Aphios
core enabling technologies are based on exploiting the fundamental
properties of near-critical, critical and supercritical
fluids such as carbon dioxide with or without polar cosolvents
such as ethanol (SuperFluids™).
When compressed, these fluids exhibit enhanced thermodynamic
properties of penetration, selection, solvation and expansion.
These fluids simultaneously behave like a gas and a liquid,
having properties of both. For example, they can move with
the speed of a gas, thus decreasing processing times while
having the solvation capacity of a liquid. Interfacial tension
typically goes to zero, allowing them to rapidly penetrate
microporous materials.
As
shown to the right, Aphios has exploited the unique properties
of SuperFluids™ on a cellular level for rapidly and
selectively “extracting” bioactive compounds,
enhancing the manufacturing of rare and complex naturally
occurring therapeutics. These fluids replace toxic organic
solvents and are readily recycled. As such, they are reusable
and environmentally friendly.
Aphios’
patented pathogen inactivation process utilizes SuperFluids™
to rapidly penetrate microbes and virions and, by rapid
expansion of the SuperFluids™ into a gaseous phase,
cause them to experience the “bends,” resulting
in rapid “breaking” and inactivation. This technique
is purely physical and does not depend on heat, irradiation
or chemicals to inactivate both enveloped and non-enveloped
viruses without damaging or denaturing proteins. Based on
a similar rapid expansion mechanism, Aphios has also patented
SuperFluids™ for the solvent-free generation of protein
nanoparticles without reduction in protein integrity and
efficacy.
By
reverse engineering the platform, Aphios has developed and
patented SuperFluids™ technologies for the “making”
or formation of polymeric nanospheres for the controlled
delivery and release of macromolecular proteins, and phospholipid
nanosomes (small uniform liposomes) for the enhanced delivery
of anticancer drugs. The integrity of these products is
sustained during manufacturing by avoiding the use of toxic
organic solvents and eliminating/minimizing the potential
of having residual organic solvents in the final therapeutic
product.
Aphios
has combined its technologies for effectively “breaking”
and selectively “extracting” cellular biomass
with the online capability to adjust SuperFluids™
polarity for rapidly “fractionating” medicinal
plants, marine organisms and extremophiles in novel and
patented processes to discover natural anticancer and antiviral
therapeutics, and quality-of-life medicines.
Aphios’
enhanced therapeutic products in development are based on
these patented enabling technology platforms.
