Small gold nanoparticles for alleviating skin inflammation

Overview

This invention entails a small gold nanoparticle for reducing chronic skin inflammation. We plan to commercialize the nanoparticle as a GMP cosmetic-grade skincare product, backed by investors, industrial partners, patient groups, manufacturing associations, and four granted patents from China, US, Hong Kong and Macau.

  • Small gold nanoparticles for alleviating skin inflammation 0
  • Small gold nanoparticles for alleviating skin inflammation 1
  • Small gold nanoparticles for alleviating skin inflammation 2
Technical name of innovation
A nanoparticle with 3-nm gold core and a shell of short 1-kDa polyethylene glycol strands with 30 mol% octadecyl chains
Research completion
2021
Commercialisation opportunities
Mass marketingNiche marketing
Problem addressed

While steroids are effective in treating skin inflammation, they raise significant concerns regarding side effects such as skin atrophy and wrinkling. Our gold nanoparticles (NPs) treat skin inflammation in mice without the aid of known chemical (e.g., steroids) or biological (e.g., antibodies) drugs.

Innovation
  • Our gold NP has a small overall size (<15 nm) for penetrating the stratum corneum and skin lesions without the aid of ointment or excipient.
  • Our gold NP has alkyl chains (30 mol% octadecyl) for boosting uptake by epidermal cells
  • Our gold NP marks the first demonstration of a self-therapeutic gold NP for skin inflammation; no drugs (chemical or biological) or application of external physical stimuli (light or heat) are required.
Key impact
  • This product promises a significant advancement in healthcare, with the primary goal of revolutionizing preventive options for the public and treatment options for patients with skin inflammation [including but not limited to psoriasis (2-3% globally) and eczema (20-30% globally)].
  • Our key safety and efficacy will be supported by clinical trials.
  • Our product is more efficacious than conventional creams, moisturizers, or gold-infused, non-NP-containing skin skincare products, and it is more affordable than biologics or drug inhibitors that are, while safe and effective, pose a heavy lifelong burden economic on average patients.
  • We will nurture industrial and regulatory talents with technical knowhow in quality assurance (QA), GMP, and GLP. We will enhance the quality of biomedical solutions and ensure their clearance by international regulatory standards.
Award
  • Our product received gold medal award from 5th Asia Exhibition of Innovations and Inventions Hong Kong (2025)
  • The preclinical and early clinical studies on our product are partially funded by the Passion for Perfection Scheme from the CUHK Faculty of Medicine and Li Ka Shing Foundation.
Application
  • Alleviate skin inflammation as a cosmetic product
  • Alleviate psoriasis as a therapeutic product
  • Alleviate eczema as a therapeutic product

Patent

  • China Patent No.: 202210184252.9 (19/6/2024)
  • US Patent No.: 12433958 (10/7/2025)
  • HK Patent No.: HK40079335 (15/11/2024)
  • Macau Patent No.: J/008884 (15/1/2025)
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)

Founded in 1963, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a forward-looking comprehensive research university with a global vision and a mission to combine tradition with modernity, and to bring together China and the West. CUHK teachers and students hail from all around the world. Four Nobel laureates are associated with the university, and it is the only tertiary institution in Hong Kong with recipients of the Nobel Prize, Turing Award, Fields Medal and Veblen Prize sitting as faculty in residence. CUHK graduates are connected worldwide through an extensive alumni network. CUHK undertakes a wide range of research programmes in many subject areas, and strives to provide scope for all academic staff to undertake consultancy and collaborative projects with industry. 

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