SYDNEY, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — Researchers in Australia have developed a technique that greatly improves targeted mRNA delivery to cells, paving the way for advanced therapies beyond vaccines.
The method marks a major advance in delivering mRNA precisely to cells, boosting treatment efficacy and minimizing off-target effects, or side effects, for future therapies, according to a statement released Tuesday by Monash University in Australia’s Melbourne.
Researchers developed a versatile method that captures and attaches antibodies in optimal orientation to mRNA-loaded “lipid nanoparticles” — tiny fat-based spheres that protect and deliver mRNA drugs to their destination, improving effectiveness and reducing side effects by targeting delivery.
This innovation, led by Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), has increased the binding of mRNA to target cells eightfold compared to conventional approaches and significantly reduced unintended delivery to other cells.
“This level of control opens up new possibilities for developing mRNA medicines with far greater specificity,” said MIPS PhD Moore Zhe Chen, co-lead author of the study published in Nature Nanotechnology.
Co-lead author, MIPS Associate Professor Angus Johnston, highlighted that efficient and precise mRNA delivery is critical to advance mRNA medicines beyond their current use as vaccines, building on the proven success of lipid nanoparticles in COVID-19 vaccines.
Unlike existing techniques that require antibody modification — potentially reducing their efficacy and limiting their application to vaccines — the MIPS method allows antibodies to be used unaltered, Johnston said.
“In this study, we used powerful imaging techniques to develop a simple antibody capture system that requires no modification of the antibody, and ensures the antibodies are attached onto lipid nanoparticles in an orientation that increases binding to target cells,” he said.
“This is vital for developing new mRNA medicines beyond vaccines.”
Preclinical studies confirmed the method’s effective delivery of mRNA to T cells in mice, with minimal off-target effects on other immune cells, according to the researchers.
The MIPS team is advancing this platform to enable precise mRNA delivery for targeted treatments in cancer, genetic disorders, and autoimmune diseases, where targeted therapies could dramatically improve outcomes. ■