Insights into the formulation of lipid nanoparticles for the optimization of mRNA therapeutics

mRNA-based therapeutics increasingly demonstrate significant potential in treating various diseases, including infectious diseases, cancers, and genetic disorders. Effective delivery systems are crucial for advancing mRNA therapeutics. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) serve as an excellent carrier, widely validated for their safety and tolerability in commercially available mRNA vaccines. Standard LNPs typically consist of four components: ionizable lipids (ILs), helper lipids, cholesterol, and polyethylene glycol-lipids (PEG-lipids), with the structural design of ILs gradually becoming a focal point of research interest. The chemical structures and formulations of the other components also significantly affect the delivery efficiency, targeting specificity, and stability of LNPs. The complex formulations of LNPs may hinder the clinical transformation of mRNA therapeutics and have raised widespread concerns about their safety. This review aims to summarize the progress of LNPs-based mRNA therapeutics in clinical trials, focusing on adverse effects that occurred during these trials. It also discusses representative innovations in LNP components, highlighting challenges and potential ways in this research field. We firmly believe this review will promote further improvements and designs of LNP compositions to optimize mRNA therapeutics. This article is categorized under: Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology Biology-Inspired Nanomaterials > Lipid-Based Structures.