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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Pancreatic Duct Infusion: An Effective and Selective Method of Drug and Viral Delivery
Published on: September 30, 2021
Gastrointestinal delivery of mRNA lipid nanoparticles selectively targets the pancreas
Abdulraouf M Abbas1, Ramy Ghanim2, Sebastian Rudden1
1Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University School of Medicine and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
Abstract:
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) administered parenterally often show poor localization to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and pancreas. In addition, patients typically prefer orally administered drugs to those given intravenously. We therefore investigated whether GI delivery, achievable via device mediated microneedle injections applied to buccal, gastric, small intestinal, colonic, or rectal tissues, could simultaneously enhance LNP delivery to the GI and pancreas while avoiding intravenous administration. Using a combined approach of formulation optimization and GI delivery site screening, we found that cationic SM-102 LNPs delivered gastrically achieved 7-fold higher pancreas delivery in rodents than intravenous neutral SM-102 LNPs. With dose optimization, gastric LNPs achieved 6000-fold greater pancreas to liver targeting ratios than intravenous LNPs. These results suggest GI microneedle administration can reprogram LNP biodistribution, thereby expanding therapeutic opportunities for both local and systemic nucleic acid delivery.
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