable, we can enable two key user groups:
• Researchers can visualize new structures and events that that others cannot see
• Clinicians can more clearly distinguish diseased tissue from and detect diseases at earlier stages when therapeutic options are broader and more effective
These user groups have additional motivation to base their development programs on this platform because C•spec™ particles have great potential for clinical translation. Comprised of amorphous silica, a benign substance that is ingested in foods, C•spec™ particles injected into the bloodstream have shown no toxic effects in initial in vivo studies in mice at the Cornell School of Veterinary Medicine. Large volume collaborators and users also appreciate that silica poses minimal disposal issues; competing materials such as quantum dots contain cadmium and lead, which are both toxic and known carcinogens.
The hybrid silica platform is extremely versatile, which creates a number of value propositions beyond dye enhancement. For example, particles can be functionalized to include magnetic materials for enhanced MR contrast or magnetotaxis as well as mesoporous shells to contain and deliver drugs.
The products developed for users of fluorescent dyes in life sciences are also applicable to other industries. Often times, these dyes do not have to be as pure in these other applications, so their costs are much lower and the resulting encapsulated dyes are more affordable. More detail is provided in the section on C•spec™ particles or interested parties can contact the Company directly.
