Optimisation of delivering mRNA

Dates: 2023-2025

Aim: Optimisation of delivering mRNA, as exemplified in the COVID-19 vaccines, is of great interest to public health.

Summary: In this study, we combined detailed SAXS analysis and MD simulations to determine structure and hydration of ionizable lipid hexagonal phases, that are applied in mRNA delivery. Key to this work were experimental approaches developed at University of Leeds’ Professor Michael Rappolt research team, which matched perfectly the simulation-based work conducted by Professor Joachim Raedler’s research group (Ludwig-Maximilians University) and Professor Lennart Lindfors’ research group (Astra Zeneca). Most strikingly, the results potentially link a lower water content of the lipid self-assembled phase with increased therapeutic performance.

Collaborators: University of Leeds (Professor Michael Rappolt) and Astra Zeneca (Professor Lennart Lindfors)

Funding: Indirectly involvement through Dr Gerome Vancuylenberg (SOFI) (EPSRC Scholarship Grant: EP/S023631/1). Output: Soft Matter 21, 8049. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SM00666J