Engineers refine lipid nanoparticles for better mRNA therapies

Penn Engineers have cooked up a new way to improve mRNA delivery, developing an optimal "recipe" for ionizable lipids—key ingredients in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the molecules behind the COVID-19 vaccines and other innovative therapies. The method, described in Nature Biomedical Engineering, mirrors the iterative process of developing a culinary dish and may lead to safer, more effective mRNA vaccines and therapeutics.