The HPAE Gene Delivery Platform
Effective gene delivery is the single largest bottleneck limiting widespread clinical adoption of genetic therapies. Our proprietary hyperbranched poly(β-amino ester) platform delivers a fully biodegradable, modular polymer solution designed for all classes of nucleic acid cargo across research, biomanufacturing and clinical therapeutic applications.
Successful genetic medicine relies equally on therapeutic cargo and delivery vehicle performance
Any gene therapy or transfection workflow depends on three core performance pillars: high intracellular delivery efficiency, minimal cellular toxicity and scalable manufacturing compatibility. Linear cationic polymers and viral vectors each carry significant limitations; HPAE hyperbranched architecture resolves these competing requirements simultaneously.
Efficiency
Safety
Scalability
Full cargo adaptability
UCD-origin modular biodegradable polymer architecture
Developed from over a decade of Professor Wenxin Wang’s UCD lab research, HPAE polymers feature dense hyperbranched functional group topology, enabling reversible electrostatic binding of DNA, mRNA, siRNA and CRISPR RNPs, paired with complete intracellular biodegradability to eliminate persistent cellular toxicity risks.
Linear polymers
Limited binding sites, higher toxicity, restricted cargo range.
HPAE hyperbranched
Dense functional topology, reversible complexation, full biodegradation.
Inside an HPAE delivery event
- 1
Genetic cargo
mRNA, siRNA, plasmid DNA or CRISPR ribonucleoproteins are presented to the HPAE polymer in a chemically defined, animal-component-free medium.
- 2
HPAE encapsulation
Dense hyperbranched topology reversibly complexes the nucleic acid through electrostatic binding, forming a compact, stable polyplex.
- 3
Cell membrane interaction
The polyplex engages the cell surface and is internalised through endocytosis, preserving cell viability.
- 4
Endosomal escape
Protonation of the poly(β-amino ester) backbone destabilises the endosome, releasing the polyplex into the cytosol.
- 5
Intracellular cargo release
Hydrolysis of the ester backbone unpacks the genetic cargo and fully biodegrades the carrier, leaving no persistent polymer behind.
Differentiating HPAE platform advantages
Tunable Modular Architecture
Polymer branching, molecular weight and surface chemistry fully customised to match cell type and cargo requirements.
Full Biodegradability
A hydrolysable ester backbone eliminates long-term polymer accumulation in treated tissue.
Broad Cargo Compatibility
Supports plasmids, mRNA, siRNA, CRISPR RNPs and recombinant protein delivery.
Scalable Reproducible Synthesis
Controlled lab-to-GMP manufacturing workflows with consistent batch performance.
Branca Bunús established ISO Class 7 cleanroom polymer synthesis facilities, complete analytical characterisation and cell-based functional testing pipelines for full platform validation.
One platform, multi-sector applications
HPAE
Core platform
Plasmid DNA transfection (commercialised via PolyGene)
mRNA delivery for transient therapeutic expression
CRISPR gene editing RNP delivery (BrB101 core technology)
Viral vector upstream production (BrPERfect reagent line)
Recombinant protein and antibody expression
Novel in-vivo clinical genetic medicines (BrB pipeline focus)
HPAE technology undergoes perpetual iterative engineering and biological validation
Our internal R&D team continuously designs modified HPAE variants to expand tissue tropism, boost delivery efficiency and expand compatible therapeutic modalities for future pipeline programmes and joint partner projects.
Scientific polymer design
In vitro biological evaluation
Formulation optimisation
Next-generation polymer iteration
The HPAE platform’s modular design creates long-term innovation potential far beyond today’s transfection reagents and early Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa therapies. Ongoing polymer engineering targets expanded use cases across oncology, regenerative medicine and immunotherapy genetic programmes.