AXF Pathfinder

Micropores membrane technology is ideal for creating complex formulations and to solve formulation challenges to deliver the highest performing, most efficient, cost-effective formulated delivery systems. Micropore’s patented crossflow membrane technology is used in applications including pharmaceuticals/ medicines, food/ nutrition, cosmetics/ skincare, household products, agrochemicals/ farming and construction.

Some of the most recent applications include:

• Liposomes & Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs)

Liposomes and LNPs are amphiphilic structures used as drug delivery vehicles to encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). LNPs have gained prominence recently due to their ability to deliver therapeutic payloads, including DNA and mRNA for vaccines, precisely through treating their surface with proteins allowing highly specific binding to a target cell type.

Publication: Production of mRNA lipid nanoparticles using advanced crossflow micromixing

• Fragrance encapsulation

Fragrance chemicals can be found in laundry detergents, soaps and personal care products, however fragrances exhibit high volatility and rapidly lose their aroma or, worse, transform into unpleasant odours, if subject to prolonged atmospheric exposure. Microencapsulation of the fragrance material applies a protective coating. Micropore Encapsulation technologies can provide the repeatability, reproducibility and fine control not previously offered by historic emulsification techniques.

• API Crystallisation

Crystallisation defines an APIs physical properties and ability to deliver the desired therapeutic effect and to avoid undesirable effect  Micropore’s robust continuous membrane technology can eliminate many of the issues faced by both batch cooled and anti-solvent approaches to crystallisation and is scalable to tonnes per hour.

• Core-shell coacervation in drug delivery

Complex coacervation involves the microencapsulation of products where the core is surrounded by a shell (2 – 300 μm) which protects it against degradation while enabling control over payload delivery under specific conditions. Eg. Selective encapsulation of therapeutic nucleotides, such as miRNA mimics, small interfering RNAs, and transcripts to accommodate a wide range of therapeutic strategies including inhibition of atherogenic miR-33a in atherosclerosis.

• Hydrogels in drug delivery & biomedical engineering

Hydrogels consist of tunable 3D, hydrophilic, polymeric networks that protect labile drugs from degradation and assist their controlled release. Currently, hydrogels are used for manufacturing contact lenses, hygiene products, wound dressings, tissue engineering scaffolds and drug delivery systems. Micropores’ Membrane emulsification overcomes many existing production challenges by forming hydrogel droplets directly as a w/o emulsion. Precise size control can be achieved with perfectly spherical droplets in sizes less than 50μm.

• Sustained release PLGA microspheres

PLGA (Poly (lactic acid-co-glycolic acid)) is used for surgical implants and sutures because of its biodegradability, biocompatibility and sustained-release properties. However PLGA is not easy to formulate into sustained release drug products meaning inventor drug products and generic versions remain scarce with only 20 drugs approved in 30+ years. Micropore’s technology is an inherently gentle process that results in very high-quality microspheres when using a double emulsion process, because the primary emulsion is not broken during secondary emulsification. Micropore’s continuous manufacturing technology offers no risk in scaleup. No product degradation – Right size first time – Reduced compliance issues.

• Silica particles

Mesoporous silica particles (MSP) have gained wide popularity over recent years because of their advantages of uniform and tunable pore size, easy independent functionalisation of the surface, internal and external pores and the gating mechanism of the pore opening make it a distinctive drug carrier. Their high loading capacity due to the large pore volume and surface engineering properties allows for better drug targeting. These versatile carriers can be used for loading a variety of cargos ranging from drugs to macromolecules such as proteins, DNA and RNA.

• Phase Change Materials

Phase change materials (PCMs) allow the storage of large amounts of latent heat during phase transition. They have the potential to both increase the effciency of renewable energies such as solar power through storage of excess energy, and to reduce overall energy demand through passive thermal regulation. NASA has identified more than a hundred of these materials. In addition to passive energy storage, they have application in thermoregulated fabrics, high power electronics, telecommunication installations and microprocessors. PCMs are not suitable for use without prior encapsulation. Encapsulation in a shell material provides benefits including protection of the PCM from the external environment and increased specific surface area to improve heat transfer.

What is the Micropore Pathfinder used for? 

The Micropore AXF-Pathfinder is a compact, benchtop system used for the rapid, efficient, and scalable production of nanoparticles, particularly in the development of mRNA-based vaccines and RNA/LNP (lipid nanoparticle) therapeutics. It uses advanced crossflow mixing technology to create uniform, monodisperse particles, enabling seamless scaling from formulation development to commercial GMP manufacturing.

What is advanced crossflow mixing?

Advanced crossflow (AXF™) mixing is a precise, low-shear membrane technology used to create emulsions, suspensions, and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) with extremely tight size distributions. By passing fluids across a precision-engineered membrane, it offers continuous, scalable, and contamination-free mixing for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food applications

How does crossflow technology work?

The Pathfinder uses Advanced Crossflow (AXF) mixing technology, which formulates nanoparticles through controlled fluid dynamics rather than traditional batch methods, enabling precise and reproducible nanoparticle production.

What are the advantages of the AXF Pathfinder?

The Micropore AXF Pathfinder is a compact, integrated benchtop system designed for the formulation and development of nanoparticles, specifically for Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) therapeutics, mRNA vaccines, and drug delivery systems. It utilizes Micropore’s patented advanced crossflow (AXF) membrane technology, which offers significant advantages in efficiency, scalability, and cost over traditional mixing methods

What applications is the Pathfinder suitable for?

The Pathfinder is suitable for producing liposomes, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), polymer nanoparticles, microspheres, and crystalline materials, primarily for genomic medicine and drug delivery applications.

What is the throughput capacity of the Pathfinder?

In high-throughput mode the Pathfinder can fill a 96-well plate in under 60 seconds. Sample volume range is 0.2 mL (Discover Mode) to 250 mL (Produce Mode) depending on the model. An aseptic unit containing multiple membranes can be customised for the required operating throughput up to 1500 L/hr.

Can the Pathfinder be used for genomic medicine production?

Yes. The Pathfinder is specifically designed to accelerate nanoparticle formulation development including genomic medicines. The Pathfinder PRO 250 is GMP certified, and the Horizon LNP Mini PRO production-scale system supports 21 CFR Part 11 compliance.

What sample volumes does the Pathfinder handle?

The Pathfinder handles sample volumes from 0.2 mL (Discover Mode) up to 250 mL (Produce Mode). Continuous production is available via the companion Horizon system.

How does the Pathfinder ensure reproducibility?

The Pathfinder achieves reproducibility through controlled AXF mixing, delivering narrow particle size distributions with a coefficient of variation of approximately 10% and encapsulation efficiency typically exceeding 98%.

What is the difference between Discover and Develop modes?

Discover Mode uses minimal sample volumes (~200 uL) to identify optimal processing conditions such as flow rate. Develop Mode produces larger quantities for comprehensive testing and preclinical studies.

Can the Pathfinder be scaled up for production?

Yes. The range includes three main models: Pathfinder PRO 125 (lab-scale), Pathfinder PRO 250 (clinical-scale with GMP certification), and the Horizon LNP Mini (production-scale with 21 CFR Part 11 compliance).

What types of nanoparticles can be produced with the Pathfinder?

The Pathfinder can produce liposomes, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), polymer nanoparticles, microspheres, and crystalline materials.

Why is the Pathfinder important for nanoparticle formulation development?

The Pathfinder provides GMP-ready nanoparticle production from day one, helping researchers and companies scale from R&D to clinical manufacturing seamlessly without switching to a different technology platform. It has the capacity to use a formulation created on virtually any other platform to distinguish optimal scale up conditions.

How is the Pathfinder different from microfluidic approaches?

Unlike traditional microfluidic approaches such as Impingement Jet Mixing, the Pathfinder uses lower shear and vanishingly low pressure, crucial for maintaining the stability of delicate formulations like mRNA-LNPs. It uses a single, reusable, consistent technology throughout development, keeping production costs low without expensive consumables. Constructed from durable 316L stainless steel, it allows thorough industrial cleaning and sterilisation, making it ideal for GMP environments.

Who uses the Pathfinder?

Biotech companies, pharmaceutical developers, and academic labs focused on nanomedicine research use the Pathfinder for drug delivery, vaccine development, gene therapy, and other nanomedicine applications.

Can I have a demonstration or free trial of the Pathfinder?

Yes, if a system is available. Contact us for a booking. We can arrange a personalised demo and test your samples within our lab facility in Sydney. Onsite free trials are also available. Contact us or complete a request a demo form to get started.