Ciloa SAS: 10 Key Things You Must Know

Overview

Ciloa SAS is a pioneering French biotechnology company specialized in the bioengineering of extracellular vesicles (EVs), particularly small extracellular vesicles (sEVs, also known as exosomes), which it harnesses to develop innovative therapeutics and preventive medical solutions. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Montpellier, France, Ciloa utilizes its proprietary technology to engineer sEV proteins, transforming these natural cellular messengers into novel therapeutic agents with broad medical applications. The company’s work holds promise in critical fields such as metabolic diseases, oncology, rare diseases, and age-related conditions. This article explores Ciloa’s groundbreaking technology, therapeutic candidates, recent funding milestones, and its potential impact on future medicine.

1. Origins and Focus on Extracellular Vesicles

Founded in 2011 as a spin-off from CNRS and the University of Montpellier, Ciloa SAS focuses on exploiting the natural properties of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs). sEVs are tiny lipid bilayer vesicles secreted by cells that carry proteins, RNA, and other molecules to communicate intercellularly. Recognizing their role as potent natural messengers, Ciloa bioengineers these vesicles to incorporate medically relevant proteins, enabling targeted therapy delivery and immune modulation. This unique approach distinguishes Ciloa from traditional drug development, opening avenues for treatments where conventional methods face challenges.

2. Ciloa’s EVENGI Bioengineering Platform

Central to Ciloa’s innovation is its proprietary EVENGI platform, which bioengineers sEVs to display or encapsulate over 130 different proteins with native conformations. This highly versatile technology allows loading varied membrane proteins — including G-protein coupled receptors and ion channels — either embedded in the membrane or inside the vesicle’s lumen, enabling the targeting of traditionally "undruggable" protein families. The platform supports scalable production, purification, and qualification processes adhering to industrial and regulatory standards, resulting in stable, ready-to-use therapeutic vesicles.

3. Therapeutic Applications: Metabolic Diseases Lead

Ciloa’s lead therapeutic candidate, APN-sEV, leverages the company’s bioengineering approach to deliver adiponectin — a hormone vital to energy metabolism and known as the "Guardian Angel" for its insulin-sensitizing, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative effects. APN-sEV has demonstrated remarkable preclinical efficacy against metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity, disorders affecting nearly two billion people worldwide. Unlike currently available treatments, APN-sEV not only improves insulin sensitivity and lipid oxidation but uniquely preserves muscle mass, offering comprehensive metabolic benefits and improved patient outcomes.

4. Clinical Development and Recent Funding Success

In July 2025, Ciloa secured €6.5 million in government funding from France 2030 under the “Innovation in Biotherapies and Biomanufacturing” call. This significant grant supports the scalable Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) production of APN-sEV, regulatory preclinical studies, and the initiation of Phase I clinical trials planned for 2027, followed by Phase IIa in 2028. The funding through the DIADEME project marks a critical milestone, enabling clinical validation of their first-in-class adiponectin-exosome therapeutic to address obesity and type 2 diabetes.

5. Expanding Medical Fields: Oncology, Rare Diseases, and Vaccines

Beyond metabolic indications, Ciloa explores therapeutic sEVs for oncology, rare diseases, aging-related illnesses, and vaccines against emerging viral threats. Their vesicles’ natural ability to act as immunomodulators and deliver functional membrane proteins creates opportunities for novel immunotherapies and vaccine designs without the use of viruses, reducing safety concerns. This versatility positions Ciloa’s technology as a platform capable of addressing diverse and complex medical challenges through personalized and precise interventions.

6. Robust Manufacturing and Stability Advantages

Production of extracellular vesicles at scale is technically challenging. Ciloa’s 20 years of accumulated expertise in EV purification and engineering have resulted in a uniquely robust production process. Their developed method ensures repeatability and high yields under industrial conditions. Moreover, their bioengineered sEVs demonstrate exceptional stability, remaining effective for years when refrigerated. This stability makes their therapeutics cost-effective and practical for widespread clinical use, overcoming key manufacturing obstacles common in biologics.

7. Strategic Leadership and Expertise

Ciloa’s leadership team combines deep scientific knowledge and industry experience. Co-founder and CEO Robert Zaïne Mamoun, a molecular virology specialist, leads the company with a focus on translational research bridging basic science and clinical application. The research is supported by collaborations with academic institutions and competitive bioclusters such as Eurobiomed. This leadership underpins Ciloa’s technological advancements and ongoing progression toward clinical milestones.

8. Clinical Pipeline and Future Prospects

Following APN-sEV's anticipated clinical trials, Ciloa plans to advance its pipeline of bioengineered vesicles targeting additional proteins relevant to various diseases. The EVENGI platform’s modular nature allows rapid development of new candidates by swapping or combining therapeutic proteins. This flexibility enables Ciloa to adapt quickly to emerging health needs and expand its therapeutic repertoire, positioning the company for long-term innovation and impact in bio-therapies.

9. Ciloa's Role in the Growing Exosome Therapeutics Market

The exosome therapeutics market is rapidly expanding globally, driven by advances in extracellular vesicle research and growing demands for innovative treatment modalities. Ciloa is recognized as a pioneer in this field, uniquely combining native membrane protein presentation with engineered therapeutic delivery. Analysts forecast significant market growth in metabolic, oncological, and immunological therapies, with companies like Ciloa contributing to leading-edge drug discovery and biomanufacturing innovations.

10. Commitment to Affordable and Accessible Medicines

A key ambition of Ciloa is to develop therapies that have maximum patient reach by ensuring affordability. Their approach enables producing therapeutic vesicles in small effective doses, which can lower manufacturing costs and facilitate accessibility. By creating stable, scalable, and affordable bioengineered sEV-based medicines, Ciloa aims to impact global health significantly, especially for chronic diseases with high prevalence and limited treatment options.

Conclusion

Ciloa SAS exemplifies cutting-edge innovation in biotechnology by harnessing the natural messaging system of extracellular vesicles to design a new generation of therapeutics. Its pioneering EVENGI platform enables precise engineering of bioactive vesicles for treating metabolic disorders, rare diseases, cancer, and infections. With promising preclinical data and robust funding backing, Ciloa is advancing toward clinical trials that may transform chronic disease management, especially obesity and type 2 diabetes. Their success could open broad new frontiers in bio-drug development, offering hope for safer, more effective, and accessible medical solutions. As the science of exosomes evolves, Ciloa stands at its forefront, inviting the medical community and patients to anticipate a future where nature’s own messengers become medicine.