1
|
Balcorta HV, Contreras Guerrero VG, Bisht D, Poon W. Nucleic Acid Delivery Nanotechnologies for In Vivo Cell Programming. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2024; 7:5020-5036. [PMID: 38288693 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.3c00886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/20/2024]
Abstract
In medicine, it is desirable for clinicians to be able to restore function and imbue novel function into selected cells for therapy and disease prevention. Cells damaged by disease, injury, or aging could be programmed to restore normal or lost functions, such as retinal cells in inherited blindness and neuronal cells in Alzheimer's disease. Cells could also be genetically programmed with novel functions such as immune cells expressing synthetic chimeric antigen receptors for immunotherapy. Furthermore, knockdown or modification of risk factor proteins can mitigate disease development. Currently, nucleic acids are emerging as a versatile and potent therapeutic modality for achieving this cellular programming. In this review, we highlight the latest developments in nanobiomaterials-based nucleic acid therapeutics for cellular programming from a biomaterial design and delivery perspective and how to overcome barriers to their clinical translation to benefit patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannia V Balcorta
- Department of Metallurgical, Materials, and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Veronica G Contreras Guerrero
- Department of Metallurgical, Materials, and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Deepali Bisht
- Department of Metallurgical, Materials, and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Wilson Poon
- Department of Metallurgical, Materials, and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lokras AG, Bobak TR, Baghel SS, Sebastiani F, Foged C. Advances in the design and delivery of RNA vaccines for infectious diseases. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2024; 213:115419. [PMID: 39111358 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2024.115419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
RNA medicines represent a paradigm shift in treatment and prevention of critical diseases of global significance, e.g., infectious diseases. The highly successful messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were developed at record speed during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. A consequence of this is exceptionally shortened vaccine development times, which in combination with adaptability makes the RNA vaccine technology highly attractive against infectious diseases and for pandemic preparedness. Here, we review state of the art in the design and delivery of RNA vaccines for infectious diseases based on different RNA modalities, including linear mRNA, self-amplifying RNA, trans-amplifying RNA, and circular RNA. We provide an overview of the clinical pipeline of RNA vaccines for infectious diseases, and present analytical procedures, which are paramount for characterizing quality attributes and guaranteeing their quality, and we discuss future perspectives for using RNA vaccines to combat pathogens beyond SARS-CoV-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abhijeet Girish Lokras
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Thomas Rønnemoes Bobak
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Saahil Sandeep Baghel
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Federica Sebastiani
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark; Division of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, 22100, Lund, Sweden
| | - Camilla Foged
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Li S, Hu Y, Lin J, Schneiderman Z, Shao F, Wei L, Li A, Hsieh K, Kokkoli E, Curk T, Mao HQ, Wang TH. Single-Particle Spectroscopic Chromatography Reveals Heterogeneous RNA Loading and Size Correlations in Lipid Nanoparticles. ACS NANO 2024; 18:15729-15743. [PMID: 38839059 PMCID: PMC11191693 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c02341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Lipid nanoparticles (LNP) have emerged as pivotal delivery vehicles for RNA therapeutics. Previous research and development usually assumed that LNPs are homogeneous in population, loading density, and composition. Such perspectives are difficult to examine due to the lack of suitable tools to characterize these physicochemical properties at the single-nanoparticle level. Here, we report an integrated spectroscopy-chromatography approach as a generalizable strategy to dissect the complexities of multicomponent LNP assembly. Our platform couples cylindrical illumination confocal spectroscopy (CICS) with single-nanoparticle free solution hydrodynamic separation (SN-FSHS) to simultaneously profile population identity, hydrodynamic size, RNA loading levels, and distributions of helper lipid and PEGylated lipid of LNPs at the single-particle level and in a high-throughput manner. Using a benchmark siRNA LNP formulation, we demonstrate the capability of this platform by distinguishing seven distinct LNP populations, quantitatively characterizing size distribution and RNA loading level in wide ranges, and more importantly, resolving composition-size correlations. This SN-FSHS-CICS analysis provides critical insights into a substantial degree of heterogeneity in the packing density of RNA in LNPs and size-dependent loading-size correlations, explained by kinetics-driven assembly mechanisms of RNA LNPs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sixuan Li
- Institute
for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Yizong Hu
- Institute
for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Translational
Tissue Engineering Center, Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Jinghan Lin
- Institute
for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Translational
Tissue Engineering Center, Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Zachary Schneiderman
- Institute
for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Fangchi Shao
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Lai Wei
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Andrew Li
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Kuangwen Hsieh
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Efrosini Kokkoli
- Institute
for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Tine Curk
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Hai-Quan Mao
- Institute
for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Translational
Tissue Engineering Center, Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Tza-Huei Wang
- Institute
for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Huang X, Ma Y, Ma G, Xia Y. Unlocking the Therapeutic Applicability of LNP-mRNA: Chemistry, Formulation, and Clinical Strategies. RESEARCH (WASHINGTON, D.C.) 2024; 7:0370. [PMID: 38894715 PMCID: PMC11185168 DOI: 10.34133/research.0370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Messenger RNA (mRNA) has emerged as an innovative therapeutic modality, offering promising avenues for the prevention and treatment of a variety of diseases. The tremendous success of mRNA vaccines in effectively combatting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) evidences the unlimited medical and therapeutic potential of mRNA technology. Overcoming challenges related to mRNA stability, immunogenicity, and precision targeting has been made possible by recent advancements in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). This review summarizes state-of-the-art LNP-mRNA-based therapeutics, including their structure, material compositions, design guidelines, and screening principles. Additionally, we highlight current preclinical and clinical trends in LNP-mRNA therapeutics in a broad range of treatments in ophthalmological conditions, cancer immunotherapy, gene editing, and rare-disease medicine. Particular attention is given to the translation and evolution of LNP-mRNA vaccines into a broader spectrum of therapeutics. We explore concerns in the aspects of inadequate extrahepatic targeting efficacy, elevated doses, safety concerns, and challenges of large-scale production procedures. This discussion may offer insights and perspectives on near- and long-term clinical development prospects for LNP-mRNA therapeutics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Yishan Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| | - Guanghui Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
- School of Chemical Engineering,
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| | - Yufei Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
- School of Chemical Engineering,
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Anchordoquy T, Artzi N, Balyasnikova IV, Barenholz Y, La-Beck NM, Brenner JS, Chan WCW, Decuzzi P, Exner AA, Gabizon A, Godin B, Lai SK, Lammers T, Mitchell MJ, Moghimi SM, Muzykantov VR, Peer D, Nguyen J, Popovtzer R, Ricco M, Serkova NJ, Singh R, Schroeder A, Schwendeman AA, Straehla JP, Teesalu T, Tilden S, Simberg D. Mechanisms and Barriers in Nanomedicine: Progress in the Field and Future Directions. ACS NANO 2024; 18:13983-13999. [PMID: 38767983 PMCID: PMC11214758 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c00182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, steady progress has been made in synthesizing and characterizing engineered nanoparticles, resulting in several approved drugs and multiple promising candidates in clinical trials. Regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency released important guidance documents facilitating nanoparticle-based drug product development, particularly in the context of liposomes and lipid-based carriers. Even with the progress achieved, it is clear that many barriers must still be overcome to accelerate translation into the clinic. At the recent conference workshop "Mechanisms and Barriers in Nanomedicine" in May 2023 in Colorado, U.S.A., leading experts discussed the formulation, physiological, immunological, regulatory, clinical, and educational barriers. This position paper invites open, unrestricted, nonproprietary discussion among senior faculty, young investigators, and students to trigger ideas and concepts to move the field forward.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Anchordoquy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, United States
| | - Natalie Artzi
- Brigham and Woman's Hospital, Department of Medicine, Division of Engineering in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Irina V Balyasnikova
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University; Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Yechezkel Barenholz
- Membrane and Liposome Research Lab, IMRIC, Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
| | - Ninh M La-Beck
- Department of Immunotherapeutics and Biotechnology, Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Abilene, Texas 79601, United States
| | - Jacob S Brenner
- Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Warren C W Chan
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Rosebrugh Building, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G9, Canada
- Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Paolo Decuzzi
- Laboratory of Nanotechnology for Precision Medicine, Italian Institute of Technology, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Agata A Exner
- Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Alberto Gabizon
- The Helmsley Cancer Center, Shaare Zedek Medical Center and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem-Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, 9103102, Israel
| | - Biana Godin
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medicine College (WCMC), New York, New York 10065, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M, College Station, Texas 7784,3 United States
| | - Samuel K Lai
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Twan Lammers
- Department of Nanomedicine and Theranostics, Institute for Experimental Molecular Imaging, Center for Biohybrid Medical Systems, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Michael J Mitchell
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
- Penn Institute for RNA Innovation, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - S Moein Moghimi
- School of Pharmacy, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, U.K
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, U.K
- Colorado Center for Nanomedicine and Nanosafety, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, Aurora, Colorado 80045, United States
| | - Vladimir R Muzykantov
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, The Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Dan Peer
- Laboratory of Precision Nanomedicine, Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
- Department of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
- Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
- Cancer Biology Research Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Juliane Nguyen
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Rachela Popovtzer
- Faculty of Engineering and the Institute of Nanotechnology & Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, 5290002 Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Madison Ricco
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, United States
| | - Natalie J Serkova
- Department of Radiology, University of Colorado Cancer Center, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, United States
| | - Ravi Singh
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101, United States
- Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101, United States
| | - Avi Schroeder
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Anna A Schwendeman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108; Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Joelle P Straehla
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 United States
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge Massachusetts 02139 United States
| | - Tambet Teesalu
- Laboratory of Precision and Nanomedicine, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Scott Tilden
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, United States
| | - Dmitri Simberg
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Serpico L, Zhu Y, Maia RF, Sumedha S, Shahbazi MA, Santos HA. Lipid nanoparticles-based RNA therapies for breast cancer treatment. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2024:10.1007/s13346-024-01638-2. [PMID: 38831199 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-024-01638-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) prevails as a major burden on global healthcare, being the most prevalent form of cancer among women. BC is a complex and heterogeneous disease, and current therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, frequently fall short in providing effective solutions. These treatments fail to mitigate the risk of cancer recurrence and cause severe side effects that, in turn, compromise therapeutic responses in patients. Over the last decade, several strategies have been proposed to overcome these limitations. Among them, RNA-based technologies have demonstrated their potential across various clinical applications, notably in cancer therapy. However, RNA therapies are still limited by a series of critical issues like off-target effect and poor stability in circulation. Thus, novel approaches have been investigated to improve the targeting and bioavailability of RNA-based formulations to achieve an appropriate therapeutic outcome. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have been largely proven to be an advantageous carrier for nucleic acids and RNA. This perspective explores the most recent advances on RNA-based technology with an emphasis on LNPs' utilization as effective nanocarriers in BC therapy and most recent progresses in their clinical applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luigia Serpico
- Department of Biomaterials and Biomedical Technology, The Personalized Medicine Research Institute (PRECISION), University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Yuewen Zhu
- Department of Biomaterials and Biomedical Technology, The Personalized Medicine Research Institute (PRECISION), University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Renata Faria Maia
- Department of Biomaterials and Biomedical Technology, The Personalized Medicine Research Institute (PRECISION), University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sumedha Sumedha
- Department of Biomaterials and Biomedical Technology, The Personalized Medicine Research Institute (PRECISION), University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Mohammad-Ali Shahbazi
- Department of Biomaterials and Biomedical Technology, The Personalized Medicine Research Institute (PRECISION), University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Hélder A Santos
- Department of Biomaterials and Biomedical Technology, The Personalized Medicine Research Institute (PRECISION), University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Di Francesco V, Chua AJ, Huang D, D'Souza A, Yang A, Bleier BS, Amiji MM. RNA therapies for CNS diseases. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2024; 208:115283. [PMID: 38494152 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2024.115283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Neurological disorders are a diverse group of conditions that pose an increasing health burden worldwide. There is a general lack of effective therapies due to multiple reasons, of which a key obstacle is the presence of the blood-brain barrier, which limits drug delivery to the central nervous system, and generally restricts the pool of candidate drugs to small, lipophilic molecules. However, in many cases, these are unable to target key pathways in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders. As a group, RNA therapies have shown tremendous promise in treating various conditions because they offer unique opportunities for specific targeting by leveraging Watson-Crick base pairing systems, opening up possibilities to modulate pathological mechanisms that previously could not be addressed by small molecules or antibody-protein interactions. This potential paradigm shift in disease management has been enabled by recent advances in synthesizing, purifying, and delivering RNA. This review explores the use of RNA-based therapies specifically for central nervous system disorders, where we highlight the inherent limitations of RNA therapy and present strategies to augment the effectiveness of RNA therapeutics, including physical, chemical, and biological methods. We then describe translational challenges to the widespread use of RNA therapies and close with a consideration of future prospects in this field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Di Francesco
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Andy J Chua
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Sengkang General Hospital, 110 Sengkang E Way, 544886, Singapore
| | - Di Huang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Anisha D'Souza
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Alicia Yang
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Benjamin S Bleier
- Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Mansoor M Amiji
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Seder I, Zheng T, Zhang J, Rojas CC, Helalat SH, Téllez RC, Sun Y. A Scalable Microfluidic Platform for Nanoparticle Formulation: For Exploratory- and Industrial-Level Scales. NANO LETTERS 2024; 24:5132-5138. [PMID: 38588326 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c05057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Nanoparticle synthesis on microfluidic platforms provides excellent reproducibility and control over bulk synthesis. While there have been plenty of platforms for producing nanoparticles (NPs) with controlled physicochemical properties, such platforms often operate in a narrow range of predefined flow rates. The flow rate limitation restricts either up-scalability for industrial production or down-scalability for exploratory research use. Here, we present a universal flow rate platform that operates over a wide range of flow rates (0.1-75 mL/min) for small-scale exploratory research and industrial-level synthesis of NPs without compromising the mixing capabilities. The wide range of flow rate is obtained by using a coaxial flow with a triangular microstructure to create a vortex regardless of the flow regime (Reynolds number). The chip synthesizes several types of NPs for gene and protein delivery, including polyplex, lipid NPs, and solid polymer NPs via self-assembly and precipitation, and successfully expresses GFP plasmid DNA in human T cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Islam Seder
- Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Tao Zheng
- Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - César Cruz Rojas
- Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Seyed Hossein Helalat
- Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Rodrigo Coronel Téllez
- Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Yi Sun
- Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
R Hanna A, J Shepherd S, Issadore D, J Mitchell M. Microfluidic Generation of Diverse Lipid Nanoparticle Libraries. Nanomedicine (Lond) 2024; 19:455-457. [PMID: 38240188 DOI: 10.2217/nnm-2023-0345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Hanna
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104, USA
| | - Sarah J Shepherd
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104, USA
| | - David Issadore
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104, USA
| | - Michael J Mitchell
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104, USA
- Penn Institute for RNA Innovation, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Mehraji S, DeVoe DL. Microfluidic synthesis of lipid-based nanoparticles for drug delivery: recent advances and opportunities. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:1154-1174. [PMID: 38165786 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00821e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2024]
Abstract
Microfluidic technologies are revolutionizing the synthesis of nanoscale lipid particles and enabling new opportunities for the production of lipid-based nanomedicines. By harnessing the benefits of microfluidics for controlling diffusive and advective transport within microfabricated flow cells, microfluidic platforms enable unique capabilities for lipid nanoparticle synthesis with precise and tunable control over nanoparticle properties. Here we present an assessment of the current state of microfluidic technologies for lipid-based nanoparticle and nanomedicine production. Microfluidic techniques are discussed in the context of conventional production methods, with an emphasis on the capabilities of microfluidic systems for controlling nanoparticle size and size distribution. Challenges and opportunities associated with the scaling of manufacturing throughput are discussed, together with an overview of emerging microfluidic methods for lipid nanomedicine post-processing. The impact of additive manufacturing on current and future microfluidic platforms is also considered.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sima Mehraji
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
- Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Don L DeVoe
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
- Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Wu L, Li X, Qian X, Wang S, Liu J, Yan J. Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) Delivery Carrier-Assisted Targeted Controlled Release mRNA Vaccines in Tumor Immunity. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:186. [PMID: 38400169 PMCID: PMC10891594 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12020186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
In recent years, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have attracted extensive attention in tumor immunotherapy. Targeting immune cells in cancer therapy has become a strategy of great research interest. mRNA vaccines are a potential choice for tumor immunotherapy, due to their ability to directly encode antigen proteins and stimulate a strong immune response. However, the mode of delivery and lack of stability of mRNA are key issues limiting its application. LNPs are an excellent mRNA delivery carrier, and their structural stability and biocompatibility make them an effective means for delivering mRNA to specific targets. This study summarizes the research progress in LNP delivery carrier-assisted targeted controlled release mRNA vaccines in tumor immunity. The role of LNPs in improving mRNA stability, immunogenicity, and targeting is discussed. This review aims to systematically summarize the latest research progress in LNP delivery carrier-assisted targeted controlled release mRNA vaccines in tumor immunity to provide new ideas and strategies for tumor immunotherapy, as well as to provide more effective treatment plans for patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liusheng Wu
- Center of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Disease, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; (L.W.); (X.Q.); (S.W.)
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore
| | - Xiaoqiang Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518036, China;
| | - Xinye Qian
- Center of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Disease, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; (L.W.); (X.Q.); (S.W.)
| | - Shuang Wang
- Center of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Disease, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; (L.W.); (X.Q.); (S.W.)
| | - Jixian Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518036, China;
| | - Jun Yan
- Center of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Disease, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; (L.W.); (X.Q.); (S.W.)
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Huang C, Qing L, Xiao Y, Tang J, Wu P. Insight into Steroid-Induced ONFH: The Molecular Mechanism and Function of Epigenetic Modification in Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Biomolecules 2023; 14:4. [PMID: 38275745 PMCID: PMC10813482 DOI: 10.3390/biom14010004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a common refractory orthopedic disease, which is one of the common causes of hip pain and dysfunction. ONFH has a very high disability rate, which is associated with a heavy burden to patients, families, and society. The pathogenesis of ONFH is not completely clear. At present, it is believed that it mainly includes coagulation dysfunction, abnormal lipid metabolism, an imbalance of osteogenic/adipogenic differentiation, and poor vascularization repair. The prevention and treatment of ONFH has always been a great challenge for clinical orthopedic surgeons. However, recent studies have emphasized that the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to treat steroid-induced ONFH (SONFH) is a promising therapy. This review focuses on the role and molecular mechanism of epigenetic regulation in the progress of MSCs in the treatment of SONFH, and discusses the significance of the latest research in the treatment of SONFH from the perspective of epigenetics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Juyu Tang
- Department of Orthopedics, Hand and Microsurgery, National Clinical Research Center of Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410008, China; (C.H.); (L.Q.); (Y.X.)
| | - Panfeng Wu
- Department of Orthopedics, Hand and Microsurgery, National Clinical Research Center of Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410008, China; (C.H.); (L.Q.); (Y.X.)
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Mossburg KJ, Shepherd SJ, Barragan D, O NH, Berkow EK, Maidment PSN, Berrios DNR, Hsu JC, Siedlik MJ, Yadavali S, Mitchell MJ, Issadore D, Cormode DP. Towards the Clinical Translation of a Silver Sulfide Nanoparticle Contrast Agent: Large Scale Production with a Highly Parallelized Microfluidic Chip. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.02.569706. [PMID: 38106126 PMCID: PMC10723277 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.02.569706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Ultrasmall silver sulfide nanoparticles (Ag 2 S-NP) have been identified as promising contrast agents for a number of modalities and in particular for dual-energy mammography. These Ag 2 S-NP have demonstrated marked advantages over clinically available agents with the ability to generate higher contrast with high biocompatibility. However, current synthesis methods are low-throughput and highly time-intensive, limiting the possibility of large animal studies or eventual clinical use of this potential imaging agent. We herein report the use of a scalable silicon microfluidic system (SSMS) for the large-scale synthesis of Ag 2 S-NP. Using SSMS chips with 1 channel, 10 parallelized channels, and 256 parallelized channels, we determined that the Ag 2 S-NP produced were of similar quality as measured by core size, concentration, UV-visible spectrometry, and in vitro contrast generation. Moreover, by combining parallelized chips with increasing reagent concentration, we were able to increase output by an overall factor of 3,400. We also found that in vivo imaging contrast generation was consistent across synthesis methods and confirmed renal clearance of the ultrasmall nanoparticles. Finally, we found best-in-class clearance of the Ag 2 S-NP occurred within 24 hours. These studies have identified a promising method for the large-scale production of Ag 2 S-NP, paving the way for eventual clinical translation.
Collapse
|
14
|
Thatte AS, Hamilton AG, Nachod BE, Mukalel AJ, Billingsley MM, Palanki R, Swingle KL, Mitchell MJ. mRNA Lipid Nanoparticles for Ex Vivo Engineering of Immunosuppressive T Cells for Autoimmunity Therapies. NANO LETTERS 2023; 23:10179-10188. [PMID: 37906000 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c02573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Cell-based therapies for autoimmune diseases have gained significant traction, with several approaches centered around the regulatory T (Treg) cell─a well-known immunosuppressive cell characterized by its expression of the transcription factor Foxp3. Unfortunately, due to low numbers of Treg cells available in circulation, harvesting and culturing Treg cells remains a challenge. It has been reported that engineering Foxp3 expression in CD4+ T cells can result in a Treg-like phenotype; however, current methods result in the inefficient engineering of these cells. Here, we develop an ionizable lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform to effectively deliver Foxp3 mRNA to CD4+ T cells. We successfully engineer CD4+ T cells into Foxp3-T (FP3T) cells that transiently exhibit an immunosuppressive phenotype and functionally suppress the proliferation of effector T cells. These results demonstrate the promise of an LNP platform for engineering immunosuppressive T cells with potential applications in autoimmunity therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ajay S Thatte
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Alex G Hamilton
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Benjamin E Nachod
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Alvin J Mukalel
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Margaret M Billingsley
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Rohan Palanki
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Kelsey L Swingle
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Michael J Mitchell
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
- Penn Institute for RNA Innovation, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
- Institute for Immunology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
- Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 United States
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| |
Collapse
|