Optimizing Lipid Tail Structure for Specified Organ Targeting Using mRNA LNPs

New research from February of this year is discovering how mRNA can target different organs within the body. Typically, mRNA lipid nanoparticles have an affinity for targeting the liver and the spleen making targeting other areas of the body with mRNA challenging. However, by changing the tails of the lipids, these mRNA LNPs are able to navigate to other major organs. N-series lipids were discovered to be able to target the lungs as opposed to O-series lipids that usually are attracted to the liver. Additionally, by changing the orientation of the N-series tails on the lipid structure, researchers were able to selectively target different pulmonary cells. They were able to successfully target the lung in animal studies and reduce tumor sites in a lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), harmful lung disease, model.

"Lung-selective mRNA delivery of synthetic lipid nanoparticles for the treatment of pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis"