About
A cage you can program
nCage develops unique programmable synthetic virus-like particles, used as vaccines or as drug delivery systems
Established in 2019 and based in Kraków, Poland, with operations at NETPark in the UK
What we bring
Develop
Development of a novel technology for respiratory vaccines
Technology
Unique, patent-protected TRAP-cage technology
Efficacy
Preclinical animal data have demonstrated excellent efficacy of our platform
People
A team of leading scientists and globally experienced biotech professionals
Our team
Founders and management
Research leadership from Cambridge, Oxford and RIKEN, alongside commercial leadership from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim and Sanofi.
John V. Bason, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
Christopher Kaplan
Chief Business Officer & Co-Founder
Katarzyna Deoniziak
Finance Director
Jonathan Heddle, Ph.D., D.Sc.
Chief Scientific Officer & Co-Founder
Izabela Stupka, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist
Supervisory Board
Jarosław Oleszczuk, MD, Ph.D.
Chair of the Supervisory Board
Danuta Earnshaw, Ph.D.
Supervisory Board Member
Aleksander Kłósek
Supervisory Board Member
Anna Wojciechowska, Ph.D.
Supervisory Board Member
Milestones
From a structure to a pipeline
Scientific and business milestones since the company was founded.
2023
- ScientificIn-mice immune response for a viral vaccine, attached externally.
- BusinessFirst patent accepted.
- Q3 · ScientificNeutralising antibody results.
2022
- ScientificIn-mice immune response for a test antigen attached externally, with MSD.
- BusinessExtensive partnership agreed with leading UK scientists and the University of Nottingham.
2021
- ScientificCapture of internal cargo and delivery to cells.
- BusinessSecond licensing agreement with Jagiellonian University.
- BusinessPrepared and filed three additional patents.
2020
- BusinessCollaboration agreement with MSD.
- BusinessCommercial agreement with UJ/MCB for laboratory space.
2019
- ScientificProduction and structure determination of an artificial protein cage.
- Q4 · BusinessFirst licensing agreement with Jagiellonian University.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to what we are asked most often about the company and the platform
- What is nCage Therapeutics?
- nCage Therapeutics is a biotechnology company established in 2019 and based in Kraków, Poland, with operations at NETPark in the United Kingdom. It develops programmable synthetic protein cages, called TRAP-cages, which are used both as vaccines and as drug delivery systems.
- What is a TRAP-cage?
- A TRAP-cage is a synthetic virus-like particle assembled from twenty-four rings of the bacterial TRAP protein, held together at their vertices by gold(I) ions. It is hollow, carries no genetic material of its own, and can either display biological material on its surface or transport cargo inside the cell.
- What makes TRAP-cages different from other virus-like particles?
- Programmable opening and closing, which is unique to the TRAP-cage platform. Other synthetic virus-like particles mount antigens only on the outside. A TRAP-cage is also loaded on the inside, holds that cargo shut in circulation, and releases it on cue once it reaches the target cell.
- How does the cage open on command?
- The gold(I) links that hold the protein rings together break in the presence of a reducing agent inside the cell. Nothing else about the cage has to change: the cage falls apart and delivers its payload where it is needed, rather than on the way there.
- What can a TRAP-cage carry?
- Proteins, peptides, nucleic acids and small molecule drugs. Both the exterior and the interior surfaces of the cage are readily modified, which is where most of the platform's potential sits.
- What is in nCage's pipeline?
- Three vaccine programmes built on the same platform: a combination RSV/hMPV vaccine at VLP design stage with the National Institutes of Health, phase start 2026; a combination Covid/flu vaccine at challenge animal experiment stage with the University of Nottingham, phase start 2026; and a Lyme disease vaccine at VLP design stage with Jagiellonian University, phase start 2027.
- Who founded nCage Therapeutics?
- The company was co-founded by John V. Bason, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer; Christopher Kaplan, Chief Business Officer; and Jonathan Heddle, Ph.D., D.Sc., Chief Scientific Officer.
- Where is nCage Therapeutics based?
- The company operates through two entities: nCage Therapeutics sp. z o.o. at ul. Profesora Michała Bobrzyńskiego 14, 30-348 Kraków, Poland, and nCage Ltd. at Orbit, Joseph Swan Road, NETPark, Sedgefield TS21 3FB, United Kingdom.
- How can I contact nCage Therapeutics?
- Write to info@ncage.org, or use the enquiry form on the contact page. Enquiries reach the team directly.