Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Generation of Cationic Nanoliposomes for the Efficient Delivery of In Vitro Transcribed Messenger RNA
Published on: February 1, 2019
Activatable NIR-II Photothermal Lipid Nanoparticles for Improved Messenger RNA Delivery
Benhao Li1,2, Mengyao Zhao1,2, Weiping Lai3
1Departments of Diagnostic Radiology, Surgery, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119074, Singapore.
Abstract:
Endosomal escape remains a central issue limiting the high protein expression of mRNA therapeutics. Here, we present second near-infrared (NIR-II) lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) containing pH activatable NIR-II dye conjugated lipid (Cy-lipid) for potentiating mRNA delivery efficiency via a stimulus-responsive photothermal-promoted endosomal escape delivery (SPEED) strategy. In acidic endosomal microenvironment, Cy-lipid is protonated and turns on NIR-II absorption for light-to-heat transduction mediated by 1064 nm laser irradiation. Then, the heat-promoted LNPs morphology change triggers rapid escape of NIR-II LNPs from the endosome, allowing about 3-fold enhancement of enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) encoding mRNA translation capacity compared to the NIR-II light free group. In addition, the bioluminescence intensity induced by delivered luciferase encoding mRNA in the mouse liver region shows positive correlation with incremental radiation dose, indicating the validity of the SPEED strategy.
Related Concept Videos
RNA Interference
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
Experimental RNAi

