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DelAQUA Pharmaceuticals and Oxaphil Announce Strategic Collaboration
DelAQUA Pharmaceuticals and Oxaphil Announce Strategic Collaboration to Broaden the Use of Polyoxazolines for Advanced Drug Delivery Solutions
Dresden – February 6, 2026 – Oxaphil today announced a strategic collaboration with DelAQUA Pharmaceutical, Inc. to utilize Oxaphil’s innovative and precise polyoxazoline (POx) synthesis expertise to advance DelAQUA’s polymer-based formulation approach to drug delivery. The partnership combines Oxaphil’s skill in providing complex and well-defined polymers with DelAQUA’s breakthrough solubility-enhancing technology to deliver next-generation drug delivery solutions to pharmaceutical and biotech partners worldwide.
DelAQUA’s polymeric micelle platform represents a significant advancement in addressing the challenges of formulating poorly soluble and unstable active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The technology utilizes novel POx polymers at low concentrations to dramatically improve API solubility while maintaining the high drug loading attainable with POx polymers. By increasing solubility in this way, the complexity of parenteral and oral formulations is decreased to the benefit of the patient. This approach has shown promise in enhancing therapeutic efficacy and oral bioavailability while minimizing adverse side effects associated with the high excipient loads found in conventional delivery systems.
As DelAQUA sets its sights on drug delivery applications for a broad array of products, we immediately identified the Oxaphil team as the ideal development partner. They not only bring sparkling technical capabilities in polyoxazoline synthesis, they also have the agility and creativity necessary for successful outcomes for our more advanced drug delivery concepts in development. In addition, we think that this collaboration could act as an open invitation to the broader POx ecosystem to jointly address the challenges the industry will face in the coming years.
Bruce L. Frank, PhD, President and Chief Scientific Officer, DelAQUA Pharmaceuticals
The collaboration addresses a critical industry need for highly pure and well defined POx for advanced formulation approaches that can improve the bioavailability, safety and stability of new drug products. By integrating Oxaphil’s ability to prepare complex but well-defined polymers with DelAQUA’s highly customizable and adaptive delivery platform the partnership will enable accelerated development timelines for formulations precisely aligned with DelAQUA’s and their partners’ target product profiles.
We are very pleased to further deepen our partnership with DelAQUA. Their formulation platform and application expertise perfectly complement Oxaphil’s capabilities as a manufacturer of highly defined POx materials. Together, we see significant potential to translate advanced polymer concepts into future-ready materials that can address real formulation challenges in drug delivery and help patients in the long run.
Dr. Erik Wegener, CEO, Oxaphil
POx materials have demonstrated their value in research for many years, but broad application requires the right partners and the right formulation context. Working closely with DelAQUA allows us to see these materials move from validated concepts into real pharmaceutical applications, where their structural versatility and performance can make a difference.
Dr. Laura Fietzke, CSO, Oxaphil
About DelAQUA Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
DelAQUA Pharmaceuticals is a specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that has developed a breakthrough drug formulation platform utilizing advanced polymeric micelle technology. DelAQUA’s proprietary platform improves the solubility and stability of active APIs by using novel polymers at low concentrations, effectively widening the therapeutic index of APIs while reducing formulation complexity. As demonstrated by DelAQUA’s collaborations with several multinational pharmaceutical companies, smaller pharmaceutical firms, and major research universities, the company’s technology has applications across multiple therapeutic areas. With the broad number of precise design properties available with this technology, novel drug formulations with improved therapeutic outcomes and additional intellectual property protection are on the horizon. The company is led by Bruce L. Frank, PhD, President and Chief Scientific Officer, a recognized expert in pharmaceutical drug product development and formulation science.
About Oxaphil
Oxaphil is a materials-focused deeptech company specializing in the scalable production of POx, a highly modular polymer platform for advanced pharmaceutical formulations. Using proprietary high-throughput technologies, Oxaphil enables the industrial-scale manufacturing of POx with defined composition, purity and performance.
POx materials are biocompatible, structurally tunable and well suited for solubility enhancement, drug delivery, and formulation stabilization. Oxaphil bridges the gap between academic innovation and real-world application by making research-proven POx materials reliably available for development and future GMP-relevant use.
Year end reflection
As the year comes to a close, we want to take a moment to pause and look back.
This year has been shaped by intense development work, meaningful discussions with customers and partners, and many steps that brought Oxaphil closer to real applications in pharma and cosmetics.
We are grateful to everyone who accompanied us along the way. Our partners for their trust and openness. Our customers for their concrete questions and honest feedback. Our supporters and the wider ecosystem for enabling progress through dialogue, expertise and encouragement. And especially our team for the commitment, responsibility and clarity with which challenges were tackled day after day.
Ending the year together on the trails of Saxon Switzerland felt just right. It reflects what drives us. Shared ambition, trust in each other and the willingness to move forward step by step.
We are looking forward to the coming year with focus, confidence and a clear sense of purpose.
Three events, one goal: understanding applications and enabling solutions
In the first week of June, Oxaphil participated in three leading events with one objective in mind: to understand what developers need from new materials and to show how POx can provide meaningful answers.
New formulation perspectives in Berlin
At the 2025 Drug Delivery & Formulation Summit in Berlin, Erik spoke about the potential of POx in pharmaceutical formulations. His focus was on key properties such as solubilization, biocompatibility and structural precision. Discussions clearly reflected the growing demand for adaptive materials. The news that POx are now available was met with strong interest and consistently positive feedback.
Real-world challenges in Munich
At the same time, Laura joined the CosmeticBusiness trade show in Munich, connecting with industry professionals across cosmetic development, emulsion stability and functional ingredients. The message from her conversations was clear. Most often, it was summed up as: “Let’s see it in action.”
Application spotlight in Erfurt
Meanwhile, Leonardo represented Oxaphil at the Investor Days Thuringia in Erfurt. His pitch focused on real-world use cases and target markets. The technological potential of POx was framed in the context of demand, scalability and relevance. Investor feedback was highly positive here as well.
Our conclusion
From drug delivery to solubilization and emulsion stabilization – POx offer practical answers to real-world formulation challenges. These three events once again demonstrated the value of engaging directly with those shaping innovation. That is exactly the path we are committed to at Oxaphil.
First POx Samples Delivered – A Milestone for Real-World Testing
Just four months after project launch, we have delivered the first samples of our poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx) to our collaboration partner DermaPurge. This marks an important milestone as we move from technology development into practical application.
The samples will be used for formulation testing under real-world conditions, providing valuable feedback from the field. Together with DemaPurge, we aim to unlock the full potential of our biocompatible polymer solutions – with the clear goal of creating innovative, high-performance alternatives to existing systems.
We look forward to the next steps in this collaboration.
Back from Amsterdam – Inspired, Connected, and Ready for the Next Steps!
At in-cosmetics Global, we had countless inspiring discussions about the potential of Poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx) in cosmetic formulations.
We are excited about the many partners who are ready to shape not only the #FutureOfPolymers but hopefully also the #FutureOfCosmetics with us. Together, we are now moving into the first application tests – and we are curious to see where the journey will take us.
A visitor survey confirmed what we also believe: true innovation in cosmetics starts with the ingredients.
A clear signal for change — and a perfect starting point for POx.
In addition to the successful networking and discussions, we also gathered valuable insights into key trends and developments shaping the industry.
A strong focus was placed on bio-based ingredients — from functional polymers derived from cellulose to natural emulsifiers sourced from food industry by-products. Marine resources like red algae and microalgae highlighted how sustainability and high performance can go hand in hand.
There was also a strong emphasis on actives: new carrier systems, stabilized formulations, and natural alternatives were widely discussed. The innovation spirit was palpable, especially regarding the advancement of formulation reagents and the use of functional polymers.
Above all, the exchange with developers, innovators, and partners from around the world provided valuable perspectives that will enrich our work at Oxaphil.
We look forward to integrating these impulses into our research, development, and daily practice — driving future-ready solutions forward.
From Lab to Market: Building Oxaphil with Strong Partners
Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation — it thrives through strong partnerships.
At Oxaphil, our journey started with research and development at the Chair of Macromolecular Chemistry at TU Dresden. Through the dresden|exists program, we received key support in our transition from lab to business. The TUD|excite initiative further helped translate our technology into practical applications.
Thanks to validation funding from the Saxon State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport (SMWA), we put our technology to the test early on and refined our processes. The EXIST startup grant from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), coordinated by the Project Management Jülich (PTJ), now enables us to fully establish Oxaphil.
Additional insights and networking opportunities through futureSAX continue to shape our path.
Without this support network, Oxaphil would not be where we are today — thank you to everyone who shares our vision!
In March, our team took part in the EXIST seminar in Berlin: two days of workshops, exchange, and team development — because building a strong team is essential for building a strong company.
Poly(2-oxazoline)s: Setting New Standards in Excipient Innovation
Efficient solubilizers are crucial for the formulation of active ingredients, cosmetic applications, and many other industries. Yet, the market continues to be dominated by polyethylene glycol (PEG) — a growing challenge: PEG can trigger antibody responses and other unwanted effects, significantly limiting its applicability.
Our solution: Poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx) — an innovative, highly biocompatible alternative to PEG. POx avoids PEG’s limitations while offering enhanced solubility, versatile chemical functionalities, and improved compatibility.
While POx has already been recognized in academia as a valuable substitute for PEG, we are taking the next step:
At Oxaphil, we produce high-quality POx materials at scale and develop tailor-made solutions for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Our mission: enabling the next generation of formulations.
Looking for a better alternative to PEG? Let’s start the conversation!